Spotify is cracking down on Premium Family plan sharing by requiring members to verify they are together in person. Those who fail verification could be blocked from joining another Family or Duo plan for a year.
Here's what to know
According to PPC Land, Spotify said on its support page that some Premium Family members may be asked to verify that they live with the plan manager. The check happens in the mobile app and requires the member and payer to be in the same place, with both using the latest version of the app.
Spotify has not said how many users are affected, which countries are included, or what specifically triggers the verification request.
On the same support page, Spotify said the QR code "changes every few seconds," making a basic screenshot a much less useful workaround. Once notified, users have seven days to complete the scan.
If the deadline passes or the verification cannot be completed, the member will be barred from joining another Family or Duo plan for 12 months. Spotify said those users can still choose another plan at www.spotify.com/premium.
More background
Much remains unclear. The QR code section does not say whether a member who fails verification immediately loses Premium, drops back to the free tier, or can later rejoin the same Family plan.
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Spotify's address verification rules on the same support page are more explicit. In that section, Spotify said a user who fails the check "switches to the free version" but can rejoin the same Family or Duo plan. The QR code section does not include that same clarification, even though it carries the same 12-month restriction on joining other group plans.
After Spotify's October 2025 price increase in the U.K., Premium Individual rose to £12.99 per month while Premium Family increased to £21.99. For households trying to keep costs down, losing access to a group plan could mean paying considerably more or returning to an ad-supported experience.
Spotify stated, "We don't track your location. We only check your address to verify."
However, its QR code policy does not explain whether any location, network, or device data is collected during the in-person scan.
What can be done?
The manager on a Premium Family plan must open the QR code through Profile, then "Your Premium," then "Manage," while the member scans it with their phone camera.
The process works only in the mobile app, not on desktop or through the web player. Both devices should be running the latest version of the app, and Spotify advised users to make sure the time and date are correct on both phones.
Spotify said plan managers can also review the Family plan address in settings, that it must be in the same country as the payment method, and that if it does not autocomplete, users should enter it in full and use the "Find" option. The company added, "Just don't use someone else's address."
As one reader observed in a comment beneath a 9to5Google report on the change, "So if a family member goes on holiday without the plan manager for more than 7 days they are stuffed."
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