6 hours ago
Revealed: The 'incredible' hack to bypass Netflix's household limit rule
A TikTok user has claimed to have discovered a hack to bypass Netflix 's household limit.
From 2023, the Californian streaming giant cracked down on users watching films and shows on someone else's account.
Netflix also introduced different subscription plans and told its customers, 'A Netflix account is for people who live together in a single household,' on its website.
However, an anonymous TikTok user, 19, who goes by @user45367891356 on the platform, has seemingly offered a route to side-step the rules.
Taking to TikTok, the user shared their screen on Netflix reading the 'Your device isn't part of the Netflix Household for this account,' pop up.
They then clicked on the left button of their mouse, which opened a drop down list. After selecting 'Inspect', a new side tab opened.
Next, they scrolled to the top of the tab and deleted the sixth element before Netflix reloaded again without the household block.
The clip quickly gained over six million views, with viewers taking to the comment section to share their thoughts, with one writing, 'Delete this before Netflix patches it.'
A second user wrote, 'Sigh... they're gonna fix it now.' The user responded and urged her to sign a petition calling for Netflix to drop the household limit.
Another joked, 'Now if they taught this in computing classes I would have chosen it for a GCSE.'
'You're literally incredibly amazing for this. If I knew you I'd give you a smooch,' said a fourth user.
Password sharing sees users distribute their password to other people who live outside their household.
This lets so-called 'freeloaders' access their account, create their own profile, and watch films and TV shows without paying a penny.
According to the Intellectual Property Office, password sharing on Netflix and other video streaming platforms breaks copyright law and is therefore illegal.
However, it is down to the companies themselves to take action through the courts if required.
Currently in the UK, a standard Netflix account without adverts costs £12.99 a month with an option to add one extra member for an additional monthly cost of £5.99 without adverts or £4.99 with ads.
@user45367891356
I realized I didn't show the first part
♬ Mozart/Requiem "Lacrimosa"(1394506) - Mint
Alternatively, streamers can opt for a premium account for £18.99 a month with the option of adding a further two members for £5.99 each without adverts or £4.99 with ads.
In November 2022, the company launched a 'Standard with Ads', a new subscription tier for £5.99 a month that plays adverts before and during content.
For years, the Netflix terms of service said users of an account must live in the same household, but it did not take any solid action until 2023.
'Today's widespread account sharing undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business,' Netflix said in its letter to shareholders on January 19, 2023.
'While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognise this is a change for members who share their account more broadly.'
On Netflix, a single account can host up to five 'profiles', each individually named and curated for a particular person.
Each person can enjoy customised features – such as algorithmically-powered viewing recommendations, viewing history and settings – on their profile.
Netflix originally designed this feature so that multiple members of a household, such as children, can enjoy content without having to start their own Netflix account and pay the monthly fee.
Viewers took to the comment section to share their thoughts on the hack, with one dubbing the user 'amazing'
But until 2023, there was nothing to stop it being used across multiple homes, even though the Netflix terms of service have long said users of an account must live in the same household.
In effect, it meant that five people living under five different addresses could have had their own profile under one account.
As such, five different people could have been using one Netflix account for the price of one.
According to Netflix, this act deprives it from a potential revenue source, and 'undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve our service'.
