Spotify, in its new update, has started making life difficult for its users in a new development where it now asks some Premium Family subscribers to prove they live with the plan manager, tightening enforcement of a household rule that many families say does not match how they share the discounted plan.
Some families are frustrated as they now receive prompt notifications to verify their household through a QR code that must be scanned in person, which users have been complaining about since the new update that the codes refresh before they can prepare to send them to their other family members at the other end for the verification.
“Oh yeah, ’cause I’m definitely gonna get my parents in their 60s to once a week hop on a Zoom call and figure out how to spoof their location for yacht rock,” a user reacted to the new update. “Not gonna happen. They will be bothered by this once, and then they will listen to ad-tier or play CDs.”
“It was nice paying for my brother and family after college but I guess spotify needs to squeeze $80 out of us instead of $20,” the user added.
Subscribers who have been through the steps say the check is more cumbersome than Spotify suggests: the manager must open a rotating QR code in the app under Your Premium, then further go to Manage; the member must then scan it with their own phone in the same location, and both must complete the scan in the mobile app within seven days of notification.
Any members who fail or miss the deadline lose access to the Family plan and revert to the ad-supported free tier. They may rejoin the same Family or Duo plan but are barred from joining a different Family or Duo plan for 12 months.
The rule hits how many families actually use the plan. One plan only covers up to six Premium accounts on one bill for people who live together, but subscribers say they have kept it for relatives who no longer share an address, including students away at college, adult children who have moved out, children splitting time between divorced parents, and family supported in other cities or countries.
“Self-sabotage by Spotify. If I have to do this more than once for my kids that live at home, I’m shutting it down,” another user voiced concern in a Reddit comment
Others wrote, “We are on a family plan because we are a family… Just because we are traveling doesn’t change that.”
Those arrangements are now colliding with a time-limited, in-person check. A member who is traveling when a prompt arrives, or a relative who lives abroad, may not be able to complete it in person within a week.
Frustrations so far has birthed more complaints about the practical burden and the financial consequence, as Some users say that losing the shared plan would mean paying for multiple Individual subscriptions to keep paid listening, while others say they would drop to the free tier or leave the service entirely.
Another concern was temporary absence. One user wrote about returning from a 12-day work trip and asked whether they would have lost access if the prompt had arrived while away.
In the backlash, users discussed alternatives. Apple Music was mentioned most often; unlike Spotify’s household definition, Apple’s Family Sharing requires members to be in the same country or region, which some users described as less restrictive. Tidal and YouTube Music were also cited.
Some subscribers have already found a workaround to bypass the in-person requirement: according to most users, a rotating QR code is displayed and shared over a video call, allowing a remote member to scan the screen feed with their own phone.
“My sister got that message two days ago. I video called her son and shared my screen pointing at my tablet with the changing QR code. She was able to scan the code with her phone from her son’s screen. We only needed 4 devices for this,” A post on r/truespotify described the arrangement:
The workaround has also drawn complaints over reliability, with users pointing to the code refreshing every few seconds. A static screenshot fails, and the screen must be shared live, with users citing Teams and other video apps, making timing difficult. It is separate from an earlier December 2025 discussion about disabling Wi-Fi and location services to complete verification.
The rollout prompt has beimg received by some members while others have not, leading some to say they feel arbitrarily targeted by Spotify.
Some commenters defend enforcement, saying the household requirement has always been part of the terms and the company is closing a loophole.
The crackdown puts the shared Family arrangement at risk for subscribers who cannot prove same-household residence within the deadline, while users report they are relaying the code remotely to keep the plan.
