YouTube cracks down on Premium family plan sharing across different homes
Several users have reported receiving official emails from YouTube warning that their Premium Family memberships will be paused if members are not living in the same household as the account manager.
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YouTube has begin tightening its grip on Premium family subscribers who do not live under the same roof, following in the footsteps of Netflix's much-debated password-sharing crackdown, as per media reports.
Several users have reported receiving official emails from YouTube warning that their Premium Family memberships will be paused if members are not living in the same household as the account manager.
Subscribers have been told they risk losing ad-free videos, offline downloads, and YouTube Music after 14 days, reverting back to the ad-supported version of the platform.
What is YouTube Premium Family plan?
The Premium Family plan, priced at Rs 299 per month in India ($22.99 in the U.S., £19.99 in the U.K., AU$22.99 in Australia), allows one account holder to share benefits with up to five family members.
These benefits include uninterrupted ad-free streaming, background play, offline viewing, and full access to YouTube Music.
Although the plan's terms and conditions have always specified that family members must live in the same household, enforcement has been relatively lax until now. YouTube already carried out electronic activity checks every 30 days, but recent reports suggest the company is now directly enforcing its policy.
Backlash from users
The move has sparked frustration among subscribers, many of whom argue that the term "family" is misleading if restricted to people living in one household.
Some have called for YouTube to rename it the "Household Plan" to better reflect the intent. Concerns have also surfaced for families separated due to work, study, or travel who may now have no choice but to purchase individual subscriptions.
Not global yet, but spreading
So far, YouTube has not specified which countries are affected by the stricter enforcement. However, reports from multiple regions suggest that the crackdown is being rolled out gradually and could soon expand worldwide.
