I have purchased Plex Pass, and have added two parties to my account. Both parties still do not have access, and it says that I need Plex Pass (which I am already currently paying for). I have contacted customer service, and they told me to reach out here for some reason. Not sure why I’m paying for a service I can not use and also get regular customer service on.
All I want is for my friends to access my library, and not pay any additional money besides the $6.99 currently spent for Plex Pass.
Can you confirm/verify your server is signed into the same account you’re using here?
Settings → [Server Name] → General
Yes, everything is on the one account, but for some reason access is restricted and says I need to upgrade which I have already done.
Have you simply tried restarting Plex Media Server?
Yeah, I’ve simply done all the easy troubleshooting. Thanks for nothing
You would be surprised how often „the easy troubleshooting“ is exactly what gets things fixed. So please don’t bark at users who are trying to help (forum guidelines etc).
Would you mind sharing where exactly you get that message (maybe a screenshot)?
Based on using the same account (with the Plex Pass), your server and clients should be ok. I’ve been told at least one of your friends had not yet accepted your invitation (at the time of your post yesterday)… so that might explain why they didn’t see your libraries. That won’t explain why you get that message.
That’s Bad form there Jeremye, your lucky anyone will help you going forward.
What server version are you running?
Please review our support article overview on Remote Watch Pass.
The Remote Watch Pass allows the individual with this Pass the ability to remotely access any PMS they own or have been granted access to.
The Plex Pass allows the server owner and all whom have be granted access to that server the ability to remotely access the PMS owned by the Plex Pass holder.
I understand it was bad form and I’ll refrain from responding like that in the future. When I read the comment I took it as he was trolling me as a tech support 101 answer with no alternative solutions.
I paid a subscription to plex pass and I was having the same issue as the other user above.
It’s not really clear what’s happening. You’ve granted access to your libraries but these users cannot access your server? Where are you seeing that you need to purchase a Plex Pass again? Can you show me a screenshot?
I am having the same problem. We pay for the Remote Watch Pass so our kids can look at our pics. Everything worked great until last weekend: suddenly they could see the libraries online but they couldn’t access anything. Now on our server it says “Upgrade to a Plex Pass to unlock remote watching for anyone on your server”. Wasn’t that the point of buying a Remote Watch Pass in the first place? I don’t want to pay for a Plex Pass. Was this a bait-and-switch?
I don’t think there’s been any change.
A Remote Watch Pass will give YOU the capability to stream media from your server while you’re outside your home network (and given a working remote access setup). This also applies to libraries shared with you by others.
A remote watch pass isn’t inherited by others.
Unless you have a Plex Pass or each of them their own Remote Watch Pass, they won’t be able to stream remotely from your shared libraries.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/requirements-for-remote-playback-of-personal-media/
You make it sound like the remote watch pass is only usable by YOU when it clearly says you can share your libraries with friends who don’t even have the plex pass: “Perfect if you may not need the full feature offering of a Plex Pass, and are looking for a cost-effective option to stream your media—or libraries of friends and family who don’t have Plex Pass—from anywhere, on any device.” That is what I signed up for and it worked great until last weekend.
Please re-read what you quoted.
It says you can stream remotely from your server or any server shared with you, whether or not the server owner has a Plex Pass.
It does not state your Remote Watch Pass allows others to stream from your server without their own Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass.
See Changes Coming to Remote Streaming on Smart TVs .
Today, we’re writing to let you know that starting March 23, 2026, remote streaming of personal media will require a Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass on Plex for Smart TV devices. This includes Plex running on supported TVs like Samsung, LG, Vizio, and more, as well as PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.
Prior to March 23rd, the requirement for a Remote Watch or Plex Pass applied to mobile apps, Roku devices, Plex Web, & Plex Desktop. As of March 23rd it also applies to Smart TV clients.
So there were changes! I knew it! I signed up and paid and it worked great for months, then they changed the conditions afterwards.. Bait and switch..
So if remote friends want to watch what I have in the libraries on my home server they have to have a plex account and plex pass?
Yes, they need a Plex account (which is free), and then they have 3 options:
