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How to cancel an app subscription on iPhone or Android

By LookedApp · Published · Updated

Cancel in the store that bills you: on iPhone, Settings > your name > Subscriptions; on Android, the Subscriptions page in Google Play. Deleting the app does nothing. Google says so outright: "When you uninstall the app, your subscription won't cancel."

Check who bills you

  • An Apple receipt or an App Store charge: cancel through Apple.
  • A Google Play charge: cancel through Google Play.
  • Neither, and the bank statement shows the company's own name: Apple says to contact that company. The same goes for subscriptions billed by a wireless carrier or another provider.

If you can't find the subscription in your account, search your email for "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple" and check which Apple Account is on it. Apple notes that you can't cancel a family member's subscription; they have to do it. On Google's side, the subscription may sit under a different Google Account, so switch accounts and look again.

Apple: iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro

  1. Open Settings and tap your name.
  2. Tap Subscriptions.
  3. Tap the subscription.
  4. Tap Cancel Subscription. You may need to scroll to find it.

Apple: Mac

  1. Open the App Store and click your name at the bottom of the sidebar (sign in if asked).
  2. Click your name again on the page that opens.
  3. Click Subscriptions, then the subscription.
  4. Click Cancel Subscription.

Apple: web or Windows

On the web (or from an Android phone, for a subscription billed by Apple), sign in at account.apple.com and follow the prompts. In the Apple Music or Apple TV app for Windows, click your name, choose View My Account, click Manage next to Subscriptions, then Edit and Cancel Subscription.

Google Play: Android

  1. Go to your subscriptions page in Google Play.
  2. Select the subscription.
  3. Tap Cancel subscription and follow the instructions.

On a computer, sign in to the Google Account that holds the subscription, open the subscriptions page on play.google.com, click Manage next to the subscription, then Cancel subscription. Pick a reason and click Continue.

If the subscription isn't listed, open Settings, then Google, tap your name, then Manage your Google Account. Under Payments & subscriptions, tap Manage subscriptions.

What happens after you cancel

Google says you keep using the subscription for the time you've already paid for. Its example: a $10 one-year plan bought January 1 and canceled July 1 stays active through December 31 and doesn't renew the next January 1.

Prepaid plans on Google Play expire on their own at the end of the billing period.

On Apple, a canceled subscription shows an expiration message in red text, and the Cancel button is gone. If you see that, there's nothing left to do. For a free trial, Apple says to cancel at least 24 hours before it ends.

Pause instead of cancel (Google Play)

Pausing takes effect at the end of the current billing period and lasts from one week to three months, depending on the app. On the subscriptions page, select the subscription, tap Manage, then Pause payments, set the time and confirm. Tap Resume to come back early.

Refunds

A refund is a separate request in both stores. Google says you may be eligible in some cases, and an unused prepaid plan may qualify. Google also says contacting the app developer directly is often the quickest way to resolve an issue.

For Apple purchases, sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com, choose "I'd like to", then Request a refund, pick a reason and the item. Apple says to allow 24 to 48 hours for an update. Eligibility varies by country or region.

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