Netflix just made it harder to stream away from home

Netflix has announced the details of its password crackdown, making it impossible to use one account in several locations.

The streaming giant had warned an update preventing users from sharing passwords across several devices last year, and have now shared the mechanics of the new system on their website.

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The new rules require a home device to log in every 31 days to the main account, otherwise users will be locked out from their device.

Netflix confirmed that an account can be shared across users, but now only in one household or location. Users logging in from elsewhere will be prompted to register for their own account.

However, Netflix also suggested users in a different location might be able to use the same account if entering a verification code sent to the email address associated with the primary account holder within 15 minutes.

“When a device outside of your household signs in to an account or is used persistently, we may ask you to verify that device before it can be used to watch Netflix or switch your Netflix household. We do this to confirm that the device using the account is authorized to do so,” the company wrote.

Netflix is reportedly trialling a feature which allows subaccounts to still share an account, having rolled it out in South America since last year and estimating the extra monthly cost between £2 and £3.

A profile transfer feature is set to be offered to allow users to keep their pre-existing profiles if creating new accounts due to the changes.

Teasing the update last year, Netflix had said: “With the busy holiday season just around the corner, many of our members will be on the move and watching Netflix wherever they are traveling to see family and friends. Logging in to your account while at a hotel or even your friend’s house is easy and intuitive, but lots of people then forget to log out.

“People move. Families grow. Relationships end. But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same. Today, we’re launching Profile Transfer, a feature that lets people using your account transfer a profile — keeping the personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings — when they start their own membership.”

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