Just when you thought streaming had taken a little break from its shenanigans, you know, aside from the usual price increases and the like, it rears its head to remind you. Nope, things are still wild out there. The latest evolution is an intensification of Disney+’s password-sharing crackdown. Following the model of Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown, Disney+ will introduce paid options to add people to your account who aren’t members of your household as it embarks on a broader password-sharing crackdown effort. Netflix was the first to introduce an “extra member” model as part of its password-sharing crackdown explorations and now Disney+ is going to do the same. Joy. Honestly, it feels to us like streaming has arbitrarily decided who and how a subscription can be used and changed the rules on us mid-way through. We don’t love it.
Either way here are the details of Disney+’s new horizon of password-sharing crackdown.
Disney+ Defines Households so it Can Stop Your Password Sharing
Disney+ wants you to better understand how you can share your account and password (so it can make sure to charge you at every turn). In a message to subscribers, the streamer notes, “Your Disney+ subscription is meant to be used within your Household, which is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside there.” Once again, we loudly, HRMMMMM.
If you’re away from your household, you can still watch Disney+, you’ll just need to mark that you’re away from home or moved your household via the app. Then you’ll receive a one-time passcode that’s sent to the email address associated with the Disney+ account and be able to watch it.
But don’t worry, if you want to share Disney+ long-distance, you still can, you just have to pay the piper.
Disney+ Lets You Add a Paid ‘Extra Member’
Disney+ goes onto explain how its new element of password sharing crackdown works. It notes, “But what about people outside of your Household? They will need to sign up and pay for their own subscription or be added as an Extra Member to your account for an additional monthly fee to continue enjoying Disney+.”
Via the “Extra Member add-on” option, subscribers can pay to add one other person to their account. “For example, in the U.S., an Extra Member profile will cost an additional $6.99 per month for Disney+ Basic subscriptions and $9.99 per month for Disney+ Premium subscriptions. Note that only one Extra Member slot is available per account.” This is a bit cheaper than just starting your own account.
But Is There Any Other Way to Share Your Password and Account According to Disney+?
No! If you don’t add someone else as an extra member, the only other alternative is for them to make their own Disney+ account. Why didn’t we think of that?
In Addition to Password Sharing Crackdown Intensification Disney+ Will Also Raise Prices
As if a password-sharing crackdown weren’t enough, Disney+ also plans to raise its prices in October. Disney+’s ad-supported tier will soon cost $7.99 a month, while Disney+’s ad-free tier will cost $15.99. you can check out the full details of the price increase here.