Netflix Cracks Down on Password Sharing: What You Need to Know

In a bid to curb password sharing, Netflix has announced plans to restrict users from accessing their accounts outside of their primary location. Starting March 2021, the streaming giant will begin implementing measures to detect and block devices linked to secondary locations.

According to the company's Help Center pages, users can still access their account while traveling or living between different places by using a temporary access code or updating their primary location. However, 'trusted devices' that allow users to stream content on Netflix when not at their primary location will no longer be supported.

To detect devices linked to the primary location of an account, Netflix uses IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity. The company estimates that over 100 million households engage in password sharing, which it aims to put a stop to with its new measures.

When someone signs into your account from a device not part of your primary location or if your account is accessed persistently from another location, the device may be blocked from watching Netflix. To avoid this, you can add an 'extra member' to your account at a cost less than the price of the basic plan.

Alternatively, the owner of the account can add outsiders as an 'extra member.' However, those not part of what Netflix considers a household will have to get their own account.

The streaming giant's Help Center pages for Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru clarify that anyone in your household (those who live with you at your primary location) can use a Netflix account. With this new development, it appears that password sharing is no longer the norm on Netflix.

Netflix user id and password 2021