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Hi all,
I assume you are reading these lines because of a message you got from your TeamViewer software.
Possibly something about a connection time-out or a suspected commercial usage.
I have good news for you: You found a post that sheds some light on the topic in case you are wondering what it is all about.
TL;DR
If you only want to reset your TeamViewer IDs to return to private use, go directly to this page (
https://www.teamviewer.com/en/reset-management/
) and request a reset. That´s it.
Step 1: Access the reset page
1) Open your browser and go to this page: Reclaim your free version
2) Click on Click Here to Start
Step 2: Fill out the form
1) Enter your name and email address in the dedicated fields
2) Explain briefly how you are using TeamViewer
3) Enter the TeamViewer ID of the affected device.
📌Note: Do not press the Click here to add ID button unless you need to add more IDs to the form. If only one ID is entered, the button does not need to be pressed.
4) Tick the box confirming the data you have submitted and the Privacy Policy
6) Click on Submit
Helping people
Today I was thinking about the meaning of this sentence:
TeamViewer empowers people to help others beyond borders and barriers.
This sentence is already a few years old, but it is still relevant today. Maybe more than ever?!
Well, first of all, I like this sentence. It is very powerful because it describes the Core of what people do: regardless of borders and barriers, distances, and uncertainties, people will always strive to help each other.
Whether it is your mom struggling with the new email program, your friend getting error messages they do not understand, or your brother who needs a helping hand with his mobile device.
In all these cases, TeamViewer is there for you. TeamViewer empowers you to help others and to stay in contact, no matter the physical distance or the physical distancing we have been asked to follow.
All that is free of charge for private use. We here at TeamViewer want to support you in helping others by providing TeamViewer as great software, free of charge for private use.
How is that possible?
Yes - how can TeamViewer do this? How can TeamViewer afford to develop and maintain stable, secure, and feature-rich software without asking for money?
Glad you asked!
TeamViewer is not free for everyone. TeamViewer asks commercial users to purchase a license, and with this, we can continue providing the free version for all private users of our software.
There have been quite a few discussions and questions about what constitutes private use and what constitutes commercial use. Who needs to buy a license, and who can use the free version?
I fully understand the questions and all of you who want to have a clear answer about what to do.
Today, I want to dive a bit deeper into that topic and explain the differences in greater detail.
TeamViewer suspects commercial usage
If your TeamViewer tells you it suspects you of using the software commercially, I already know two things about you:
- You choose private as the intended usage when installing TeamViewer
- Your usage pattern indicates a commercial usage of TeamViewer
And now you know two things about TeamViewer:
- TeamViewer understands and acknowledges that your individual free private use may be irregular at times when you need to help your friends and family, but we still need to ask whether your usage has changed from private to commercial.
- TeamViewer compares your usage patterns with the typical usage patterns of free private users and of business or enterprise users.
Please excuse us if the suspicion that you are using TeamViewer commercially is a false positive. We know there can be cases where the software's use might be broader or more intense, but still entirely private.
And you might already have guessed it: In such cases, we offer you to review and re-evaluate the usage-suspicion and to reset the limitations on your TeamViewer Device ID or TeamViewer account.
Request reset for a suspected commercial use
If you can verify that the use is exclusively private, we are happy to reset access to our software and services for you.
Sorry - Now it is getting a bit less chatty and more formal: And even if TeamViewer continues to suspect a commercial use after reviewing your commercial-use-suspected form (and your usage explanation), we give you the opportunity to fill out a self-declaration of free private use in accordance with the TeamViewer EULA. If we receive such a self-declaration, we will reset access to our software and services for you. However, TeamViewer reserves the right to take further action if your usage pattern indicates commercial use again at a later stage. These further actions may result in suspending or closing your TeamViewer account and/or TeamViewer IDs or suspending or limiting the connection duration.
Please understand that we always did, continue to do so, and will always protect our software against misuse. Intended and unintended. Still - Communication is key. Let´s stay in contact, learn from each other, and be successful together!
I think it is crucial to keep talking about it, keep educating everyone, e.g., about what we consider private or commercial, keep a realistic look at what is going on, and adjust what we are doing.
Maybe a good example of such an adjustment is the current Coronavirus Crisis: Here, we are not pushy. We understand this as a special situation. A situation in which we are asked not to ask too many questions. And this is what we do.
One thing is for sure: We are thankful for everyone who plays fair. We are thankful to everyone who is supporting us and others by buying a license for using TeamViewer for business.
I think, every now and then, it makes sense for everyone to review their own usage and ask the following or similar questions: "Did I start using TeamViewer for my business?" "Did I start connecting via TeamViewer to quickly read my emails?" "Did I benefit from TeamViewer and ease my work-life balance?" "Did I work from home via TeamViewer?"
And if you can answer one of these questions with a yes, here is the link to our webshop; thank you for playing fair! Purchase a TeamViewer license
Still suspected of using TeamViewer commercially?
OK - your TeamViewer has been suspected of being used commercially. You filled out the form, as you are certain that this is not the case. You now have confirmation of the reset of your TeamViewer ID, but you are still receiving a message saying you are suspected of using TeamViewer commercially.
What is going on?, you may ask yourself.
If you are still getting the pop-up saying you are using TeamViewer commercially, it is possible that the TeamViewer ID of the remote device (the one you are trying to connect to) might be under suspicion. The thing is: Both sides of the connection get the pop-up about the commercial suspicion.
A TeamViewer connection always involves two devices and with this: two TeamViewer IDs.
Therefore, if you are still receiving the message even after receiving confirmation that your TeamViewer ID has been reset, it is most likely because the TeamViewer ID of the remote device you are trying to connect to is suspected of being used commercially.
In this case, please repeat the process and fill out an additional form for this TeamViewer ID as well.
Shutting down the free usage? NO!
I hope this is crystal clear by now, but still: Some people have been worried that TeamViewer might stop offering its free service for private users.
We always tried to be very clear with our replies and take away this fear from our users by giving a clear answer:
No. The private use of TeamViewer is free.
And this is it: Nothing more to say about it. TeamViewer is free for private use.
What is considered private?
This is the one-million-dollar question. Or rather, in our case, the starting-at-10-dollars-a-month question.
Let us start here: Private usage is most likely given when you are using our software and services solely in the context of activities, in the environment, and with the equipment available for you within your private and/or family life context.
I collected a few examples of private use for you for a better understanding:
✔ You are providing free computer support to a family member or friend using a private PC from home.
✔ You are using TeamViewer on one of your private devices to connect to another private device, e.g., to look for a file stored locally.
✔ You are helping your family members to set up their private (mobile) devices.
✔ You are teaching a family member how to use a new program.
✔ You are using TeamViewer to connect to your personal gaming device.
What is considered commercial?
My understanding of commercial usage:
Commercial use is any use of our software and services in the context of an activity or environment that goes beyond your private or family life.
Your private use includes your circle of friends and your family, but not your customers, colleagues, or office, work devices, or corporate network.
Commercial use includes any activities related to your work, but is not limited to a context where there is any relation to gainful activities of any sort. That means that the usage of TeamViewer within a club that has membership fees or pays rent for its facilities is considered commercial.
Allow me to share some relevant factors that are applied by TeamViewer to identify commercial use:
- usage patterns typical for business or enterprise users, such as using email addresses with commercial domains for a TeamViewer account.
- connections to, from, or within a corporate network.
- connections to, from, or within a server operating system.
- using typical device specifications or device types indicative of a business relationship.
OK - let´s put that information in a few examples:
✔ You are using TeamViewer for activities related to your work.
✔ You are providing support to your customers, clients, or colleagues.
✔ You are using TeamViewer in your home office or for connecting to or from your work computer.
✔ You are connecting from your work PC to your home PC (or vice versa) to access files stored locally.
✔ You are using TeamViewer as a communication tool within your company or for work purposes.
Commercial or Private?
Ok - let´s make this a game, and you can guess: Is it private or commercial usage?
- I use TeamViewer in my home office for remote connections. Commercial usage
- My father has a new tablet and needs my help in setting it up. Private usage
- I want to play a video game after work at home, and I am using TeamViewer on my mobile to stand in line. Private usage
- I am connecting from my mobile to my work computer to check some emails when on the go. Commercial usage
- I am teaching a family member how to use a new program. Private Usage
- My father has a new tablet and needs my help in setting it up. As I am at work, I quickly connect from my work computer to his tablet. Commercial usage
- I am teaching a colleague how to use a new program. Commercial usage
- I am teaching a customer how to use a new program. Commercial usage
- I am connecting from my work PC to my home PC to access files stored locally. Commercial usage
- I am providing tech support for a living and use TeamViewer as a remote support tool. Commercial usage
- I am using TeamViewer on one of my private devices to connect to my other private devices and look for a file stored locally. Private usage
- I am sharing a single device for both my work (as a license owner) and my personal life. Commercial usage
Note: We highly recommend never using your personal devices for any work-related purposes. Mixed usage of commercial and private connections is not possible and not supported, and requires a license. While your regular connections to your friends and family do not require a license, all connections to your work device do. Therefore, I recommend not using a personal device for work-related stuff as it will hinder you from support your family.
