Netflix now requires every user profile to be tied to unique email address

Recently, my father called me in a panic.

There were just a few minutes until Netflix would start streaming a live MMA event, and he couldn’t get into my account. For a while, he had accessed Netflix as an add-on member with his own profile through my household’s account. That day, however, he was logged out and couldn’t use my login credentials to watch Netflix. Instead, he saw a prompt asking him to “add an email address to your profile” to continue.

After some frantic phone troubleshooting and a couple of password resets, we realized that my father had to create his own login to continue using the extra profile I paid for. Although I was able to get him set up in time (for some disappointing bouts), the situation was confusing and inconvenient.

More users have been encountering this situation as Netflix has gradually required that each profile under a Netflix subscription use a unique email address. When setting things up for my father, I was also asked, but not required, to provide a first and last name.

A Netflix spokesperson confirmed to Ars Technica:

This sign-in update is a permanent change that started rolling out on June 15, 2026.

The change means that every user can now have their own login credentials, which could make it easier for secondary account users to store or change their credentials, log in to a new device, or use two-factor authentication. This setup also enables profile owners to set their language, audio, and display settings without the account holder, Cord Cutters News notes.

The email requirement doesn’t apply to profiles designated as belonging to a child.

Still, some users are complaining online. Some complaints come from families that often use different Netflix profiles on the same device, such as a living room TV. [Update 6/29/2026: Netflix has published a support page addressing this concern. It reads: “You can still switch profiles and watch in any profile, regardless of how you sign in to Netflix.”]

Other complaints argue that Netflix doesn’t truly need this information and is merely seeking more ways to track viewers and share information with advertisers. Notably, Netflix’s privacy policy says Netflix may share users’ email addresses with marketing and advertising companies.

More immediately, sharing his email with Netflix meant my dad automatically started receiving advertisements for Netflix programming in his inbox (though he can unsubscribe from them).

Other concerns come from individuals who use multiple profiles. For example, one user wrote on Reddit:

I am the only one that uses my Netflix so I created each profile to be for certain types of shows. I have a main one for the shows that are my general [TV], some favs to rewatch.

Then I have one for movies, documentaries, reality/competition shows etc.

It works great to organize and help if [I] am in a mood for, say, a documentary, [I] don’t have to scroll through all the other styles of shows.

I am the only one that uses my Netflix so I created each profile to be for certain types of shows. I have a main one for the shows that are my general [TV], some favs to rewatch.

Then I have one for movies, documentaries, reality/competition shows etc.

It works great to organize and help if [I] am in a mood for, say, a documentary, [I] don’t have to scroll through all the other styles of shows.

Multifactor authentication

Amid discussions of the new profile requirement, Ars has also seen users becoming concerned that Netflix will require multifactor authentication as of July 7. This appears to stem from a Tuesday report from trade publication Media Play News (it’s no longer available online—you can view the article via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine). However, Ars understands that the multifactor authentication announcement only relates to business partner accounts and will not affect how regular users log in to Netflix.

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