Netflix moving to end password sharing
It is no secret Netflix would like for us to stop sharing passwords.
For years when the company was growing, it seemed content to look the other way when people let others use their Netflix login.
Now that subscriber numbers have dropped, Netflix is going to start cracking down on freeloaders.
Netflix accounts can only be associated with one household.
WHAT DETERMINES A HOUSEHOLD?
Netflix says they use information such as IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to determine members of the same household.
If you are sharing your Netflix password with someone and you’d like to continue, be prepared to pay extra.
Netflix said they will start charging for account sharing in 2023, but they released no specifics.
If Netflix determines your account is being used by more than one household, they will be charging you more.
The company has already tested this plan in a handful of smaller countries, where they charged $2.99 per month for each additional user. Netflix has not said how much each additional user would cost in the United States.
SOME SCENARIOS
I’m sure there are some scenarios where you might be concerned.
How can you know if your account is being used by someone else? What if you logged into Netflix on grandma’s new smart TV while you were home for Christmas last year and forgot to log out?
What if you watched Netflix on your boyfriend’s laptop and he’s no longer your boyfriend?
Netflix has rolled out a new feature to let account holders view and manage their recent login activity.
You can see all the devices logged into your account and decide if you’d like to log them out.
This feature works great, but what if others know your login credentials?
If you log out on that ex-boyfriend’s laptop and he logs in again, you should get an email from Netflix telling you a new device is using your account.
If you want to prevent them from getting back in, you’ll need to log them out again and change your password.
You’ll find the page to manage your access and devices and a link to reset your password in the Account settings when you are logged in to Netflix on your computer.
PROFILE TRANSFERS
It someone else is using your account, I’m guessing you made them their own Netflix profile, so your viewing choices are not mixed up.
If the person using your login would like to start their own Netflix account and save their viewing information (like their watchlist and which shows they’ve already viewed), they can transfer their profile from your account to their own new Netflix account.
The profile transfer tool can be found on the main menu at the top right of the screen or at the bottom of your settings screen. Just follow the onscreen directions.