Plex has begun enforcing new subscription rules that restrict remote access to personal media servers without a fee. Previously, it was possible for users outside a server owner's network to access media libraries for free through Plex. However, under the new guidelines announced in March, remote access for such users will require the server owner to have a Plex Pass subscription, with prices starting at $7 per month. Alternatively, individuals can gain remote server access by purchasing their own Plex Pass or a Remote Watch Pass, a subscription offering fewer features that Plex introduced in April starting at $2 per month.
The enforcement of Plex's new regulations started on April 29. As per a recent post by a Plex employee spotted by How-To Geek, the changes are currently rolling out this week, mandating a subscription for users who use Plex’s Roku OS app for remote access. The employee noted that this subscription requirement for remote streaming will extend to all other Plex TV apps, including those on Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV, as well as any third-party clients utilizing the API for remote streaming, by 2026.
Plex, which originated as a Mac adaptation of the Xbox Media Center project in 2009, has developed into a media server company and more recently, a streaming service provider. These new remote access rules will test the company amidst challenging its long-standing users with multiple changes throughout the past year, including a price increase for Plex Pass, ventures into renting officially licensed films, and introducing social functionalities alongside a mobile app redesign.