After one of the biggest online streaming platforms, Netflix, Spotify is now tightening its checks on shared subscriptions, introducing household verification for some Premium Family users.
Subscribers who fail the verification process may have to switch to another plan and could be barred from joining a new Family or Duo plan for 12 months.
The music streaming platform is rolling out a system that checks whether members live at the same address as the primary account manager. The process may involve address verification or scanning a QR code, depending on the user.
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Spotify may ask members to provide their full address when joining a Family plan, when the plan manager changes their address or when the platform is unable to confirm a member's address. If the address cannot be verified, Spotify will send an email asking the member to complete the verification process again.
Users who fail to complete the re-verification may lose access to the shared plan. They will need to choose another Spotify subscription and may be prevented from joining a new Family or Duo plan for 12 months.
Spotify Family Plan: How QR Code Verification Works
Spotify may also ask selected Premium Family members to confirm that they live with the plan manager by scanning a QR code. Both the manager and the member must be in the same location to complete the process.
Here is how members can verify their household through the QR code system:
1. The plan manager opens the QR code: On their phone, the manager must tap their profile picture, select ‘Your Premium' and then open ‘Manage' to find the QR code.
2. The member scans the code: The Premium Family member uses their phone's camera to scan the QR code displayed on the manager's phone.
3. Both must be present: The manager and member need to be at the same place for the scan to be completed.
The verification process's main aim is to establish whether members share a household with the primary account manager.
Does Spotify Track Users' Locations?
Spotify has claimed that it does not use location tracking for this verification process. Instead, the platform checks the member's address against the address that are provided by the plan manager.
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The platform may request verification when a user joins a plan or when it needs to confirm that an existing member continues to meet the household requirement.
With these checks, Spotify is tightening the way its Premium Family subscriptions are shared. Members who cannot verify their household may need to move to individual subscriptions or explore other available plans.
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