Shared Spotify Plans Face QR Check, With 12-Month Ban for Lapses

Spotify's rules for shared subscriptions have long required family plan members to live at one address, but the company is now enforcing that requirement through QR code checks.

Members of Family and Duo plans must scan an address-verification QR code in person on the plan manager's device, according to a report from Music Business Worldwide. Spotify's support documentation confirms the policy, which surfaced after users posted about receiving the QR prompt on Reddit. Anyone who does not scan within seven days drops to the free tier and is barred from joining another Duo or Family plan for 12 months.

Goldman Sachs analysts addressed the enforcement gap in their October 15 report, "Music in the Air: 10 Years On," made available by HITS Daily Double. The report estimated that "a meaningful share of family plan users are not actual household members, but rather friends sharing a plan to reduce costs." It also stated, "We see additional monetization upside from tightening household verification on multi-user plans. Most family plans require members to reside at the same address, but enforcement has been minimal in practice."

The address requirement reaches households that do not fit a single-location model, including college students living away from parents and spouses who travel for work. Spotify's QR step applies to plan members regardless of their relationship to the manager.

Spotify has not published figures on how many Family or Duo plan members fail verification or move to the free tier. The seven-day scan window and 12-month ban on joining another shared plan are stated in the company's support documentation.