Spotify confirms tighter Family Plan checks using QR code verification
Alex Norström, co-CEO of music streaming service Spotify, confirmed the company is using a new QR code check to catch Family Plan users who do not live together. He described the move as a routine improvement rather than a crackdown.
Spotify, the music streaming service, confirmed on its earnings call this week that it is trying to identify Family Plan subscribers who do not actually share a household. The company is using a new QR code verification method that requires scanning the plan manager's phone. The change matters to many subscribers, because the Family Plan makes up a significant share of Spotify's subscriber base.
The executive's explanation
Asked about the apparent crackdown on sharing, co-CEO Alex Norström said it was less a crackdown than a routine improvement of verification methods, according to TechCrunch. He noted that the Family Plan has existed for roughly 12 to 13 years and accounts for a sizeable portion of subscribers, so the company needs to keep refining how it checks eligibility.
Norström acknowledged that loopholes tend to appear over time and that the company works out how to close them. In his words, the effort has no end date and will not reach a point of completion; it is simply ongoing routine work.
How the new method works
Spotify says Family plans are intended only for people living in the same household, and it has tried to limit sharing before. The new QR code system has pushed some users to find creative workarounds to keep their shared Premium subscriptions. The code refreshes every few seconds, and anyone who fails to scan it within the seven-day window is barred from joining a different Family or Duo plan for 12 months.
