Spotify Family Plan QR Code Check: How It Works and What Happens If You Miss It

Spotify is asking some Premium Family members to scan a QR code on the plan manager's phone to prove they live in the same home.

You have 7 days from the notification to do it, and you both need to be in the same room. Miss it and you can't join another Family or Duo plan for 12 months.

Here's how to do it in under a minute, and what your options are if it doesn't work.

How to Do the Spotify QR Code Check

• Update the app on both phones. The check only works in the Spotify mobile app, and both of you need the latest version.
• The plan manager opens the code. Tap your profile picture, then Your Premium, then Manage.
• The member scans it. Point your phone's camera at the manager's screen. That's it.

The Code Won't Scan? Try This

• Check the date and time on both phones. If one is wrong, the code can fail.
• Close and reopen the Spotify app on both phones.
• Update again. An old app version on either side is the most common snag.

If it still fails, Spotify's Family address verification page has a Contact us link.

What Happens If You Miss the 7 Days

• You lose the Family plan. You can't join a different Family or Duo plan for 12 months.
• Your account isn't deleted. Your playlists stay, and you can still use Spotify for free.
• You can still pay for your own Premium. Individual and other single plans stay open to you.

Spotify says it does not track your location and only checks your address. It tried a GPS-based check back in 2018 and dropped it after a backlash, so the QR code is the gentler sequel.

Not Living Together? Your Options

Students away at university, parents working abroad and grandparents in another town are the people this catches. If that's you, here's what still works.

On a PC, the free tier is more relaxed than on a phone. Install the Spotify desktop app and your playlists are right where you left them.

Quick questions