Netflix has provided more details on how its password sharing crackdown will work, although it’s been a bit confusing so far.
On Tuesday, the streamer updated its Help Center page to note that you’ll need to set a primary location for your account, and additional devices must connect to the same Wi-Fi network. However, it added that any devices outside of said primary location will need to connect to the home Wi-Fi and stream a title “at least once every 31 days,” otherwise it may be “blocked from watching Netflix.”
As noted by Gizmodo, though, the Help Center page has since been updated to remove mention of the 31-day period. Now, the company simply says “when someone signs into your account from a device that is not associated with your Netflix household, or if your account is accessed persistently from a location outside of your household, we may ask you to verify that device before it can be used to watch Netflix.”
As part of this verification process, the account holder will need to click a link that’s sent to their email or phone number. Users will then need to enter a provided code within 15 minutes on the device that requested it.
Therefore, it’s unclear how often Netflix will enforce this verification, especially considering it simply says “we may ask you to verify.” Likewise, the wording of “accessed persistently” is vague. When asked for clarification, a Netflix spokesperson sent MobileSyrup the following statement:
“For a brief time yesterday, a help center article containing information that is only applicable to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, went live in other countries. We have since updated it.”
For now, though, we know that Netflix will officially begin charging for password sharing by the end of March. Following multiple quarters of subscriber losses and stiff streaming competition, the company began looking to a crackdown on password sharing last year. So far, it’s only been testing this via a roughly $3 CAD paywall in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. It remains to be seen exactly how much it will cost in Canada.
Update: 01/02/2023 at 5:25pm ET: Updated with comment from a Netflix spokesperson.
Image credit: Netflix
Via: Gizmodo
