Disney has revealed some new details about its upcoming streaming service, which is due to be released on November 12. As part of the fine print, the service will have a limit for downloads on mobile devices. Users of the service will only be able to use 10 devices in total for downloads on mobile devices.
It was previously believed that Disney+ would only allow users to use 10 devices in total. However, a recent update from the media giant has revealed they misspoke in response to questions regarding the device activation limits. Spokeswoman Jessica Casano said: ‘There is no limit on the number of devices that can be associated with your account.’
The service will have a limit of four devices using the same account being able to stream at the same time, which is a relatively generous number when you compare streaming services currently on the market in this regard.
It’s common for services to implement limits on simultaneous streams. For example, Netflix will only allow one, two, or four streams to run at the same time with its basic, standard and premium plans respectively. Similarly, Hulu allows two streams, as do Amazon Prime Video and CBS All Access. Three streams are the limit for HBO Now and Showtime.
These limits prevent the extent of password sharing seen per account, and is part of the effort to clamp down on account security and prevent people from purchasing subscriptions of their own. By having device authorization limits in place, this measure also acts as a deterrent from people sharing their password at all. This is because people will want to avoid friends and family using up all of their download allowances on their own devices, effectively spending their money.
While the 10 device limit in place with Disney+ – even if it only applies for download limits on mobile devices – may seem generous, this number could add up quickly if you live in a large household or have multiple portable devices. For example, a household with two adults and four children, each of whom have a smartphone and a tablet, could mean that the amount of profiles using the download feature could be eaten up quickly.
It isn’t currently clear what will happen if you exceed the download limit on Disney+. There may be a feature where users can deactivate old devices and enable new ones for mobile downloads, but there isn’t any news on how easy it will be to do something like this.
