Plex just announced that remote streaming will be a paid feature:
Except if the server admin has a Plex Pass of its own.
Please read the whole article before posting click-bait.
How is it clickbait? It is describing the change as it is.
You need to look at the whole picture. Not just on a part of it.
And that is where I leave this thread.
Read the thread title.
Respectfully, @OttoKerner, this really is a huge change, and I feel that the post title is accurate and worrisome.
The change is that for future âNew Plex Experienceâ versions of all apps, either the server owner or the viewer (if not the server owner) will need a Plex Pass in order for remote viewing of the server content to work. No longer will a random person (like myself, when I first discovered Plex) install Plex and use it to watch media when outside the house.
Alternatively, a user (or server owner) without a Plex Pass will be able to remote stream using a new âstream-onlyâ plex subscription (2/month or 20/year) that allows any non-pass user to remote watch content from your server (for server owners) or yourself to remote watch from someone elseâs non-pass server (for non-server owners). In other words, to watch remote, either the server you are watching from or yourself will need to have a subscription-only pass, or you or the server owner can have a Plex Pass (sub or lifetime).
Oh, and the Plex Pass price increases to $7/month, $70/year, or $250 (!!!) lifetime. As a consolation to losing free remote streaming, Plex âpromisesâ they can devote resources to personal media.
But hey, the one-time $5 mobile app fee is gone! âŠTo be replaced with a monthly sub.
Oh well, They gotta make money somehow I quess.
Unfortunately, with this change my âextended familyâ will leave Plex, since our usage (me and my extended family) is quote low and they are not willing to pay for remote streaming. âStreaming service, where you have to provide content alsoâ.
Not a big deal for âlocal usersâ, but local users have so many other options too. Mostly free.
Never the less, it was a good run while it lasted.
Bon voyage (French for âgood riddanceâ)
Looks like you are not supporting Plex with a Plex Pass so you and your âextended familyâ wonât probably be missed.
Ignoring how rude and dismissive of OP you just were, can we get this explicitly confirmed by someone at Plex? A lot of that post is ambiguous.
Can you point to the exact language in the post that explicitly states that the server admin having a Plex pass is sufficient?
There are other things that are unclear too. In particular, this sentence:
For users who already have an active Plex Pass subscription or subscribe before these changes go into effect, remote playback will continue to be available to you without interruption from any Plex Media Server.
Does that mean that if someone makes a server in 6 months, buys a lifetime Plex Pass, that their users will be able to stream for free or not?
Itâs all in the link in the first post.
This being the official Plex blog, it doesnât get any more official than that.
There is an extensive FAQ section at the bottom as well.
That is most likely true and price increases are a good way to get rid of non-paying customers (trash) like me.
I have bought a couple of times yearly Plex Pass, but I donât need those features.
Me and my extended family want to thank you and your warm farewells. Itâs nice to know that there are still friendly people in the internet. <3
So why do they specifically say âFor users who already have an active Plex Pass subscription or subscribe before these changes go into effectâ? Itâs not unreasonable to want some clarification from Plex on this.
This is the FAQ which describes what is going to be required to be able to stream remotely after the changes:
https://www.plex.tv/blog/important-2025-plex-updates/#do-i-need-a-plex-pass-and-a-remote-watch-pass
If you have a Plex Pass on your server acccount, all your shared users (and yourself ofc) can stream remotely.
The sentence is a hint to server owners who donât have a Plex Pass yet, that now is the time to get a subscription for the old prices.
Meaning for yourself and your shared users nothing will change, since you already have the Plex Pass.
So there is nothing you need to do, if you already have a lifetime Pass. If you are still on a monthly or yearly subscription, check if you can save some money when switching to a lifetime pass now.
Sorry for the rudeness directed at you Paulz. I think most of the community is sad to see you (and others like you) leave. I for one love Plex and appreciate that there are a lot of developers working to make it better. However, liking it enough to pay for it is a very personal decision. It was worth it to me so I bought the lifetime pass. Itâs not worth it to you, so youâre leaving.
I just hope you remember Plex as the great service it is.
Very poorly worded hint then. That language at least strongly implies that different rules will take effect when the changes take effect.
I have a friend with a server that he doesnât share or use remotely, so doesnât need to do anything right now. But if he needed to have an active sub to be âgrandfathered inâ should he later want to do remote streaming, as that sentence implies, heâd get one. As it stands itâs definitely unclear on that front.
There is no grandfathering.
If there is a Plex Pass on the server ownerâs account, anyone can stream from this server remotely without the requirement of additional fees.
If your friend still doesnât have a Plex Pass, and you want to stream from their server, you are already covered as well, since you have a Plex Pass yourself.
If your friend doesnât have a Plex Pass, and wants to share their media with other remote users, (apart from you,) then these users need a Remote Watch pass.
I understand that, itâs just the wording I quoted and highlighted is extremely misleading then. Iâm really struggling to see any other way of reading it, or why âbefore these changes take effectâ would be included. Hence my request for clarification by a member of Plex staff.
Sorry, I donât see what is confusing about this.
Neither do I. Itâs quite clear that the referenced sentence (which appears to be paraphrased from what the blog actually says) is simply making clear that any current subscribers will see no change to remote access. Not sure how thatâs confusingâŠ
