After testing restrictions with subscribers in Canada, Disney+ has finally decided to block password sharing in United States. (Password sharing Hulu subscribers, corporate owner Disney is coming for you too.) It’s a frustrating announcement for many subscribers, and not just the ones who want to watch Disney content on someone else’s dime. There are plenty of users who have unconventional jobs, schedules, and situations that don’t fit the mold of the customer who watches Disney+ from the same home every day of their lives.
Companies like Disney and Netflix might not care about that, as long as they can show that more people are signing up for their services. But don’t feel the pressure to give the Mouse any more money than you already have: If Disney+’s password sharing rules work like we think they do, you might be able to keep streaming for free without too many issues.
How do Disney’s password sharing restrictions work?
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Reportedly, Disney’s new plans barring password sharing are in effect as of Jan. 25, at least for new users. If you’ve had your account longer than that, these limitations will start March 14, when they will also kick in for Hulu subscribers.
That said, Disney is currently being pretty vague about how its new password sharing rules will be enforced. The terms of service say Disney can “analyze the use of your account to determine compliance,” and in this article on the help center, the company says:
You may not share your subscription outside of your household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein.
That’s similar language to Netflix’s policy, the company that kicked off all this bullshit. As a refresher, Netflix treats the TV you sign into your account with as the basis for the household. All devices then need to connect to that household’s wifi when signing into Netflix in order to get a pass. Of course, you aren’t limited to just your actual house for streaming Netflix: These devices need to stream Netflix on your household’s wifi at least once a month, but can otherwise stream Netflix from anywhere you want.
How to get around Disney+ password sharing rules
If Disney takes a similar approach to cracking down on password sharing, it’ll be relatively easy to get around the rules. Assuming you live near the person whose account you’re borrowing, bring your devices over to their house at least once a month and streaming a few seconds from any Disney+ show or movie. Disney+ will “remember” your device, thinking it’s part of the household for the account. So, when you go back to your house, or anywhere outside the account holder’s home, you shouldn’t have issues streaming, at least for another 30 days or so.
If you primarily stream Disney+ on a smart TV, that will obviously be trickier—but if you are able to authenticate your tablet or phone once a month, you should then be able to cast that stream to your TV, so you can enjoy that sweet purloined content on the big screen.
If Disney has some other way to determine whether you’re in compliance with the new rules, we’ll update this piece to address those tactics. But for now, I expect this is how things will go. After all, no one is going to pay for a separate Disney+ subscription when they take a trip: There needs to be a way for paying customers to stream outside of their home wifi, which means there will be a way for some of us to take advantage of that loophole.