Steam Families: Can't accept an invite to a family? Here's why and how to circumvent it ...

Summary

The video discusses the limitations and workarounds for Steam's family sharing feature, which is intended for sharing games within a household. Steam has started enforcing rules based on household IP addresses, preventing users from sharing games with those outside the same network. The video explains several ways to bypass these restrictions, including having the other person accept the invite while connected to the same network, sharing account credentials, or using remote access. However, these workarounds may not be sustainable as Steam could recheck compliance in the future.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Steam Families allows sharing games among up to six close family members within the same household.
• 📜 Steam is changing the requirements for sharing games, focusing on ensuring users are from the same household.
• ⚠️ If someone outside your household tries to accept an invite, they may receive an error indicating they are ineligible due to differing IP addresses.
• 🏡 Steam uses the same public IP address from a household to verify that users are part of the same family.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 A workaround to share games with family members not in the same household is to temporarily have them join your network by bringing their device home.
• 💻 Another workaround is to log into the other family member's Steam account to accept the invite, though this is not recommended for security reasons.
• 🔗 Remote access can also be used to sign into another person's Steam account from afar to authorize sharing, though it's a less ideal solution.
• 🕵️ Steam may continue monitoring and updating its verification process, meaning that any workaround used could be shut down in the future.
• 💡 The video offers advice on how to handle legitimate scenarios like sharing games with family members in college, while also cautioning against abusing the system.
• 👍 The creator emphasizes the importance of following Steam’s guidelines and warns viewers not to abuse these workarounds, as Valve could revoke sharing privileges at any time.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The video discusses changes to Steam's family sharing feature, specifically new restrictions requiring users to be in the same household to share games.

What was the initial state of the Steam family sharing feature?

Initially, Steam family sharing had no strict requirements, allowing users to invite anyone to their family and share games without needing to be in the same household.

What restriction did Steam recently implement regarding family sharing?

Steam now requires that family members be within the same household to use the family sharing feature, determined by matching IP addresses.

How does Steam determine if users are part of the same household?

Steam checks if the IP addresses of the invited user and the inviting user match. If they do not, Steam considers the users to be from different households.

What error message appears if someone outside the household tries to accept a family invite?

The error message states, 'Fail to accept the family invite. You are ineligible as your Steam activity does not indicate you are in the same household.'

What are some potential ways to bypass the household restriction for legitimate family sharing?

Potential workarounds include having the other user bring their device to the same network to accept the invite, sharing account credentials, or using remote access to simulate being on the same network.

Why is sharing account information considered a bad idea?

Sharing account information is risky because it can compromise security, even if it's done between close family members. It also violates Steam's terms of service.

What could happen if Steam detects non-compliance in the future?

Steam could recheck the shared accounts for compliance at any time and may remove users from a shared family if they are found to not be in the same household.

Why is remote access mentioned as a workaround, and how does it work?

Remote access is a workaround from earlier days of Steam sharing, allowing one user to remotely log into another user's computer to accept or issue the invite from the same IP address.

What is the creator's stance on using these workarounds?

The creator does not condone using workarounds for sharing games with friends or strangers outside the household, stating that Steam's terms should be followed, but acknowledges the use of these methods in legitimate family scenarios.