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Let’s be real, we have all given or been given the password to a streaming service like Netflix and Spotify. Maybe an ex was using it so that you could watch shows and movies at their place, or a family member was sharing the Netflix fee for a while.

With Netflix cracking down on password sharing, however, it might be a good time to review who’s who on the viewer’s list and boot out any unwanted users.

Even if that includes your brother because his taste in action movies is messing with your algorithm.

So, if the time has come for the password sharing to stop, either because those folks have drifted out of your life, or because you’re getting warnings from your streaming service provider, or for the simple reason that it’s bad form to distribute your passwords, Gizmodo has put together an extensive how-to.

There are instructions below for how to control your password sharing for three of the primary streaming services in South Africa: Netflix, Spotify and Showmax.

Netflix:

Sign into Netflix on the web, open the drop-down menu underneath your account avatar (top right), then choose Account and Recent device streaming activity. This shows the devices that have recently accessed your account, and where in the world they are, so you can check if anything looks suspicious.

Back on the Account page, click Sign out of all devices to force a sign out on every device except the one you’re currently on. However, if other people know your most recent password, they’ll still be able to log back in. You can change this via Change password on the Account screen.

In the Netflix app for Android, tap your avatar (top right) and then Account. You’ll be redirected to the same options we’ve already mentioned inside your mobile browser.

Spotify:

Head to the main Spotify page on the web (not the web player), and once you’ve logged in, you can click Profile, Account, Account overview, and Sign out everywhere to do just that. At the moment, it’s not possible to see recent activity on individual devices.

You can change your password via the Change password tab. This will also disable all current logins for your account, so you’ll need to sign back in everywhere.

You can’t access these ‘logout’ and ‘change password’ options through the Spotify apps for Android and iOS. You need to open up your account in a web browser.

Showmax:

Showmax allows you to register up to five devices on your account, but you may only watch on two registered devices simultaneously, referred to as ‘Active devices’.

To unlink a device, log in to your Showmax account online via a web browser. Click on My Account, then My Devices and then Edit.

A list of linked devices will be displayed on the page. Now, simply delete the device you wish to unlink from your account.

OK, that should do it.

Gizmodo has instructions for a few other streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, which you can check out here if you didn’t find what you were looking for.

Now, enjoy the uncrowded watching and listening!

[source:gizmodo]