Netflix has revealed details of how it plans to crack down on people sharing passwords.
The streaming giant announced last month it would be getting strict on users sharing their details with other households.
It means that those using friends' login details if they don't live together will have to get their own accounts if they want to finish watching Wednesday or catch the next season of Bridgerton.
The major shake up will affect millions of people, MEN reports.
Netflix already states on its site that an account should only be used by people who live together in a single household.
It says that when a device outside of your household signs in to your account or it is used persistently, it may ask you to verify the device before it can be used.
The platform uses IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to see how many devices are streaming at any one time.
Watching Netflix when outside of the house – such as streaming on a mobile device when travelling – will still be allowed, but Netflix will require you to verify that device.
The two-step verification will involve either an email or text being sent to the details linked to the account holder with a four-digit code, much like when trying to log in to email accounts on new computers.
That code then needs to be punched in within 15 minutes before it expires.
It adds that this verification “may be required periodically.”
This means that sharing an account between family members that no longer live together will no longer be permitted and could end up costing you.
Netflix still allows several devices in the same household to share an account, unless you have the cheapest package, as well as letting users attach several different profiles to that account.
But it's not all bad news as there will be an option which lets users add subaccounts for those outside the household to continue sharing an account.
Netflix has been trialling this feature in parts of South America since last year, costing the main account holder around £2-3 per month extra.
The company has seen subscriber numbers wane as other streaming platforms grow in popularity, including Amazon Prime, Hulu and Disney+.
It's thought the tougher rules will help boost its revenue.
In December, the government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) deemed password sharing a criminal and civil offence as it is a breach of copyright law, and those doing it could theoretically face prosecution.
