YouTube Premium family plan at risk — what’s changing
YouTube is tightening enforcement of its "same household" rule for Premium family plans and has started sending warnings about suspending access. Users who fail to confirm that they live with the family manager may lose subscription benefits within 14 days.
The news was reported by Android Police.
How YouTube is enforcing family plan rules
The YouTube Premium family plan allows up to five members and includes YouTube Music. However, it requires all members to live at the same address. While this rule has formally existed since at least 2023, the company rarely enforced it in practice. With testing of a new two-user plan underway, YouTube now appears to be applying stricter controls.
The service has begun flagging accounts in family groups that are not physically located at the same household as the family manager. In emails titled "Your YouTube Premium family membership will be paused," users are warned that Premium access will be suspended after 14 days. They will remain in the group and can still watch videos with ads but without Premium features.
The message also notes the option to contact Google support to "confirm eligibility and keep access."
These changes come alongside monthly "electronic checks" — every 30 days YouTube verifies whether all family members share the same address as the group manager. Previously, failed checks carried no consequences, but now enforcement has real impact.
So far, reports of suspensions remain limited. Some users, including on Reddit, said they received the warnings, with at least one case confirming that access was revoked after the 14-day period. Other family groups with different addresses, however, have yet to be flagged.
Read also:
Xiaomi unveils HyperOS 3 with new camera watermarks
Google wins court case — Chrome and Android sales not required