Beware: Sharing Spotify’s Family Plan QR Code Might Sabotage Your Premium Experience

Sharing subscription accounts among family and friends is a common strategy to lower costs. Many people, including myself, have used this approach. Streaming services are increasingly aware of this practice and have implemented measures over recent years to restrict account sharing. This includes the introduction of family plans and additional charges for users who are not living with the primary account holder. Currently, Spotify is tightening its policy regarding its Premium Family plan by introducing a verification method that utilizes QR codes.

According to Spotify’s support page, members of a Premium Family plan may be required to confirm they live with the plan manager by scanning a QR code. Upon receiving this request through a notification, users have seven days to complete the scan; otherwise, they may face account restrictions and be prohibited from joining another Family or Duo plan for a year. They do have the option to sign up for an individual Premium account, which costs $13 monthly compared to $22 for the family plan, accommodating up to six accounts.

Spotify has taken steps to prevent users from using screenshots as a way to bypass the QR code verification for family members not living together. Users on Reddit reported that Spotify refreshes the codes every few seconds, although some managed to utilize video calls on different devices to scan them from a distance.

While some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the new QR code policy, it essentially serves as Spotify fortifying its existing rules. Co-CEO Alex Norström mentioned during a recent earnings call that this is not merely a crackdown, but rather an improvement in their verification processes for the Family Plan. He noted, “Family Plan has been in existence for nearly 13 years, and it constitutes a significant portion of our subscriber base. Therefore, it’s crucial for us to continually enhance our verification methods.” He emphasized that this ongoing effort is aimed at adapting to challenges as they arise.