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Netflix finally revealed what it is going to do to stop you from sharing accounts

By Stanislav Serbezov

Published: Feb 02, 2023, 3:16 AM

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Netflix finally revealed what it is going to do to stop you from sharing accounts

You’ve probably heard about the plans that Netflix has to prevent account sharing. The streaming platform has been slowly building up to that goal through a series of announcements, and even feature releases, like the one that allows users to transfer their profile to a standalone account (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

Well, the time is nigh and Netflix has released the final guidelines on its help site. The plan revolves around the service trying to define a “home address” through your IP, device ID and your overall activity pattern. Then it will use that information to establish whether the user accessing the account is actually the account owner.

So how is that going to happen? Through an arduous verification process, of course! It may get triggered each time that you try to watch Netflix from a new device or location, and it involves the sending of the codes through the emails and the texts, and then you need to input them correctly on time and… ugh.

Well, at least security concerns have not been raised yet, but nowadays that’s always just a matter of time.

What is the impact of Netflix’s new account rules?

Well, now it's sort of limited.

The process itself wouldn’t be an issue, if it happened once. But Netflix wants to make sure that you are indeed the account holder and that you are the only person using the account, so it may prompt you to do this “periodically”.

These changes will have a heavier negative impact on two groups of people: those that travel often and those who use a VPN.

You see, due to the unique disposition of hardcore film watchers, they prefer to watch content on a big screen. As such, if it so happens that they are about to travel, they wouldn’t be able to take the TV along with them, as it is probably huge. Hence, every time that they try to watch Netflix while away from home, they will likely get bombarded with verification requests.

The second group is also likely obvious: VPNs change your IP and location. This will mess up Netflix’s attempts to get a grasp on your “home address”, which will also result in a sequence of verification requests.

Guess that infamous VPN promotion tagline of being able to “conveniently watch territory-exclusive content” just got outdated effective immediately.

Is Netflix’s verification process going to be annoying?

The level of annoyance of this process will highly depend on the algorithm that Netflix has implemented. On its help site, the company states that the service should be smart enough to recognise if you are an owner of multiple homes, so only time will tell if the aforementioned examples truly end up becoming as much of a bother as they can be.

There were rumors that Netflix was about to let extra users stay, as long as the account holder was willing to pay extra too, but now that the rules are out, we can confirm that this is no longer part of the plan. And in all honesty, these new rules are not a big deal, but it's just the type of minor annoyance that really gets people’s gears grinding.

This isn’t much of a silver lining, but at least Netflix won’t go out of its way to punish users who are switching locations and devices often, at least for now. As long as you are willing to bear with the verification process, you can move about as often as you like.

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Stan, also known as Stako, is a smartphone enthusiast who loves exploring the limits of Android customization. His journey with mobile tech began with the Nokia 5110 and evolved with devices like the BlackBerry 9350 Curve and Samsung Galaxy A4. Despite his love for Android, he holds equal respect for Apple, considering the iPhone 4s as a significant milestone in mobile tech. Stan started his writing career early, contributing to MetalWorld, and harbors a passion for creative writing. Beyond smartphones, he's interested in photography, design, composition, and gaming, often preferring solo projects to hone his objective thinking. He's also an avid student of open-source technology and consoles, with a special fondness for the Pebble Watch, Arduboy, and Playdate.