The Disney+ password-sharing crackdown has officially begun, with Disney beginning to inform subscribers that they can pay to allow for extra, non-household members to access an account.
The move comes after months of reports that Disney was preparing to crack down on password sharing, as other streaming platforms have begun doing recently. Disney’s new paid-sharing features are available now in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, and were originally introduced in smaller markets over the summer.
What is Disney+’s new rules on password sharing?
“Your Disney+ subscription is meant to be used within your Household, which is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside there,” Disney wrote in a message to subscribers (via Variety).
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Subscribers who want to allow friends or family members outside of their residence will still be allowed to, but “will need to sign up and pay for their own subscription or be added as an Extra Member to your account for an additional monthly fee to continue enjoying Disney+.”
For U.S. subscribers, the Extra Member profile for Disney+ accounts will cost an additional $6.99 for Disney+ Basic, and $9.99 for Disney+ Premium. Only one Premium Extra slot is available per account as well, so users won’t be able to add as many people as they want. The Extra Member option also is not available for Disney Bundle options, which include other platforms like Hulu or ESPN+.
Similar to how Netflix and other streaming platforms have handled it, users that are traveling or away from their home will still be able to access their accounts. To do so, users will have to mark that they are away from home or update their household if they’ve moved in order to reset the location on their Disney+ account.
