If you’ve been enjoying a streaming service without paying for it, those days might be numbered.
Netflix was the first to really clamp down on password sharing, cutting off the free ride for countless people mooching off friends, siblings, or that one generous cousin. It turns out letting millions of people watch without paying was costing them big, so they finally decided to step in.
Now YouTube is joining the crackdown. The company has started sending out notices warning users that YouTube Premium family memberships will be paused if they’re being shared outside of the account holder’s household. Translation: if you’re not living under the same roof, you might be out of luck.
YouTube Premium is the paid version of the platform that gives you perks like ad-free videos and background play. Sure, there’s a family plan, but the idea has always been that it’s for family members in the same home. Of course, plenty of people stretched that rule to include long-distance relatives, friends in another city, and sometimes even exes who never gave back the login.
Until now, YouTube hadn’t really enforced these restrictions. But going forward, accounts that break the rules could lose Premium access and be kicked back to the regular, ad-filled YouTube.
Netflix and Disney Plus have already shown how far they’re willing to go. If your device doesn’t match the main household’s IP address, they’ll log you out. It’s frustrating, especially for people who travel, but usually you can get back in with a verification code or by upgrading to a pricier plan.
And here’s the kicker: while people complained loudly at first, Netflix actually gained subscribers after cracking down on password sharing. With more money flowing in, it’s unlikely they’ll back off. If YouTube sees the same results, you can bet the days of free streaming through someone else’s account are officially over.
