Netflix, One Step Away from Blocking Shared Accounts: the Key is in the Wifi

Netflix has clarified its new shared account terms.

The Netflix platform has been anticipating a change in the use of shared accounts, as it seeks to limit those of users who do not live in the same home, since it is common for some of them to share them with friends outside the family nucleus.

The company has announced that it will block those shared accounts that do not register activity after 31 days of the last connection in the same home, ie with the same wifi.

In August last year, Netflix began testing an additional fee for connecting outside the home from a TV. Initially, it was launched in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

In October, during the third quarter financial results conference, it confirmed plans to bring this additional charge to more countries by 2023. An idea that has reiterated in the framework of the results for the first quarter of this year and that also makes it one of the pillars of its growth.

To verify that the connection to the platform is made from the same place, Netflix uses the IP address, device identifiers and the account’s own activity. That way, you are able to know if the account holder’s home internet connection is being used.

The platform has recently modified the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the three countries in which it has implemented additional fees and detailed how it will manage account sharing.

Netflix has now pointed out that, to make sure that devices are associated with a primary location, users need to connect on a certain frequency to the account holder’s home WiFi and open Netflix, either the web version of the platform or the mobile application.

The company has determined that this registration should be made at least once every 31 days from the main location of the platform subscriber. Otherwise, it suggests that they’ll block the account that did not have this activity with this connection.

On the other hand, he has explained that when someone logs into their account from a device that is not part of their original location it is also possible that they can’t play Netflix.

If the company eventually blocks your service on the device and the user is away from home (because you are traveling, for example), you must request a temporary code to access the platform for seven days.