Spotify is asking Family plan members to scan a QR code to prove they live with the account owner

[midian182]

Facepalm: Like many companies that offer family plans, Spotify isn't afraid to go the extra mile to ensure members really do live in the same household. The latest trick requires users to scan a QR code that appears on the plan manager's phone. And to stop them from simply sending someone a screenshot, the code changes every few seconds – but there already appears to be a workaround.

Spotify revealed the new family plan verification process on an updated support page. The streaming service may ask some Premium Family members to verify that they live with the person managing their plan, using a QR code check that requires both people to be in the same place.

The plan manager can find the code by tapping their profile picture in the Spotify app, selecting "Your Premium," and then opening "Manage." The member then scans it using their phone's camera. Spotify says the process is only available through its mobile app, and everyone involved needs the latest version installed.

Once notified, members have seven days to complete the QR check. Missing that window or being unable to complete verification carries a lengthy restriction: members won't be able to join a different Family or Duo plan for 12 months. They can still sign up for another Premium plan, but switching to someone else's Family or Duo subscription won't be an option during that period.

Many people share family plans with relatives or friends who aren't in the same household, breaking the terms and conditions. The obvious workaround here would be to simply send the member a screenshot of the QR code, but Spotify warns users to scan it in person because it changes every few seconds.

The rotation might not be enough to stop determined subscribers, though. A live video call or screen share could allow someone to scan the code before it refreshes, even if the plan manager is elsewhere. One Reddit user says they already tried this method and it works, but Spotify could introduce additional measures such as IP/VPN checks.

Other streaming services already use behind-the-scenes checks to enforce household restrictions. Netflix looks at IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity, while Disney+ checks whether devices regularly connect through the same home internet connection. Both say they don't use precise location tracking to establish a household. Those methods look for patterns over time, which could make them harder to satisfy with a one-off verification trick.

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Spotify is asking Family plan members to scan a QR code to prove they live with the account owner

 

[Squid Surprise]

I prefer owning my music... since it's SO easy to get any song I want for free (or one can pay if they have a conscience), I have no need for Spotify or any other streaming service.

 

[NumberNine]

Profits must always go up, even with nothing to offer in return.

 

[yRaz]

I stopped using Spotify years ago because the music I liked was removed from their service. IDK if it's back now but I already found alternatives.

 

[TheBigT42]

How about this...Don't care where family live...just set limit of family to 6 or so

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Don't call it a "family plan" if you cannot include your family members just because they live under a different roof. Call it a "household plan", it's a plan that allows anyone in the same household to benefit from the plan.

Or better yet, just don't sub to the shitty platform. I occasionally use Spotify for free, sometimes I never hear a single ad play and other times ads play after 2 songs and it's annoying as hell. I generally just listen to the radio and if I don't hear anything good on, I will drive in silence and I'm okay with that.

 

[LordVile95]

Don't call it a "family plan" if you cannot include your family members just because they live under a different roof. Call it a "household plan", it's a plan that allows anyone in the same household to benefit from the plan.

Or better yet, just don't sub to the shitty platform. I occasionally use Spotify for free, sometimes I never hear a single ad play and other times ads play after 2 songs and it's annoying as hell. I generally just listen to the radio and if I don't hear anything good on, I will drive in silence and I'm okay with that.

Spotify with ads is basically radio without the presenters. That being said I’ve been ok Apple Music for a while now

 

[jwdR311]

Hmm, sounds like a new Thanksgiving tradition...Dad cuts the turkey and calls up the QR code for everyone to scan for the year.

 

[dangh]

I prefer owning my music... since it's SO easy to get any song I want for free (or one can pay if they have a conscience), I have no need for Spotify or any other streaming service.

Whats wrong with streaming services? I have a few of them live on my home lab system, works absolutely great

 

[Squid Surprise]

Whats wrong with streaming services? I have a few of them live on my home lab system, works absolutely great

They work - but if I want a song that isn’t on the play list, I can’t hear it… and if a song leaves the play list, I can’t hear it either… I prefer to hear what I want to hear, not what some company wants me to hear. Oh, and I don’t want ads…

 

[p51d007]

Gave up on Spotify last year. Bloated app...use to be JUST music. Now they have podcasts, AI music and the commercials are even more annoying. Most of the music I listen to is "oldies" (70's-90's) that I have anyway, so I've gone back to mostly listening to MP3's, pandora & youtube music for the most part.

 

[Axeia]

I prefer owning my music... since it's SO easy to get any song I want for free (or one can pay if they have a conscience), I have no need for Spotify or any other streaming service.

Well I mean... aside from storage prices / the usual upcharge they charge you for it on your phone and almost all of them removing SD-cards as an option.

Setting up your own streaming server is pretty easy but isn't supported by as many devices as Spotify

 

[brunocasarini]

I still have a (still growing) MP3 collection on my HDD and still use Winamp as if it was the 90's.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Well I mean... aside from storage prices / the usual upcharge they charge you for it on your phone and almost all of them removing SD-cards as an option.

Setting up your own streaming server is pretty easy but isn't supported by as many devices as Spotify

I have several hundred TB of storage and a Plex server running on an 8gb internet connection… I can stream my music whenever/wherever I want… I have several thousand songs on my iPhone as well to listen to even if there’s no internet…

No need for Spotify, thanks anyways…

 

[dangh]

They work - but if I want a song that isn’t on the play list, I can’t hear it… and if a song leaves the play list, I can’t hear it either… I prefer to hear what I want to hear, not what some company wants me to hear. Oh, and I don’t want ads…

... On your home lab. It is all your songs, you own and ripped, streamed to your devices. Lidarr is a good example. It is streaming, just yours

 

[Squid Surprise]

... On your home lab. It is all your songs, you own and ripped, streamed to your devices. Lidarr is a good example. It is streaming, just yours

Did you read the post I posted above yours?

 

[dangh]

Did you read the post I posted above yours?

Did you understood what I wrote? It is exactly because I read your post.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Did you understood what I wrote? It is exactly because I read your post.

So are you asking a question? Because the answer is "yes" to all of it (except Lidarr - I'm fine with Plexamp)

 

[DrSuess]

Then Spotify's "Family Plan" should be called a Household plan and not a family plan. My friend is on her father's cellphone Family Plan, which is a real family plan as family doesn't always live with each other.

 

[dangh]

So are you asking a question? Because the answer is "yes" to all of it (except Lidarr - I'm fine with Plexamp)

haha, so you have use for a streaming service

I have no need for Spotify or any other streaming service.

I don't like whatever plex is doing now, so Id rather stay with lidar, but yeah, streaming is great if it is your streaming

 

[Squid Surprise]

haha, so you have use for a streaming service

Yes - again, READ my post - I specifically said that.

I don't like whatever plex is doing now, so Id rather stay with lidar, but yeah, streaming is great if it is your streaming

Yeah - I got the lifetime pass years ago but I might have to flip… will wait it out a bit longer.

 

[Melkor Unlimited]

I still have a (still growing) MP3 collection on my HDD and still use Winamp as if it was the 90's.

Winamp 2.9 on PC
and MP3 player when outside.

Have not updated the playlist on it for ... a lot of years.

 

[Loadedaxe]

The real facepalm here isn't Spotify trying to protect its business. It's TechSpot treating a perfectly reasonable business decision like some kind of corporate stupidity.

Let's look at the bigger picture for a moment, shall we?

Spotify offers a Family Plan for people living in the same household. That's the agreement customers sign up for. If people are sharing accounts with friends and relatives scattered across the country, they're violating that agreement. Yet somehow Spotify is the bad guy for trying to enforce its own terms?

And because someone figured out how to bypass a QR code using a video call, we're supposed to believe the entire idea is ridiculous?

Give me a break.

Since when does a security measure have to be 100% foolproof to serve a purpose? By that logic, we might as well get rid of security cameras, door locks, and fraud prevention systems because somebody will always find a way around them.

Here's a thought...Maybe Spotify isn't expecting to eliminate every single instance of account sharing. Maybe they're simply trying to reduce abuse of a service they're providing. You know, the kind of thing businesses are supposed to do.

Now, there are legitimate questions worth asking. What happens when an actual household member is traveling, away at college, or temporarily living elsewhere? Is Spotify's verification process fair to those customers? Those are reasonable concerns worthy of discussion.

But instead, we get a "Facepalm" article focusing on how people can circumvent the system, as though that somehow makes Spotify foolish for implementing it.

A system doesn't have to be perfect to be effective, and protecting revenue isn't a corporate crime.

I've been reading TechSpot for years, and increasingly I find myself wondering whether some of these articles are written to encourage meaningful discussion or simply to generate outrage.

Businesses have every right to enforce the agreements customers voluntarily accept, and customers have every right to take their money elsewhere if they don't like those agreements.

It's really not that complicated.

The biggest facepalm in this story might just belong to TechSpot itself.

 

[Loadedaxe]

Don't call it a "family plan" if you cannot include your family members just because they live under a different roof. Call it a "household plan", it's a plan that allows anyone in the same household to benefit from the plan.

Or better yet, just don't sub to the shitty platform. I occasionally use Spotify for free, sometimes I never hear a single ad play and other times ads play after 2 songs and it's annoying as hell. I generally just listen to the radio and if I don't hear anything good on, I will drive in silence and I'm okay with that.

You do realize Spotify explicitly advertises its Family Plan as being for "family members under one roof," right?

It's right there on their website. Their terms also clearly state that everyone on the plan must reside at the same address.

Whether you think they should call it a "Family Plan," a "Household Plan," or the "Everybody Living Under Bob's Roof Plan" is completely irrelevant.

They tell you exactly what you're buying before you subscribe.

You're free to dislike the name, disagree with the policy, or refuse to subscribe. That's your choice.

But here's the part I find amusing...You're criticizing a company for enforcing an agreement that it clearly explained beforehand, simply because you think the product should work differently.

And then you go on about how you barely use Spotify, don't like the ads, and would rather listen to the radio or drive in silence.

Okay, wonderful. But what does any of that have to do with whether Spotify has the right to enforce its subscription terms?

Just because you don't like the rules doesn't mean the company is wrong for enforcing them.

Sometimes I wonder whether people actually read what they're agreeing to or just complain when they discover the agreement doesn't work the way they wanted it to.