Netflix update: This is how the streaming giant wants to prevent account sharing

Until now, we only knew this: Netflix is planning to end account sharing as of March 2023, according to an official letter to shareholders. The American streaming service left a few questions unanswered. For example, in which countries account sharing is to be replaced by so-called paid sharing - that an additional amount is due per person outside of one's own household. And: How Netflix intends to technically prove account sharing at all.

Experts agree: paid sharing will be introduced in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada from the end of March. However, they also expect it to launch soon in the rest of the world - including Europe.

The only remaining question is "how". In the letter, Netflix spoke of wanting to use IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to recognise whether someone outside the assigned household is accessing the Netflix account. The recently updated FAQs on the English Netflix homepage now reveal significantly more details.

And it looks bleak: The new rules also affect compliant users.

The home Wi-Fi or LAN network as a central control centre

From now on, all devices on an account will have to regularly log into the Wi-Fi or LAN at the main location and stream Netflix content to avoid being blocked. If this does not happen for 31 days, the affected device will be blocked - from smartphones and tablets to laptops, computers and TVs. So anyone who visits regularly can continue to use account sharing without any problems. Except with the TV. This is probably the main aim of the new measure.

What sounds simple harbours many pitfalls. For example, if you don't use Netflix on your mobile for over a month, you suddenly have to deal with a device block. It is not clear from the FAQ how the lock can be cancelled. It is conceivable that a single login in the home WLAN or LAN is sufficient. Netflix itself currently only provides the following two options:

1. If you are travelling, request a temporary code that gives you access to Netflix for seven consecutive days
2. If you are not part of the account holder's household, sign up for a new Netflix account.

This also makes the new procedure annoying for those who use Netflix alone in accordance with the rules. For example, if you usually use Netflix on your TV and are travelling with your laptop after a few months, you must log into your home Wi-Fi with your device and stream briefly before your trip. Otherwise, you will be travelling with a locked device that can only be unlocked with a code for seven days.

Can I circumvent the new regulation with a VPN?

Netflix has been testing the new paid sharing scheme in several South American countries since March 2022. For example, the option of using a temporary code to watch Netflix on a TV outside of your own four walls for a fortnight once per year and location was tested. How these regulations and exceptions will finally be implemented remains to be seen.

The question of whether and how private VPN tunnels can be used to circumvent the restrictions also remains open. Many routers, such as AVM's Fritzboxes, have the necessary on-board tools to set up such tunnels. Theoretically, however, Netflix could use DNS queries to expose the VPN connections.

Apropos: The FAQs on the German Netflix homepage have also been updated in the meantime, as the online magazine heise online reports. However, after a lot of media attention, they are now back to their original state - the negative uproar among subscribers was apparently too great. A Netflix spokesperson did not want to comment on this in an interview with heise online, but confirmed that the stricter measures against account sharing are also planned for Germany in the near future.