Spotify says yes, it is busting people for using Family Plan sharing too widely

October 22, 2026 Stevie Bonifield

Vector illustration of the Spotify logo.

Spotify co-CEO Alex Norström confirmed on this week's earnings call that the company is trying to catch Spotify Family plan users who don't actually live together with a new QR code verification method that requires scanning the plan manager's phone. TechCrunch reports that in response to a question about the "crackdown," he called it a "routine improvement" instead:

This is not as much a crackdown as it is actually a routine improvement of our verification methods for our Family Plan. Family Plan has existed for a long while. It has been around for, I think it is now close to 12, 13 years in Spotify history, and it makes up a pretty signi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Previous Article
Etsy is cracking down on AI slop listings
Etsy is cracking down on AI slop listings

Etsy is announcing stricter rules about how AI can be used in listings to reduce the volume of AI slop on t...

Next Article
The next-gen Xbox won’t cost you $1,800. It can’t. Can it?
The next-gen Xbox won’t cost you $1,800. It can’t. Can it?

Fortune dropped a bombshell report on the future of gaming this week. According to the publication's Micros...