Spotify confirms QR code checks on Family plan sharing

Spotify confirms it is strengthening verification of Family subscriptions using a QR code. According to The Verge, co-chief executive Alex Norström explained during this week’s earnings presentation that the measure targets users who share a plan without living together. Verification requires scanning the subscription manager’s phone.

The company reiterates that Family is intended for people in the same household. Alex Norström describes these checks as a regular improvement to verification methods. He says Spotify will continue adapting them as workarounds emerge, with no end date for this work.

The Verge specifies that the code refreshes every few seconds. A user who misses the seven-day deadline to scan it is barred from joining another Family or Duo subscription for 12 months. These terms give the check a consequence that extends beyond a single household verification.

In practice, the need to scan the manager’s phone requires coordination among the members asked to do so. This requirement could complicate verification when they are not together at the time of the check. However, the reported information does not establish how many people are affected, how effective the measure is or what effects it has on subscriptions.