Spotify will monitor family subscriptions forever. Checks may become stricter over time

Are you sharing a Spotify family subscription with a friend or sibling who doesn’t live with you? Then expect the checks not to stop anytime soon. We recently wrote that Spotify started requiring Premium Family plan members to scan a QR code directly from the plan administrator’s phone. Now, the company’s management has commented on this and does not intend to back down.

Spotify CEO talks about routine control improvement, not a crackdown

One analyst at Thursday’s investor conference asked if Spotify was starting to crack down on family plan members who don’t live in the same household. Co-CEO Alex Norström, according to TechCrunch, responded that it’s not so much a crackdown as a routine improvement of verification methods.

He also reminded that the family plan has existed for about 12 to 13 years and constitutes a relatively significant portion of the subscriber base. However, Spotify did not specify how many people use it.

More important is the second part of the answer. Norström admitted that gaps in verification will be found over time, and the company will then look for ways to improve the system. According to him, it is an ongoing routine with no end date.

For users who have already found a way around the QR code, this is not good news. Instructions have appeared on Reddit on how to scan the code remotely via screen sharing in a video call. Norström did not mention specific tricks, but his words suggest that Spotify will not stick to the current form of control.

You have one week to verify

The rules remain the same for now. Anyone who receives the prompt has seven days to verify. If they fail to do so, they will revert to the free version with ads and will not be allowed to join any Family or Duo plan for another 12 months. If they don’t want ads, they must pay for their own Premium subscription, which costs 185 Kč per month in the Czech Republic.

Spotify has 306 million subscribers

For the third quarter, i.e., July to September, Spotify reports 306 million paying subscribers in its investor report. This is six million more than the previous quarter, and a 9% increase year-over-year. 788 million people use the application monthly.

Other streaming services have taken a similar path before. As The Verge reminds us, Netflix even gained subscribers after restricting password sharing in 2023, and HBO Max is now also globally restricting password sharing.

Does it bother you that Spotify monitors who you share your subscription with?

Sources: Spotify, TechCrunch, The Verge, 9to5Google