YouTube catches on with password-sharing crackdown

YouTube has apparently started flagging users who have shared Premium accounts but do not live in the same household, embarking on the same path Netflix did two years ago.

The password-sharing era may be coming to an end at one of the last streaming holdouts where it was, at least unofficially, still tolerated.

While YouTube has always required subscribers to its Premium Family plans to live under the same roof, it didn’t seem to be enforcing this rule until very recently.

YouTube users now report receiving emails from the platform informing them that their accounts are being suspended in violation of its official policy.

“Your YouTube Premium family membership requires all members to be in the same household as the family manager,” read an email a user shared with Android Police.

“It appears you may not be in the same household as your family manager, and your membership will be paused in 14 days,” it said.

YouTube went on to inform the user that they would remain in their family group and could still watch videos on the platform, but with ads. They would also lose their other YouTube Premium benefits, it said.

The crackdown does not yet seem to be widespread, according to Android Police, but Reddit users report getting similar emails as far back as several months ago. Some said that their memberships were cancelled after the 14-day suspension period.

In a statement sent to Cybernews, YouTube spokesperson said: "Our family plan policy hasn't changed and we are continuously enforcing it."

Netflix was the first major streaming service that moved to end password-sharing in 2023 in order to boost paid subscriber numbers. It was followed by companies like Disney, among others.