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Spotify Family plan: prove you live together or risk losing access
The short version
Spotify is asking some Premium Family members to prove they live with the plan manager by scanning a QR code. They have seven days to do it, or they may be locked out of the plan.
What happened
The plan manager opens a QR code in the Spotify app on their phone. The member scans it with their own phone camera. Both people must be in the same place, because the code changes every few seconds.
It only works in the mobile app, so both phones need the latest version. Spotify also checks addresses when someone joins, when the manager changes address, or when it cannot confirm an address.
Spotify's co-CEO said on an earnings call that this is a routine improvement, not a crackdown, and that the checks will keep being adjusted.
Why it matters to you
Family plans are meant for people at one address. If you share one with relatives or friends who live elsewhere, you may be asked to prove otherwise, and a remote scan is not meant to work.
A member who misses the window or cannot verify may be locked out. They then cannot join any other Family or Duo plan for a year, though they can take out a plan of their own. Engadget puts an individual plan at $13 a month, against $22 for a Family plan covering up to six accounts.
What to do
Check who is on your Family plan and whether they live with the manager. Anyone who does not may need their own plan.
If a request arrives, act within seven days. Make sure both phones have the latest app and the correct time and date, and scan together in person.
Sources
- Address and verification for Family plan Spotify Support (opens in a new tab)
- Spotify says yes, it is busting people for using Family Plan sharing too widely The Verge (opens in a new tab)
- Spotify confirms it won't stop Family Plan sharing verification, but it's not a 'crackdown' 9to5Google (opens in a new tab)
- Spotify's Family plan QR code could cost you Premium access Engadget (opens in a new tab)
Researched and written by our automated news system.
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