Netflix adds feature that lets users kick out devices remotely without having to change the password

Netflix has added a new feature that lets users remotely log out devices connected to their account, which means you can finally block your ex without having to change your password.

Called Manage Access and Devices, the option lives in Account Settings and displays all the devices linked to the account, allowing the paying consumer to log them out with a simple click.

Charles Wartemberg, Netflix product manager in Netflix’s product innovation group, shared that this ability has been a ‘much-requested feature‘ among subscribers, who may have allowed a former partner to log into their account prior to the breakup.

After a subscriber selects ‘Sign Out’ on an unfamiliar device, Netflix recommends a password change for extra security – but this step is not mandatory.

‘With the busy holiday season just around the corner, many of our members will be on the move and watching Netflix wherever they are traveling to see family and friends,’ Wartemberg shared in a Tuesday announcement.

‘Logging into your account while at a hotel or even your friend’s house is easy and intuitive, but occasionally people forget to log out.

The new feature is now available to all members around the world on the web, iOS and Android.

Manage Access and Devices is part of Netflix’s bigger plan to stop users from sharing accounts – instead of each person paying $15.49 a month for its standard tier.

Password sharing is a rule violation, but Netflix estimates there are more than 100 million non-paying households around the world – and 30 million are in the US and Canada alone.

And this is costing the streaming giant about $6 billion a year.

The company has taken steps to crackdown on freeloaders in South America by charging customers an extra $3 if an account was accessed outside of the designated address.

Netflix characterized the new idea as a ‘thoughtful’ way to solve the account sharing problem which has plagued them for years.

‘We’ve landed on a thoughtful approach to monetize account sharing and we’ll begin rolling this out more broadly starting in early 2023,’ Netflix said in its October announcement.

‘After listening to consumer feedback, we are going to offer the ability for sharers to manage their devices more easily and to create sub-accounts, if they want to pay for family or friends.’

Over the summer Netflix experimented with charging fees for additional accounts, testing the idea in Latin America where password sharing was a particularly rampant problem.

The wide-scale rollout of the move now has the potential to make or break Netflix, which has been struggling to find a way to shore up its plummeting profits while maintaining its subscription-based revenue platform.

Analysts said Netflix is doing everything it can to avoid subjecting users to advertisements or selling their data, but many predict it is only a matter of time before the firm is forced to turn to that.

Last week, the company rolled out a $4.99 a month tier that includes advertisements during shows and movies.

However, many of Netflix’s most popular movies and programs are blocked from this option.

This includes the sitcoms New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, dramas Suits and House of Cards, and movies Paddington and The Imitation Game.

Netflix explained on its website: ‘Some TV shows and movies aren’t available to watch with the Basic with ads plan because of licensing restrictions.

‘These titles will have a lock icon when you search or browse Netflix.’

These unavailable films and TV shows may not be immediately obvious to Netflix users, as they could still appear in searches.