Netflix Ups Fight Against Password Sharing
A new test detects if you're outside your home and asks you to pay to "add a home" to your account.
Netflix is expanding its test of detecting and asking people to pay more for out of home users.
In Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic users may be prompted to "Add a home" and pay $2.99 a month extra ($1.17 in Argentina) if Netflix detects a user from outside the house using the service for more than two weeks. Users can add one extra home to a basic account, two to a standard account and three to a premium account.
This is different than the test in Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia where users are asked to add up to two extra sub-accounts if users outside a home are detected. Let's explain how it's different."
On its support page, Netflix says, "You can watch Netflix on your laptop or mobile device while traveling." But Netflix specifically says if you're watching on a TV, you can watch for up to two weeks at a location outside your home. This is allowed once per location per year.
Interestingly, The Verge reported the support page for this in Honduras originally read "After that time (meaning the two weeks0, the TV will be blocked unless you add the extra home." However that language seems to have been removed.
To help manage people you may have shared a password with, intentionally or not, soon Netflix will let you see where your account is being used and give you the option to sign out of a location.
So how does it determine if you're inside your house?
Netflix says it uses "information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity." Using a VPN may trip this up. Netflix gives troubleshooting tips for users who may get the "add a home" prompt when they are in their primary location. Among the tips are "Make sure that the device is not connected to a VPN, proxy, or any unblocker service." It also recommends connecting to the same internet connection as other devices in the home.