These are some items I'd noted that probably aren't widely read but should be of some interest to users of Amazon devices and to Prime members. Most are links to information for those interested, and I've filled in some basic details given in a response to CNet questions.
It had not been clear who can share or what content in Prime Sharing.
I've updated Prime-sharing information below. (originally posted 10/14/15)
LINKS for new info:
1. What's new in Kindle for iOS v4.12
2. Android and Kindle app for Cloud Drive, v1.2 adds file and folder deletion from the device finally.
3. AT&T Increases Data Cap In Face Of $100 Million FCC Fine. This should be of interest to those who bought Fire Phones or tablets with cellular network access and have contracs with AT&T.
Manage your Prime page
I didn't know there was a page for managing your Prime membership but ran across it recently. This briefly describes each Prime membership feature and offers quick access to each, with control over aspects of some of those features shown on the 'Help' pages for each feature.
Amazon Prime Rules - the actual changes that occurred earlier and were or are misunderstood by some.
There was initial misunderstanding as shown in Techcrunch's article at the time -- this is included just to show what some were unhappy about due to some misreading, but I made a comment at the bottom of the article, clarifying what actually was changed, rather than what was described in the article. What they did change was previously having prime-shipping shareable with 4 other people in a 'household' (the latter interpreted widely by customers) while video-streaming was NOT shareable at all.
Households
Now they've made a Households feature or category.
This is comprised of up to six members.
• Two adults, each with their own Amazon account.
• Up to four children, who don't need Amazon accounts in order to be a part of the household
Within this feature is "Family Library" -- two accounts can be linked and their books *shared* on your Kindle and "other compatible Amazon devices and media apps."
Probably more important for some is that another adult household member without a Prime account can share another adult household member's eligible Prime benefits now, including video streaming.
Another customer confirmed the added benefit. I still see some misunderstanding in this area. What they did remove was multiple-sharing of *free-2-day shipping*, which is now available only to another adult member of the Prime member's household (both must share one credit card each and therefore must really trust each other), although Amazon is "grandfathering in" those already sharing Prime under another member's account. Once any of those people leave the 'household' the slot for someone sharing the benefits disappears.
What I explained in two Comments to the article:
' Andrys Basten · Blogger at Kindleworldand
Actually, my understanding had been that all along, "Amazon previously allowed anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription to share its shipping benefits and a few others, [BUT *NOT*] including Prime Instant Video access, with up to four other “household” members."
In other words, they could share the free 2-day shipping benefits with up to 4 others sharing the same household (and street address, although I don't think the latter was strictly monitored) but they could not share the Prime Instant Video with anyone at all.
The recent addition of the "Amazon Household" feature allows the Prime Instant Video to be shared with another adult in the household now [and, it would appear, up to 4 children in that household].'
' First, with 'Household' they =added= the perk of being able to share a Prime Instant Video benefit with another adult in the same household. That's new. There's no scaling back on that particular benefit.
Updated info 10/15/15
CNET received responses from Amazon to the initial brouhaha over what was felt to be a downgrade of Prime benefits.
' For instance, Amazon Households requires the two adults on the account to be able to share credit cards -- a change made to let those users share purchased television shows. However, having shared credit cards may not sit well with dorm roommates or distant friends.See more at cnet's full article. [End of updated info]
Despite the concerns raised, [Amazon spokesperson Julie] Law said the changes were not made for financial reasons. "It was how do we allow people to share more of their benefits -- particularly Prime Instant Video -- among a family," she said.
She added that Amazon doesn't actively seek out people skirting the rules on their memberships. So, not only are those grandfathered accounts still active, but also users who have shared one account log-in with multiple family members will likely still be able to do that without getting a nasty call from CEO Jeff Bezos.
"This change isn't related to those types of outliers," Law said about people using their accounts fraudulently. "This change was related to our most active Prime shoppers...It's something we wanted to offer our customers for a long time." '
Similarly, for about 7 years+ they've allowed (although publishers dislike this) people to have their Kindle devices under another person's account, in order to share the Kindle books in that account, and in that case, the guest device could then order as well, with the acct owner's credit-buy setup -- so 'trust' between members sharing was a large requirement there also, which discouraged sharing between people who aren't at least close friends.
One might have access to the other adult household member's credit cards with 'Household' sharing program but for a second adult in that household -- the trust thing matters and they're less likely to use the other person's credit card without permission. The video publisher streaming contracts are much tighter than the ebook ones (which are already quite tight). Amazon has had a history of trying to find ways to make sharing somewhat easier than publishers want but not so blatantly easy that the publishers would object and withdraw their content. '
The Consumerist, usually hard on Amazon, had a good article explaining that Amazon was NOT 'cracking down" on shared prime and described what the changes actually were and the probable reason(s) for it.
Amazon Video compatible devices page - Just one more useful reference page.
Software update to v4.9 for Kindle for iOS and Kindle Fire devices
