Spotify Tightens Family and Duo Plan Checks With In-Person QR Code Verification

Spotify appears to be stepping up enforcement of its existing rules for Family and Duo subscriptions. According to a report from Music Business Worldwide, members must now scan a QR code in person on the plan manager's device to keep their access to the plan.

The deadline is short. Anyone who does not scan the address-verification code within seven days will have their account moved down to the free tier. They will also be blocked from joining any other Duo or Family plan for 12 months.

Spotify's support documentation confirms the policy. The confirmation followed posts on Reddit in which users said they had received the QR prompt.

The requirement grows out of an existing Spotify rule that members of a family plan live at the same address. In principle, that condition seems reasonable. In practice, it raises questions for households that do not fit the model neatly, such as a child away at college or a spouse who works on the road. Many other circumstances can also leave relatives living apart.

As a result, the crackdown could reach well beyond groups of friends trying to save money. Families who believed they were using the plans as intended may find themselves caught up in the verification process.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs have pointed to the issue as a revenue opportunity. In their October 15 report, "Music in the Air: 10 Years On," which HITS Daily Double made available, they estimated that "a meaningful share of family plan users are not actual household members, but rather friends sharing a plan to reduce costs."

The report went on to say, "We see additional monetization upside from tightening household verification on multi-user plans. Most family plans require members to reside at the same address, but enforcement has been minimal in practice."

The new QR code step suggests Spotify may now be moving to close that gap between the written rule and how it has been applied.