What you need to know
- Amazon Prime U.K. disses Netflix over its once claim that “love is sharing a password.”
- Netflix has been rolling out its new plan to crack down on users sharing passwords with others since 2023 rolled in.
- Users must fork over some additional cash if they’re sharing a password with someone who does not live in their home.
Shade is bring thrown, and it’s for a reason many users can probably get behind after Netflix brought its new password-sharing crackdown to the United States.
Amazon Prime U.K. tweeted a singular image that reads, “Who’s watching?” followed by multiple user profiles lined up to say, “Everyone who has our password,” followed by a heart.
https://t.co/dHgkuwiuHB pic.twitter.com/PkFhbOoWNdMay 25, 2023
This comes as a response to a Tweet Netflix made back in 2017 to which the company stated, “Love is sharing a password.” That love must not be as strong anymore as Netflix has continued to take steps toward a future where users cannot share their passwords with others unless they feel like forking over more money.
The Los Gatos-based company’s decision to crack down on user password sharing with those not living in their “primary household” has been quite controversial. You could even say the video streaming industry was built on the back of password sharing, something Netflix might be foolish to let go of.
Nonetheless, Netflix first discussed its impending plan to reduce that chance back in October 2022. It was then we first learned about the company’s plan to introduce “sub-accounts,” a way for the primary account holder to pay for extra users on their account that don’t live with them.
Since then, Netflix rolled out the sub-accounts to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. Most recently, these new changes have started to arrive in the U.S., and with that, some new guidelines. In its announcement, the company stated that a Netflix account “is for use by one household. Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are — at home, on the go, on holiday — and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.”
These additional accounts will cost a person an extra $7.99 per month on top of whatever you’re paying for your desired plan. It’s a tough pill to swallow, and we’re left feeling a little unloved if you catch our drift.
Although, it’s not as if password sharing had ever been a problem for other streaming services or even Netflix, in particular. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, at one point in time, said he liked seeing people share their passwords with one another. On a lighter note, it doesn’t seem like Amazon Prime is taking away users’ ability to share their passwords anytime soon.
