Spotify introduces QR code checks to verify family plan location

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 14:57 · Archive

Spotify is requiring all family and duo plan members to verify they live at the same address as the account manager using QR codes.

Spotify is requiring all members of Family and Duo plans to verify they live at the same address as the account manager using a QR code system. The company has given users seven days to complete the verification process. Users who fail to do so will be removed from their premium plan, demoted to the ad-supported free tier, and banned from joining another Premium Family or Duo plan for 12 months.

The QR code is displayed on the account holder's device and must be scanned by all users under the plan. The code updates every few seconds to prevent users from bypassing the process using screenshots. Both the manager and members must be in the same location to complete the scan. Spotify has clarified that the verification method does not involve tracking users' locations but instead checks that their address matches the account manager's address.

Spotify co-CEO Alex Norstrøm said the move was 'not as much a crackdown as it is actually a routine improvement of our verification methods for our Family Plan'. He added: 'There are certainly ways, over time, to find holes around it.' The company believes users have found ways to exploit loopholes in the system over time, and the new measure aims to close these gaps.

The verification applies to both new and existing family plan members. Those who receive a verification prompt have a seven-day window to complete the scan before facing removal from the plan and the associated ban.

Spotify introduces QR code checks to verify family plan location — Image: News Shopper

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How it is being reported

Spotify users face crack down on plan changes with 12-month banSpotify introduces QR code checks for Family and Duo plans, requiring members to share the account manager’s address or face removal and a 12-month ban.News Shopper · 26 Oct, 14:15
Spotify users face crack down on plan changes with 12-month banSpotify introduces QR code checks for Family and Duo plans, requiring members to share the account manager’s address or face removal and a 12-month ban.Croydon Guardian · 26 Oct, 14:15
Spotify users face crack down on plan changes with 12-month banSpotify introduces QR code checks for Family and Duo plans, requiring members to share the account manager’s address or face removal and a 12-month ban.Wandsworth Guardian · 26 Oct, 14:15

In this story: Spotify · Alex Norstrøm

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