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Spotify family plan members are now subject to random location checks.
The change was included deeply in Spotify's updated service terms in August. Now everyone who subscribes to a family plan must prove that they share the same address – and will be subject to random location checks throughout their membership. The goal is to put a stop to sharing the family plan with friends, who come together to save.
Last year, Spotify warned people suspected of abusing the family plan. These users have been asked to check their coordinates via GPS, but the test is over on privacy issues. It now appears that Spotify is checking the user's location via Google Maps.
Here's an overview of the notification that family member users see. Users must verify their address to continue using the family plan.
Spotify's $ 15 / month package allows up to six people to share a single account. The fine print indicates that family members must reside at the same address to be eligible. That would cut students from the family plan of their parents, for example. Spotify wants to transfer these people to the discounted student program, which allows them to later make their own fully paid account.
All new family accounts are asked to verify their address via Google Maps. Spotify reserves the right to request re-verification from time to time. If you do not meet the criteria, Spotify may suspend or terminate the family plan completely.
Last year, reports revealed that nearly half of streaming service customers use Spotify's family plan. Being able to pool six users under a single cost of subscription has undoubtedly attracted many abuses.
With Spotify's recent three-month free trial period being expanded to stimulate growth, the company is under increased pressure to increase its ARPU. One way to do this is to fight harshly against the gross abuse of family plans. The plan could, however, turn against us; a more and more privacy-conscious user base means that people could switch to a rival like Apple Music or Tidal.
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