Spotify rolls out QR code checks for Family Plan members

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 21:32 · Archive

Spotify is requiring some Family Plan members to verify they live with the plan manager using QR codes.

Spotify is rolling out QR code verification for its Family Plan to ensure members live at the same address as the plan manager. When prompted by notification, users have seven days to scan a QR code displayed on the manager's phone using their own device.

If members miss the seven-day window, they cannot join another Family or Duo plan for 12 months. They can instead switch to an individual Premium subscription, which costs $13 per month compared to $22 for the Family Plan, which covers up to six accounts. The company has attempted to prevent workarounds, including preventing screenshots of QR codes, though some users have reported Spotify refreshes the codes every few seconds.

During its third-quarter investor call, Spotify confirmed the rollout and co-CEO Alex Norström characterised it as 'a routine improvement' to its existing verification tools rather than a 'crackdown'. The move is intended to boost subscriptions by preventing people who live separately from sharing a Family Plan at reduced cost.

How it is being reported

• Spotify's Family plan QR code could cost you Premium accessSpotify is trying to make some Premium Family members prove they live at the same address.Engadget · 22 Oct, 21:19
• Spotify confirms Family Plan crackdown, but calls it a ‘routine improvement’Spotify told investors its roll out of QR code verification to ensure Family Plan members live in the same household is not a "crackdown," just a routine improvement.TechCrunch · 22 Oct, 16:24

In this story: Spotify · Alex Norström

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