YouTube will check if all Premium subscribers live together

YouTube is starting to tighten its controls on Premium family plans, following the example of Netflix and other streaming services. Previously, the rules formally required that all members of a family plan “live under the same roof,” but in practice this was rarely checked. Now the platform is actively restricting access to those who are at a different address than the subscription owner.

Users have reported receiving warning letters. The message states that if the system determines that members are not at the same physical address as the subscription manager, they will lose access to Premium after 14 days. At the same time, they will remain in the family group, but will only be able to watch videos with ads.

The YouTube Premium family plan allows you to share access to YouTube and YouTube Music without ads with up to five people.

Such changes fit into a global trend. Netflix was the first to launch a massive campaign against account sharing, which caused a wave of discontent, but the company later reported an increase in the number of subscribers. A similar strategy has begun to be used by other services.

YouTube seems to be counting on a similar result. Even if some of the audience is unhappy with the new restrictions, it may encourage others to sign up for their own subscriptions. So far, there have been few mass complaints, so users have time to fully implement the new policy.