Spotify Introduces New Family Plan Verification Rules in Costa Rica

Spotify is tightening its rules for Premium Family subscriptions in Costa Rica, introducing a verification system that requires selected users to prove they live in the same household as the person paying for the plan. Those who fail to complete the process within seven days could lose their Premium benefits and face restrictions lasting up to a year. The new system uses a QR code that family members must scan in person using their mobile phones. The measure is being introduced gradually, meaning not everyone in Costa Rica will receive a verification request at the same time. The change could affect families who share a subscription across different homes, including parents and children living separately, college students who have moved away, and relatives who use the same account despite having different addresses. Spotify’s Premium Family subscription has always required members to live at the same address. What is changing is how the company checks whether subscribers are following that rule. Under the new system, Spotify sends a notification to selected family members asking them to verify their household. The person managing the subscription must open the Spotify mobile app, tap their profile picture, select “Your Premium,” and then choose “Manage” to display a QR code. The family member receiving the verification request must scan that code using the camera on their own phone. Both people must be physically together to complete the process. The code changes every few seconds, making it difficult to complete the verification remotely using a screenshot. Spotify also requires users to complete the procedure through its mobile application rather than a desktop computer. Once the notification arrives, subscribers have seven days to complete the verification. Failing to meet that deadline can have consequences beyond simply losing access to a shared subscription. Spotify’s verification rules provide for removing members who cannot confirm their eligibility, returning them to the free version of the service, which includes advertisements and limits certain listening features. Users who fail the new QR code verification also face a restriction preventing them from joining a different Premium Family or Duo subscription for 12 months. They can still purchase an individual Premium subscription. For households in Costa Rica, the most immediate concern is making sure everyone included in a Family plan actually lives at the same address and can complete the verification together when requested. A family member who is temporarily traveling could face difficulties completing the process within the seven-day window, even if their permanent residence is the same as the account holder’s. Spotify recommends that both phones have the latest version of its application installed. If the QR code does not work, users should check their phones’ date and time settings and try restarting the app. The company says it does not track users’ locations as part of its address verification process, instead checking whether the addresses provided match the household registered to the subscription. Spotify has described the tighter controls as an ongoing improvement to its verification methods rather than a one-time effort. The company has previously taken steps to prevent people living at different addresses from sharing subscriptions intended for a single household. The latest verification system is not limited to Costa Rica. Similar requirements are being introduced internationally, although Spotify has not publicly provided a timetable indicating when all Family subscribers will be required to complete the new checks. For now, Costa Rican subscribers who have not received a notification do not need to take any additional action. Those who do receive one should follow the instructions in the Spotify app and complete the verification before the seven-day deadline expires.