More controls: YouTube apparently takes a closer look at family subscriptions
First YouTube blocked access to cheap YouTube Premium subscriptions abroad, now it is apparently taking a closer look at family subscriptions.
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YouTube is apparently taking a closer look at family subscriptions to see whether the users really all live in the same household. In cases of doubt, e-mails are sent out with the prospect of Premium services being blocked if subscribers do not provide clarification. Such experiences can currently be read in posts on Reddit, among others.
YouTube Premium Family costs 23.99 euros per month in Germany and enables the use of YouTube and YouTube Music without ad breaks. Videos and music can also be downloaded for offline playback and played in the background. Family members must be at least 13 years old, have a Google account and live in the same household as the administrator of the family group. A Premium subscription for two people is also being tested in some countries.
Family subscription as a savings model
So far, according to users, YouTube has not looked very closely to see whether everyone really lives in the same household. For example, children who moved out of the house were happy to take their family membership with them instead of taking out a subscription themselves. However, there are also cases where a group of users have discovered family subscriptions as a way of saving money and simply divide the almost 24 euros by six.
It is precisely this approach that is likely to be the target of the action now being observed. YouTube has already tightened controls on the use of memberships abroad. Subscriptions were terminated in the event of violations. Resourceful users from Europe, for example, took out subscriptions in countries such as Argentina in order to save money with the cheaper prices there.
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The threat of a breach
The tech blog Androidpolice has published an email received by a user who allegedly violated the terms of the family membership. It states that the membership will be paused in 14 days. Affected users will remain in the family group, but will be shown ads again and will no longer be able to use the other premium functions.
(mki)
