Netflix has gone through a series of shake-ups lately, charging $2 extra for anyone caught sharing account login details, introducing a new low-cost tier with advertising and increasing the price of monthly subscriptions.
With all these changes (and more to come), it’s a great idea to see who has been mooching off your account and cutting their access. After all, you don’t want to be charged for someone using your account without your knowledge.
Read on to find out how to logout unwanted Netflix users out remotely.
Here’s the backstory
Although the streaming giant has sent numerous emails to users about the dangers of account sharing (even with the $2 threat), it has been relatively passive about implementing strict measures.
This seemingly gives legitimate users a chance to correct their account standing without running afoul. And to further drive the point home without coming across as a streaming nanny, it rolled out a function to remotely log out other people from your account.
If you’ve ever had a moocher on your profile, you’ll know how much trouble it is to reset your password and log back in without the other person finding out. For a long time, that was the only way to remove freeloaders.
But now, Netflix has included an option in the Account Settings screen to log out anybody using your profile with one click. While it doesn’t explicitly say it’s to kick off moochers, it seems like a likely reason.
A Netflix blog post describes a new feature in your account settings called Managing Access and Devices. It allows you to view devices that have recently streamed from your account, and you can log out of specific devices with one click.
How to manage devices using your Netflix account
But it’s not just for eliminating freeloaders, as it also prevents security problems. The option is great if you logged into your account on an airline or hotel and forgot to sign out when you were done. This prevents anybody else from using your credentials on that device.
The feature is now available to all members worldwide. You can access the Managing Access and Devices option from a browser or an Android or iOS mobile phone.
Here’s how you can access the feature:
- Log in to Netflix using your credentials.
- After selecting your profile, hover your cursor on your profile icon in the top right and click on Account.
- The third section on the next screen is Security and Privacy. On the right, click on Manage Access and Devices.
This screen gives you an overview of all the devices that recently logged in using your details. It includes information on the time and date of the login, an approximate location and the device’s IP address.
If you see any activity you don’t recognize, click the Sign Out button. There is also an option at the top of the page to change your password if needed.
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