Netflix ended free password sharing a few years ago, requiring customers to sign up for their own accounts, add themselves as a paid extra user on an existing account, or go through convoluted workarounds to continue streaming for free. Now, each profile under your Netflix account within your household will be required to have a unique email address attached to it as well.
Based on Netflix’s on-screen prompts announcing the change, this would streamline sign-in and account recovery for users and allow the platform to personalize recommendations. However, some users have noted that this provides Netflix more data, which it can then share with marketers and advertisers.
How to get around the Netflix email requirement
Practically speaking, this change isn’t a huge deal for many users—according to Netflix’s support page, you can still switch between profiles on your account no matter which one you are signed in with, meaning you don’t have to log out and back in with the profile-specific email address. And if each profile is assigned to a different individual in your household, it’s fairly straightforward to add a unique email. (Kids profiles are exempt from the requirement, as they can’t sign into Netflix directly.)
However, some individual Netflix users have multiple profiles to maintain separate viewing algorithms. In these cases, you’d need to register a unique email address for each profile. If you already have several personal emails, you can attach one to each profile. Helpfully, “plus addressing” in Gmail allows you to create email variations without signing up for a new account—e.g., username+netflix1@gmail.com, username+netflix2@gmail.com, etc. Other providers like Proton, Apple, and Outlook also allow a certain number of email aliases under your primary account.
You may be prompted by Netflix to add profile emails, in which case you can follow the onscreen instructions. You can also go to Account > Profiles > [Your profile] > Contact Info on a web browser. Some Reddit users have reported that you can get around the prompt, at least temporarily, by turning wifi off and on when opening the app. However, Netflix made this change permanent as of June 15, so this may not last long.
Netflix account sharing options
Again, Netflix has made it a lot harder to keep family and friends under one account if you don’t live in the same household. On Standard and Premium plans, you can add one or two extra users, respectively, for $7.99 (with ads) or $9.99 (without), which is at least cheaper than signing up for a separate subscription. The primary account holder can also share a temporary verification code to authorize access on a device outside of the home. However, devices have to connect to the home network at least once a month.