How to cancel subscriptions on your iPhone

Subscriptions are a form of a recurring payment on a periodic basis, usually monthly or annual, for a product or service. Subscription payments renew automatically unless you cancel. If you don’t want your subscription to renew and pay any further, you can unsubscribe easily. This guide shows you how to cancel a subscription or free trial from Apple or the App Store in Settings on your iPhone.

Your subscriptions may include:

• Apple Music, iCloud+, AppleCare, Apple Arcade, Apple News+.
• YouTube premium.
• Media subscriptions, newspapers, magazines, etc.
• Streaming services, Spotify, Pandora, Hulu, etc.
• Other in-app purchases, like Tinder membership, Dropbox premium memberships, LinkedIn memberships, etc

If you want to put a stop to these ongoing renewal payments, you need to cancel them properly. Simply uninstalling an app will not cancel your payment. Your subscription will renew. Please also note that after canceling, you will still have access to the services and/or products for the remainder of the time that you have already paid for. For example, let’s say that you purchased a one-month subscription on February 2. If you cancel this subscription on February 3, you will still have access until March 2. Your access will end at the end of the billing cycle. After you cancel, your subscription will not be renewed. But you will be able to use the service until the next billing date.

Why cancel subscriptions on your iPhone?

One of the most convenient things you can do with your iPhone is make app purchases directly through the App Store®. But those subscription services add up, and if you’re not using an app or a service, you may want to cancel the subscription to save money. You may also want to cancel a subscription on your iPhone before the end of a free trial period.

How to cancel subscriptions on your iPhone

Please note that there are two types of subscriptions: (a) subscriptions that are billed through Apple (iTunes) and (b) subscriptions that are billed through another company (not Apple), third-party subscription payment, this includes subscriptions via a third-party’s web site or app (for these subscriptions, you need to contact the subscription company or app developer).

If you want to cancel your subscriptions that are billed through Apple, including trial subscriptions, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Subscriptions.
   A list of your active subscriptions will appear at the top, followed by any inactive ones.
4. Tap the subscription you’d like to cancel.
5. Tap Cancel Subscription.
   A screen will appear letting you know the expiration date, which might be immediately or at a later date, as well as other information like associated subscriptions, family access, and more depending on the subscription.
6. Tap Confirm to complete the cancellation.

To return to your subscriptions, tap Subscriptions in the upper left corner of your screen.

Cancelled subscriptions might still appear in your active list, but will now show an expiration date instead of a renewal date.

What happens now?

As explained above, you’ll still have access to your subscription service for the time you’ve already paid even after you cancel before the next billing date. For example, if you buy a one-month subscription on February 2 for $10 and decide to cancel the subscription on February 3. This means:

• You will be able to use the subscription until March 1.
• You will not be charged again.

Do you want to re-subscribe again? You can do that too. On your iPhone simply go to Settings > your name > Subscriptions > you will see your (canceled and expired) subscriptions where you can resubscribe.

There’s a notable exception to the process for canceling subscriptions on an iPhone: iCloud storage. Any iCloud+ plan that provides more than the free 5GB doesn’t appear on the same Subscriptions page. If you want to cancel iCloud+ subscription (meaning downgrading your account to the free plan), you can do so also. On your iPhone, simply go to Settings > Your name > iCloud > Manage Plan > Downgrade Options > and then tap Free.

What to do if you can’t find the subscription you want to cancel

If your subscription doesn’t appear under Subscriptions in your Settings, try this:

1. Search your email for the words "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple".
2. On the receipt for the subscription, check which Apple Account was used.
3. If a family member’s Apple Account appears on the receipt, ask that family member to use the steps in this article to cancel the subscription. You can’t cancel a family member’s subscription.
4. If another Apple Account that you use appears on the receipt, sign in to that Apple Account and use the steps in this article to cancel the subscription.
5. If you can’t find a receipt from Apple for the subscription, you might have bought the subscription from another company. To find out which company bills you, check your bank or credit card statement. To cancel the subscription, you must contact the company that bills you for the subscription.

Tips on canceling subscriptions

Keep these things in mind if you want to cancel an app subscription on your iPhone:

• If you signed up for a free or discounted trial subscription and you don’t want to renew it, cancel it at least 24 hours before the trial ends. A calendar reminder or alarm can be a helpful tool.
• Your subscriptions are tied to your Apple account. When you cancel a subscription, it will be cancelled on all your devices signed in with your Apple account, and for anyone connected with Family Sharing.

Still need help? Contact Apple support.