UPDATE: Netflix's approach to cracking down on account-sharing for US users isn't set in stone, at least not yet. A company spokesperson told PCMag: "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."
According to the Internet Archive, on Tuesday Netflix briefly uploaded the help center article to apply to the US market before taking it down.
Original story:
Netflix is finally revealing more about how it’ll crack down on account sharing.
The good news: If you live in the same home as the paid Netflix account holder, you’ll still be able to share access—even when at work or traveling. TVs, phones, and laptops that regularly stream from the account holder’s “primary location” will be designated as “trusted devices.”
The bad news: Devices that routinely try to watch Netflix from outside the account holder’s primary location can expect to be blocked. The account holder will need to buy into the paid-sharing option to let someone outside the household stream through their Netflix account.
Details were shared in updated support documents that currently apply to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, where Netflix has been testing the new policy. The company plans on rolling it out to the rest of the globe later this quarter.
One lingering concern facing the impending account-sharing crackdown is whether it’ll affect Netflix paid subscribers who regularly stream from different locations, like at the gym, at an airport, or on a bus. The support document essentially says don’t worry. Paid subscribers and anyone who lives with them can continue receiving uninterrupted access—so long as they connect to the Wi-Fi at the primary location and watch something on Netflix at least once every 31 days.
“This creates a trusted device so you can watch Netflix, even when you’re away from your primary location,” the support document says. Netflix adds it’ll use a combination of “IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device signed into your account is connected to your primary location.”
However, the company warns if you use Netflix over a VPN even while at the subscriber’s primary location, you may lose access. This is likely because a VPN changes your device’s IP address to another country, making it look like a stranger is trying to access your Netflix account.
In the event the account holder travels and does encounter a block, they'll be able to request a temporary code, giving them access on their device for seven consecutive days. In addition, the paid subscriber can update the primary location for their Netflix account if they plan being away from home for over 31 days.
On the flip side, the policy is bound to make it hard for paid subscribers to freely share a Netflix account with people living outside their household. How much Netflix plans on charging US subscribers for the paid sharing option remains unclear. But in Latin America, the company has been asking account holders to pay an extra $2.99 per month to do so.
Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In the meantime, the US support document for account sharing has yet to have been updated.