Sharing a Netflix account is no longer free, let’s see how to create an extra user and transfer already created profiles
Netflix is enforcing new policies for permanently stop sharing passwordsalso adding specific features such as Extra Userwhich allows you to pay an additional fee to view Netflix content even from users who do not live in the same household as us.
In the following guide we will show you in detail how to add an extra user of Netflix to our subscription, so that a user who does not live with us can still benefit from watching Netflix content while we pay the subscription and the extra cost for this feature.
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1) What is a Netflix Home Core
The Netflix household it’s a monitoring system adopted by the company to recognize devices that connect to the same home network. By default, the household is configured on a TV compatible with Netflix, via the dedicated app (if Smart TV) or via one of the compatible devices (Chromecast or Fire TV).
After creating the Netflix home core on the TV all apps or secondary devices accessing Netflix will have access to the same core, but only after receiving confirmation via link via text message or email (account owner will need to accept access of other devices on the network).
This system is meant for prevent your password from being shared with friends away from home: if an app or a TV does not belong to our household, Netflix will have the right to block access to the “foreign” device, making password sharing totally useless.
Mobile devices that can also connect outside the home (smartphones, laptops and tablets) still need to periodically connect to the home network where the Netflix home coreotherwise they will be identified as strangers and excluded from viewing.
As stated by Netflix the company monitors information such as IP addresses, device IDs and account activity to determine if a logged in device belongs to the Netflix Core House. The same company ensures that it does not collect GPS data to try to determine the precise physical location of the devices.
2) Add extra Netflix user
To meet specific needs (such as a child who studies or works away from home for long periods of time) Netflix has released the feature Extra userwhich allows you to add a slot for an account authorized to access the same subscription as a Netflix household without being part of it.
The cost of this option is €4.99 per month for each extra user we can create (up to a maximum of 2 extra users with the Premium plan, only 1 extra user with the Standard plan), all costs to be added to the cost of the Netflix subscription; currently this option is available only for Standard and Premium subscriptionswhich are the most expensive ones provided by the streaming company.
To add an extra Netflix user, open the site dedicated to extra Netflix userswe log in with our Netflix account of which we are the owners, confirm the payment amount (which will add the requested sum to our already active subscription, also changing the billing date) and press on Activate extra user.
Now that the extra user slot is active we enter the account name and email address of the extra user, in addition to our name; an invitation email will thus be generated, which will arrive directly at the email box indicated; the invited user only needs to accept the invitation and finalize the creation of his Netflix account, completely separate from the owner Netflix account.
Once the password has been chosen, the invited user will be able to see all the Netflix contents included in the subscription of the owner user; the invited user will pay nothing and will have access to the same quality of the chosen subscription but will also have limitations:
- can see content on only one device at a time (but can still add the account on multiple personal devices);
- cannot activate the account if it is located abroad (must be located in the same country as the account holder);
- can download the offline content on only one tablet or phone at a time.
These limitations are active from the moment the extra user has finished configuring his account. If the owning user stops paying for the subscriptioneven the extra user will no longer be able to log in; if the owning user deactivates the slot for the extra user the latter will keep the Netflix account created but will have to subscribe to his own personal subscription.
3) Transfer Netflix profile as extra user
Also individual profiles on Netflix can be “converted” into extra users: this allows a child or cohabitant to keep their contents and views in the event of moving away from home (they don’t have to start all over again).
To convert a user profile into an extra user we buy the slot as seen in the previous chapter and, in the confirmation window, we check in the section Which profile should you use? to choose the user profile to be transferred to the extra slot.
The procedure becomes identical to the one seen a little while ago: we will have to provide a name and an email address for the new account (which will be based on the profile we are transferring), send the invitation and wait for confirmation from the guest, who will have to finish the procedure by choosing an access password.
In doing so, the user who is moving house you will be able to continue to see your content and keep your viewing history on the new extra account as well, leaving the burden of Netflix subscription payment to the primary account owner.
If we want to find out how to correctly transfer the Netflix profile we can read our guide on how to transfer netflix profile to new account.
Conclusions
This procedure makes everything more cumbersome, even in cases where account sharing is legitimate (members of the same household). There extra user’s gimmick may make sense too for those who transfer (but still need to transfer their profile or create a new account) but pay separately, adding other costs to the main subscription.
The monitoring system on the use of the service could make many users turn up their nosestaking them away from a service that has revolutionized the history of streaming, relegating piracy and movie downloading to the attic: really Netflix is ready to lose this advantage in the name of profit?
To learn more, we can read our articles on How to check Netflix account sharing limits come on how to cancel your Netflix subscription and cancel your account.
If we want something to replace Netflix we can read the guide to alternatives to free and paid Netflix.
