Disney+ Is Cracking Down on Password Sharing, but Here’s How to Do It
After testing subscriber restrictions in Canada, Disney+ has finally decided to block password sharing in the US. (Hulu subscribers who hand over your password, Disney’s corporate owner will be coming for you, too .) This is a disappointing announcement for many subscribers, and not just those who want to watch Disney content on someone else’s dime. There are plenty of users who have non-traditional jobs, schedules, and situations that don’t fit the mold of a customer who watches Disney+ from the same home every day of their life.
Companies like Disney and Netflix might not care about this if they can show that more people are signing up for their services. But don’t feel the need to give Mouse more money than you already have: If Disney+’s password sharing rules work the way we think they should, you’ll be able to continue streaming for free without too much trouble.
How do Disney password sharing restrictions work?
Disney’s new plans to ban password sharing will reportedly go into effect on January 25th , at least for new users. If your account has been around longer, these restrictions will begin on March 14, when they also go into effect for Hulu subscribers .
However, Disney is currently being fairly vague about how the new password sharing rules will be enforced. The terms of service state that Disney may “analyze your account usage to determine compliance,” and in this help center article the company says:
You cannot share your subscription outside of your household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the persons residing there.
This is similar to the policy of Netflix , the company that launched all this nonsense. As a reminder, Netflix considers the TV you use to sign in to your account as the basis for your family. All devices must then connect to that home’s Wi-Fi when logging into Netflix to receive the pass. Of course, you’re not limited to just your actual home for streaming Netflix: These devices must stream Netflix over your family’s Wi-Fi at least once a month, but otherwise they can stream Netflix from anywhere you want.
How to Bypass Disney+ Password Sharing Rules
If Disney takes a similar approach to cracking down on password sharing, it will be relatively easy to circumvent the rules. Assuming you live near the person whose account you’re borrowing, bring your devices to their house at least once a month and stream a few seconds of any Disney+ show or movie. Disney+ will “remember” your device, thinking it’s part of the account’s household. So, when you get back to your home or somewhere outside the account holder’s home, you should have no problem streaming, at least for another 30 days or so. If you’re primarily streaming Disney+ on a smart TV, this will obviously be more difficult, but if you can authenticate your tablet or phone once a month, you’ll be able to stream that stream to your TV so you can enjoy that sweet stolen content on the big screen.
If Disney has another way to determine if you’re following the new rules, we’ll update this article to take that tactic into account. But for now I expect things to go that way. After all, no one is going to pay for a separate Disney+ subscription while traveling: there has to be a way to pay customers to stream outside of their home Wi-Fi, which means some of us will be able to take advantage of this loophole.