YouTube has recently begun a new initiative to enforce the terms of its Premium family plan, resulting in some users receiving notifications that their service will be paused. The action appears to target subscribers who are part of a family plan but reside in a different household or country than the plan’s manager.
Several users have reported that they have got emails from YouTube with a 14-day notice that their Premium family plan benefits will be paused. The email specifies that the action is being taken because the user is “not in the same household or country as the family plan owner.” This has prompted a range of reactions and discussions among affected users.
This arrives soon after YouTube released a two-person Premium plan that is cheaper instead of getting two separate plans, and for those don’t want to go for a family plan at a slightly higher cost. Netflix started cracking down account sharing back in 2023.
The enforcement is aimed at individuals who are part of family plans purchased in countries with lower subscription costs while they are living in a country with higher prices. This is also aimed at those who are sharing their account outside the family.
According to YouTube Premium support page, “To be eligible to share a YouTube family membership, each family members must live at the same residential address as the family manager. Every 30 days, an electronic check-in will confirm this requirement.”
For those who believe they have been flagged in error even when in the same household or country, the official TeamYouTube account has advised reaching out to their live support to verify eligibility for the family plan.