Spotify’s Bold Move: Could Your Family Plan Access Be Shut Down Overnight?
Remember the good old days when sharing your Spotify account with friends or far-flung family felt like a modern act of kindness? Well, brace yourself — those golden times might be streaming to an end. Spotify has decided that “sharing is caring” doesn’t quite apply when it comes to family plans anymore, insisting now that all six users must prove they’re actually under the same roof. Yep, no more sneakily passing around that premium password like a secret mixtape. Following Netflix’s recent crackdown on password sharing, Spotify’s latest move involves quirky QR code scans that update faster than you can screenshot — seriously, they thought of everything! So, if your college kid has moved out but still cranks up your old playlists, it looks like Spotify’s ready to send them packing to the free tier with its oh-so-joyous ads. With prices inching up, it begs the question: Is keeping the perfect workout jam worth the hassle of proving where you sleep at night? Let’s dive into this surprising shift and what it means for your daily soundtrack.
The days of sharing a Spotify account could soon be over after the music streaming service issued a warning to users.
Clearly the Swedish company don’t agree that sharing is caring because users on the family plan, which allows as many as six different people to share the same premium benefits, will now have to prove that they physically live at the same address.
Spotify are following in the footsteps of Netflix with this change, after the streaming service also clamped down on users who were sharing the password to their account and living in a different location.
Even though families can often be spread far and wide due to work, school or travel, it seems as if anyone wanting to listen to their daily DJ mix will now need to give proof that they actually reside in the same location as the account holder.
You’ll have to do this by scanning a QR code which appears on the main account user’s device. I know what you’re thinking, why can’t I just screenshot it and send it to my family members or friends? Well, the QR code seemingly updates every few seconds which makes screenshotting it essentially impossible.
At least this might stop people messing up your Spotify Wrapped (Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Spotify states that ‘both the manager and member need to be in the same place to complete the scan’. Let’s hope the kids come home on a regular basis, and not just to hand you a big pile of washing.
Anyone who is found not to be living in the same household will therefore fail verification and be demoted to Spotify’s free tier instead, where you’ll be forced to listen to the dreaded advertisements.
Want to download a song so you can listen offline? Tough. Want to ensure you’ve got the perfect playlist for your gym session? Tough. Want to skip the songs you added to your playlist when you were 11? Tough.
So, the premium benefits for a lot of people are too good to turn down but like everything else, the price has increased in recent years. It will set you back £12.99 for a personal premium plan, while a family plan costs £21.99, just in case you and your other half or kids want to still share your plan. Just make sure you’re the one to claim it if you ever split up with your partner, or if your kids leave the nest to go to university or find themselves a different home.
Spotify are following in the footsteps of Netflix after they stopped users from sharing passwords (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Naturally, the idea of paying potentially more money has not gone down with those who were on the family plan, even if they weren’t strictly members of each other’s family.
One Reddit user said: “Self sabotage by Spotify. If I have to do this more than once for my kids that live at home I’m shutting it down.”
Another wrote: “Your daughter moved out. Spotify regrets to inform you she’s now an acquaintance.”
A Spotify spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the quality and value of Premium we implement measures to ensure appropriate use of Spotify accounts. This includes reviewing Household Plans to ensure they are used only by primary account holders and those living at the same address, as stated in our terms and conditions.”
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