Spotify Family Plan members must now prove they live with the manager

If you share a Spotify Family Plan with someone who does not live with you, that arrangement may soon be tested. Spotify is rolling out a QR code check that asks members to prove they live with the person who manages the plan. Spotify confirmed it on its third-quarter investor call.

What changed

Members who get a prompt in the app must scan a QR code that appears on the plan manager's phone. They have seven days after the notice to do it. That is hard if the member lives far away and has no visit planned.

Miss the window and the member cannot join another Family or Duo plan for 12 months. They would have to switch to an individual plan and pay for it themselves.

Spotify's co-CEO, Alex Norström, called the change a "routine improvement," not a "crackdown." He said better verification has no end date and will never be finished. Reports say the aim is to push more people toward Spotify's profitable Premium plans instead of letting adult children or friends split a cheaper Family Plan.

Who is affected, and what is unclear

The check matters most for managers and members who live apart. Households where everyone lives together should be able to pass by scanning the code.

The material does not say how many people will get a notice or when the rollout will reach everyone. It also does not explain how Spotify decides who gets prompted. The steps in the alert box above cover what to do now, and Spotify's support page has the exact process.