Netflix constantly tests new features with users and it is unclear if the household verification requirement will be implemented more widely.
Netflix has begun a crackdown on the many thousands of users that are viewing the streaming service through someone else’s account.
Several Netflix users are receiving a message asking them to confirm they live with the account owner by entering details from a text message or email sent to the owner.
Viewers can delay the verification and keep watching Netflix. The message may reappear when they open Netflix again, and eventually they could be required to open a new account to continue streaming.
A Netflix spokesperson said: “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorised to do so.”
It’s estimated that as many as one in three Netflix users watch the service outside the household of the account user.
