Why are my members seeing content they haven't paid for?

Members seeing content they shouldn't have access to is frequently caused by setting access at the role level instead of the group level.

Here's the difference:

• Roles control what members can do – post, comment, manage content, moderate
• Groups control what members can see – channels, courses, events, documents

The User role is assigned to every member in your community by default. If the User role has permission to view a channel, course, event, or document section, that content is visible to everyone, whether they've paid or not. 

The fix: using Access Groups

Access Groups are the correct way to restrict content to specific members. When you connect content to a group, only members in that group can see it.

If you've set up a paid Offer, Heartbeat automatically creates a connected Access Group. Thus, members who purchase are added to the group and lose access when they cancel. 

For each piece of content you want to restrict, press "Edit" and confirm that you are using Access Groups instead of Roles:

• Channels – click the 3-dot menu and press "Edit" to update the Channel access level
• Courses – go to the Course and press "Edit" at the top and verify access is tied to a group
• Events – go to the Course and press "Edit" at the top and verify access is tied to a group
• Documents – click the 3-dot menu of the Document section and press "Edit" to update it

If no Access Groups are assigned, any member with the User role can see the content.

Related articles

• How to Create Private Content for Access Groups
• How to Make Channels Private for Specific Groups