Netflix has finally announced how its crackdown on password-sharing will work but hasn’t said when the new guidelines will go into effect broadly throughout the U.S.
Anyone living in the primary subscriber’s household will be able to stream Netflix shows. Netflix will verify accounts through WiFi, IP addresses, device IDs and usage activity.
If Netflix detects an outside account logging into a Netflix subscription via a different WiFi, it will ask that user to verify their account via a five-step process.
Netflix will send a link to the email or phone number linked to the primary account, which will open a web page with a four-digit verification code. Users will need to enter the code on their streaming device within 15 minutes.
If a subscriber misses that 15-minute window, they can request a new verification code be sent.
Netflix may require trusted devices for verification monthly or occasionally. Unverified accounts will be blocked.
If a subscriber wants to upgrade their account to permit additional members of their household to watch Netflix programs, a standard plan will permit two users and a premium plan will permit four.
Netflix says users will be able to watch programs while traveling via a temporary access code or by updating the primary location of the account.
Netflix first published its “Sharing your Netflix account” notice in its Help Center for Costa Rica, Chile and Peru on Wednesday.
The company said it will roll out its new authentication requirements in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2023.
Netflix estimates more than 100 million households share accounts outside of the primary subscriber and that its new rules will expand its subscription base and enable it to offer more compelling programs.
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