Netflix says new password sharing rules were posted by mistake

Netflix logo
(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has walked back its supposed new rules around password sharing, saying that the information was shared on their help center by mistake. 

"For a brief time yesterday, a help center article containing information that is only applicable to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru went live in other countries. We have since updated it," the streamer said in a statement to The Guardian.

According to the update, only those living in an account holder's "primary location" will be able to access the streamer. To prevent account holders from sharing with people outside their household, users will need to log in via their primary location's WiFi and watch something every 31 days or risk their account being blocked. 

The only way to share your account under these new rules is to add extra users onto your account for a small fee, which is what is being trialed in the three aforementioned South American countries. In Costa Rica, the cost to add extra users to an account is $2.99 per month on top of the regular subscription price.

"As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with," Netflix added, saying that they recognized restrictions on account sharing would be "a change for members who share their account more broadly."

While we wait to see if and when these rules are rolled out worldwide, check out our picks of the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows to add to your watch list right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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