This is the golden age of streaming. Disney Plus has given us new content as well as their classics. The competition is intensifying, which definitely promotes the benefits of account sharing, among others. Of course, you have to pay for the subscription, but sharing has its own rules for Disney+ and other media streaming apps.
In the true spirit of streaming services, you're bound to have at least one person asking for your login details. Requests are coming with Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and even HBO, so why not with Disney Plus?
How does this all work, and more importantly, is it okay to do this? The answer is that it is "sort of" allowed, but there are things to consider.
How does Disney Plus sharing work?
When you sign up for Disney Plus, your account may be associated with seven different profiles. It's meant to cover an entire household, with each member having their personalized Disney Plus experiences. Moreover, you can share your account with your extended family or friends. However, simultaneous streams are limited to four, so be careful when giving out your login details.
Disney Plus and other streaming giants are aware that sharing passwords is something many of their members do. Of course, this may cause them to miss some money. But that's insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Can you have problems sharing Disney Plus?
Before we get into the details, let's answer your most burning question first. Can you get in trouble for sharing your Disney+ password? There are some risks to sharing account information that we'll get to in a minute, but we're talking about Disney's password sharing policies for this section.
While account sharing may seem harmless to the average consumer, businesses don't particularly care because they're losing money. In all honesty, $7,99 per month isn't much because this streaming service offers so much! However, multiplying this value by thousands or even millions of subscribers is a serious loss.
As a warning, the company has a vested interest in knowing who is using your account and how. However, according to a statement made by Disney streaming service president Michael Paull, it's quite understandable that people share their passwords with close friends and family members. According to an interview with The Verge, the company will monitor abnormal connections.
The above scenario means that if you sell your account ID to multiple people for a profit, or if you give out login credentials to an excessive number of viewers, the company may find out. Therefore, Disney can take action (possibly blocking your account, but it could go much further depending on what you are doing).
Essentially, if you want to share your Disney Plus password with your roommate or a sibling, you're not likely to land in hot water. If you share it with almost everyone you know, the company will take notice. Disney Plus has already discouraged the practice of too many device logins from a single account. So while sharing isn't prohibited, it isn't exactly encouraged.
Share using a Disney Plus Gift Membership
A nifty feature of Disney Plus is the ability to give someone else a subscription. That's right, the company offers consumers the option to gift a full membership (perhaps to prevent you from sharing your password), so it's worth mentioning that as an option.
All you have to do is visit the gift subscription website and click on the option to get started. Browse the following pages to register. However, this option only offers an annual subscription and the receiving user must create a new account.
Share using your password
Sharing a Disney Plus account with someone you trust has many benefits. You can split the monthly cost, or you can be generous. However, there is additional information to keep in mind.
Lookout #1: Monitor the number of devices used
As briefly mentioned above, Disney Plus can stream to up to four devices at the same time. This rule may seem unfair, but compared to other streaming services, it is not. Netflix only allows you to stream between 1 and 4 devices, depending on your subscription.
Hulu limits the number of simultaneous streams to just two devices, unless you have their Live plan and pay an additional $9,99 per month. So while you can share your Disney Plus account with friends and family, this limit may deter you from sharing too much.
Warning n°2: passwords are sensitive information
Sharing your Disney Plus account can lead to many problems. When you give someone your login details, you are sharing sensitive documents that could be used for malicious purposes later.
For example, if you use the same username and password for your Disney Plus account as you do for your bank or Amazon account, the other person has access to so much more than The Lion King. So beware and use a different password.
Another problem here is that you don't know if the other person is sharing your password or not. This situation could cause all of your streams to be used up, preventing you from watching anything.
Lookout #3: Disney Plus error codes from sharing
Another critical point we need to cover is connection-related error codes. Some codes are relatively benign and only serve to annoy you. Others can do much more damage.
Naturally, people are inclined to share their personal information with people they trust. But sometimes there is confusion, and someone will type in the wrong password too many times or miss a letter in the email. This is when you or some of your friends and family may see error codes popping up on the screen.
Some critical codes to keep in mind are error codes 5, 7, 8, and 9. They all have to do with your login information. You entered the wrong characters or there is a payment problem. You may also see error code 13, which means the allowed device limit has reached its maximum.
The worst error code of all is 86. This means your account is locked. You should contact Disney Plus customer service as you may have been hacked. Error code 87 also refers to a login and password problem, and you should probably log out and log back in.
Lookout #4: Downloads from Share
You can also use Disney Plus to watch movies and TV shows offline. This benefit is another reason why someone decides to share their Disney Plus account with a friend. Maybe they want to download some HD movies for the road. They can use the Disney Plus app and their friend's account credentials once or twice. Downloads are limited to ten devices, which means it fills up pretty quickly when you share your Disney Plus login details.
Overall, the ability to share your Disney+ login details with friends and family may be what makes someone decide to create their own account.
It might not seem worthy of the monthly fee if it's just for one or two people, but it's definitely something a larger household can really benefit from. As to how long these conditions apply, that remains to be seen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disney Plus is one of the most popular streaming services available today, but you may end up with a lot of questions. We've included this section to help you navigate the ins and outs of Disney Plus.
Can you watch in a group with Disney Plus?
Yes, you can use Disney Plus Group Watch with other people in different locations! Of course, they must be geographically in the same licensed region, such as the United States
All you do is select the title you and your friends want to watch together and tap the group icon next to the play button (it looks like three people locked in a circle). Tap the plus icon to invite your friends (up to 6 at a time), then click the "Start Broadcast" button.
Each friend will receive a link to your watch party and can connect directly. Just be aware that this option requires a connection for Disney Plus.
Can I kick people from my account?
Yes, you can remove people from your account, but it may take a while for everyone to sign out. If you are logging in only to find a group of people streaming under your account, click your profile icon in the upper right corner and click "Account". Under your username and password, click "Sign out from all devices".
Then change your password to make sure intruders can't log in again.
