If you thought you were on stealth mode while you shared other user accounts and binged on all the top-rated Netflix series then your sneaky moves aren’t sneaky enough.
Netflix is saying you’ve had enough fun time running around on its radar without paying a dime and now you’re going down! Or maybe just going to pay.
The streaming giant is on a move to weed out illegitimate Netflix users.
According to Netflix’s original design, account holders are expected to share their accounts with only members of their household.
A maximum of four screens is allowed to view different contents on the platform.
But, in Netflix’s design, these screens are expected to be from just one house.
Now, this is a far cry from what the current reality is. It’s hard to tell if Netflix’s initial guidelines were misunderstood or blatantly ignored by users (or is it).
Quite frankly, ignored looks more like it.
It’s the usual user behavior to attempt to bypass restrictions on any service.
As long as there’s a way to skip the boundaries and get more out of any service than is permitted, the average user will take that chance gleefully.
Only, this time, Netflix is stumping its foot on the ground and putting it all to a stop.
How Netflix intends to reduce account sharing
Starting this week, Netflix will be asking several users to verify their accounts before granting them access to content.
The number of users who’d be getting this prompt is still unknown. However, the prompts will be coming and you better be braced up for it.
As seen in an image posted by Twitter user chante most @DOP3Sweet, Netflix’s message here is quite stern.
The message reads “if you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your account to keep watching”.
https://twitter.com/DOP3Sweet/status/1369395237253222414
Following the message is a prompt to verify your account. There are three provided options under the prompt. Two options for verification and an option to postpone verification.
But, the number of times users will be allowed to use the “verify later” button is still unknown.
To verify the account, users will need a verification code. The verification can either be gotten via email or text message.
According to a Netflix Spokesperson, “this test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so”.
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Would it work?
Here’s where we see a conflict. If users have shared their login details with other folks before now, what will stop them from sharing verification codes?
With this being the reality, Netflix’s move to curb account sharing might be futile.
The streaming giant may, however, demand the verification code at every point of entry.
This might make the original owners of the accounts grow weary of sharing notification codes.
In the end, Netflix will be getting its anticipated result, or maybe a little more than that.
They might end up losing many customers across several regions in their bid to fix things.
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