Netflix has been trying to stop account sharing across multiple households for some time. After a test phase in 2022, stricter measures are now also to follow in Germany.
Last year it became apparent that Netflix would no longer readily accept shared accounts in the future. After users in other countries already have to pay an additional fee for account sharing, things are now starting in Germany. TECHBOOK explains how Netflix wants to implement its measures and what users of the streaming service have to be prepared for in this country.
Update: Netflix introduces a fee for account sharing in Germany
It has been foreseeable for months that the fees for Netflix account sharing that have already been introduced in some countries will also come to Germany. Now the time has come. Since May 23, 2023, Netflix has been sending emails to German users with the headline “Update on sharing Netflix accounts between households”. The fees for account sharing now also apply in this country.
According to Netflix, this is explicitly about the fact that the password should no longer be shared with users outside of your own household in the future. So if you want to use the same account with your best friends in the future, you can do that, but you have to pay an additional fee. This amounts to 4.99 euros per month and is paid together with the basic price by the owner of the main account, as the streaming provider currently informs by e-mail.
Apparently, the subscribers who share their account with other people who do not live in the same household get a message. There is no specific time for the start of account sharing fees at Netflix, or they apply indirectly almost immediately. Affected users are now being informed bit by bit in order to be able to react.
In some cases, account sharing with Netflix is also unwanted because you have passed on your password to other people some time ago. Anyone who now rules out this case, but does not want to change their known password directly, can also use the profile settings to find out which other devices are accessing their own account. Unwanted or simply unknown devices can be removed manually.
This is how Netflix wants to recognize unauthorized account sharing
To ensure that the account is only used at the main location, the playback device must be connected to the WiFi there. Users then have to open the Netflix app or website and watch something at least every 31 days. This will create a trusted device for Netflix. A corresponding paragraph can now also be found further down in the company’s FAQs. It’s about sharing Netflix with someone who doesn’t live at the main location.
It states: “People outside of your household must register for their own accounts in order to use Netflix. In many countries, you can also purchase an additional member slot to add an additional member to your account.” In the meantime, there has been talk of devices that are not registered at the main location being blocked from Netflix use.
If you have a second home or are traveling, you must ensure that you use your Netflix account once a month via your main residence. Then the fees for account sharing are not an issue either. A spokesman for the company emphasized to TECHBOOK that the identification of devices at the main location would explicitly not be carried out using GPS. Netflix only checks the location via the IP address of the device used.
Related to the topic: Is it punishable if I share my account?
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Large quality differences within the Netflix subscriptions
Basically, Netflix offers some account sharing features aimed at allowing multiple people to use the same login. This is even anchored in the company’s terms and conditions. There it is written that sharing an account is generally allowed. However, this only applies to people living in the same household. The basic subscription (7.99 euros per month) is intended for single people, while the standard subscription for 12.99 euros per month is designed for two-person households and the premium subscription (17.99 euros) for Families with up to four users is intended.
Many subscribers also opt for one of the more expensive subscriptions because of the resolution. Because while Netflix users have to be satisfied with HD quality for the cheapest offer, subscribers to the standard subscription can watch in full HD and those with a premium subscription even in 4K. At the same time, Netflix has added expanded download functionality and spatial audio to its most expensive offering.
Netflix has also been offering an ad-financed basic subscription since November 2022. This costs 4.99 euros and shows advertising for it. The catalog of films, series and documentaries is also slimmer than the ad-free versions. A stream in Full HD quality is also available to users in this tariff.
Also read: New Netflix subscription with advertising does not inspire users
Many Netflix users share an account
That many Netflix subscribers share their password is not just a guess. The behavior is so popular among Netflix customers that it is almost de rigueur. This is the result of a survey by the TV channel CNBC. More than 35 percent of respondents said they regularly share accounts with Netflix. On average, one in ten used the streaming service in this way without paying for it.
The provider is said to be missing out on monthly income of more than a hundred million US dollars as a result of this handling. Another consequence of passing on account data is the stagnation of user numbers, which is no less problematic for the company than the financial losses. However, the focus is not only on passing on the passwords of individual accounts, family accounts should no longer be usable from different IP addresses.
Netflix product boss Greg Peters already threatened when the business figures were announced in the third quarter of 2019 that the company wanted to declare war on the disclosure of passwords in the near future. The events are being followed closely, he explained and promised: “We will find a consumer-friendly solution to this problem.”
Netflix wasn’t always against account sharing
Account sharing wasn’t originally a thorn in Netflix’s side. After all, the company itself has summoned the spirits, which it can no longer get rid of. In 2017, the streaming portal propagated its own generosity and sent a tweet with the message “Love is sharing a password” around the world. Even then, users were irritated and asked if this wasn’t illegal. At this point, Pandora’s box was open.
The fact that Netflix is now rowing back is understandable from a financial point of view, but suboptimal in terms of implementation and communication.