Netflix has detailed its criteria for restricting account sharing. IP address, device ID, verification code, holder email address… here are the main points to remember.
We knew for the theory: Netflix will restrict the free sharing of accounts outside the home. Now the SVOD giant is getting down to business. In the coming weeks, the American company will begin to execute its plan. And in a support page available on its website, we now know more about Netflix account sharing rules, such as spotted him the Huffington Post on January 31, 2023.
How does Netflix detect devices?
As expected, the service will rely on multiple signals to establish the legitimacy of devices logging into an account. Three criteria are announced: the IP address (which is the registration range of your access point on the Internet), the identifier of the device and the activity of the account. Netflix does not specify whether other indicators are used.
If the devices all connect from the household associated with the Netflix account, there will be no problem. At least, within the limits of what is provided for in the offer that the Internet user has chosen (there is a specific number of simultaneous screens, depending on the package selected). But, in the case of a smartphone or a computer accessing the account from another place, it gets complicated.
What is a Netflix Household?
the netflix hearth is the one in which the owner of the Netflix account lives. For a device to be considered part of the household, it must connect to that home’s Wi-Fi network at least once a month (every 31 days). In this context, several smartphones and computers can go on the platform (but not necessarily at the same time).
How to verify a device on Netflix
In this case, Netflix can ” ask to check it before it can be used to watch Netflix or change households “. This applies both to a device already identified on the account and to a new connection. This procedure involves a few steps and requires the assistance of the account owner.
- Someone tries to log in to a Netflix account from a place that is not, a priori, the home of the holder of the subscription;
- Netflix sends a link to the owner, to their email address or phone number (both are associated with the account);
- A 4-digit confirmation code is displayed in this link;
- This code must be entered by the person trying to connect with their device;
- Access to the Netflix account is then validated;
- The device verification may then return on an ad hoc basis.
This new feature cannot be disabled in the SVOD service settings. The only way to avoid this is to ensure that all connections to the account take place from the home of his or her owner (within the limit of devices authorized simultaneously). As soon as we leave this framework, this verification can regularly occur.
What about special cases, such as holidays in France or abroad, a one-time trip or a person with two homes? ” If you’re the primary account holder (or live with them), you shouldn’t need to verify your device to watch Netflix “, recognizes the site. However, he does not say how he will mitigate these checks.
