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

<figure> <img alt="Vector illustration of the Spotify logo." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25378910/STK088_SPOTIFY_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Spotify co-CEO Alex Norstr&ouml;m 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 <a href="https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/1013939/spotify-is-now-asking-some-premium-family-plan-members-to-verify-with-qr-codes">new QR code verification</a> method that requires scanning the plan manager's phone. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/22/spotify-confirms-family-plan-crackdown-but-calls-it-a-routine-improvement/"><em>TechCrunch</em></a> reports that in response to a question about the "crackdown," he called it a "routine improvement" instead:</p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">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 …</p></blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/1017214/spotify-family-plan-sharing-qr-codes">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>