Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Max are juicing their subscriber numbers by cracking down on password sharing, but there are several workarounds to keep everyone watching.
In a bid to boost subscriber numbers and revenue, Netflix has cracked down on password sharing and made it difficult to share your account with someone outside your household. If you want to share an account with someone who doesn’t live with you, it’ll now cost extra to add them. Disney and Max have also introduced their own crackdown initiatives.
These measures have been put into place to force users to pay for their own plan. Netflix would prefer you transfer their profile to a new account. If you’re an account holder who suddenly has fewer users to manage, you may want to cancel or downgrade your subscription. However, if you’re stubborn and still hoping to hold on until the bitter end, there are some workarounds that may work.How the Password Sharing Crackdown Works
In order to determine who should and shouldn’t have access to an account, the streaming service is relying on something called a Netflix Household, which is defined as a « collection of the devices connected to the internet at the main place you watch Netflix. » A television is used as the center of that household, while a combination of IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity is used to determine who should be part of it. Disney+ and Max are likely doing something similar.
This means the main TV you use to stream, plus all the devices connected to the same internet connection, are considered to be one household. While you can manually set your TV as the main device for your household, you can’t add other devices or users to that household. It may sound impossible to get around this kind of setup, but there are some things you can try.1. Purchase Additional User Accounts
If you want to continue sharing your password, the only official way is to pay for what the industry is calling an « extra member. » These extra members are additional profiles for people who live outside your immediate household. They have their own account and password, and can even transfer an existing profile, but the membership is paid for by the person who invited them to the household.
For Netflix users, you’ll need a Standard or Premium plan to add an extra member—the ad-supported plan is not eligible. It costs an extra $6.99 per month per person and will include ads for the additional person. For $8.99 per month per person, Netflix will remove the ads. The company also limits you to a max of one new user on the Standard plan and two new users on the Premium plan.
Similarly, Disney (and Hulu) now charges extra to add an extra member to your Disney + plan.
