If you’re on a YouTube Premium family plan because your cousin, best friend, or “digital family member” decided to hook you up, you might want to brace yourself. YouTube is finally enforcing that fine print most of us have happily ignored: all family members need to live under the same roof as the plan manager.
Yes, that roof. Not the metaphorical we’re-all-one-big-family kind of roof.
Over the past few days, reports have emerged that YouTube is flagging accounts that don’t pass the “same household” test. If you’re caught, YouTube will send you an email with the subject line: “Your YouTube Premium family membership will be paused.” That’s not clickbait – they mean it. Once flagged, you’ll have 14 days before your Premium access is shut down.
What happens next?
- You won’t lose your spot in the family group, but your account will downgrade to regular YouTube – which means ads, ads, and more ads.
- If you want to keep Premium perks, you’ll have to contact Google support and prove that you actually live at the same address as the plan manager.
- YouTube runs electronic “check-ins” every 30 days, so if your location doesn’t line up with the family manager’s, you’ll eventually get flagged.
For now, the crackdown doesn’t appear to be widespread. Some users on Reddit and Android Police report getting the dreaded email, while others (like me, on a family plan with people scattered across different towns) haven’t seen any warnings yet. But the writing’s on the wall.
Why is YouTube doing this now?
The company has always had the “same household” clause baked into its Premium Family plan – since at least 2023 – but never really bothered to enforce it. That’s changing now, probably because too many of us found family loopholes. And let’s be real: at KES 949/month for a family plan (up to 6 members) versus KES 499/month for an individual plan, it’s a tempting deal to split with friends.
But YouTube seems to be taking a Netflix-style approach: close the loopholes, push freeloaders toward their own accounts, and test out alternatives like the new two-person Premium plan.
So, if your “family” is spread between Nairobi, Kakamega, and Mombasa, someone’s going to get cut off. YouTube Premium has been a lifesaver for those of us who hate ads, love background play, and binge YouTube Music without interruptions. Losing those perks will sting.
For now, the crackdown isn’t everywhere yet – but it’s coming. So maybe check in with your plan manager before that dreaded 14-day countdown email lands in your inbox.
Because if there’s one thing worse than YouTube ads, it’s realizing you’re no longer considered family.
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