To cancel an iOS app subscription, open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name at the top, tap Subscriptions, choose the app, and tap Cancel Subscription. The whole thing takes about 30 seconds. Future charges stop, but you keep access through the end of the billing period you have already paid for.1Apple. Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions
If “Cancel Subscription” isn’t visible after you tap into the app, the subscription has either already been cancelled or was never billed through Apple in the first place. The sections below cover both situations, plus how to cancel from other devices and how to ask for a refund if a charge has already gone through.
Cancel From a Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, or the Web
On a Mac, subscriptions live inside the App Store app rather than System Settings. Open the App Store, click your name in the bottom-left corner, click Account Settings, scroll to Subscriptions and click Manage, then click Edit next to the subscription and choose Cancel Subscription.2Apple Support. Cancel, Change, or Share Subscriptions in the App Store on Mac
On an Apple TV 4K, go to Settings, then Profiles and Accounts, select your profile, and tap Subscriptions.3Apple Support. Manage Subscriptions on Apple TV 4K On an Apple Watch, open Settings, tap your name, and tap Subscriptions; some subscriptions can only be managed from an iPhone, so if the option is missing, switch to the phone.4Apple. Update Your Apple Account Settings on Apple Watch
No Apple device nearby? Any browser works. Sign in at account.apple.com/account/manage/section/subscriptions with your Apple Account and cancel from there. This is the method to use when your device is lost, broken, or in for repair.5Apple. If You Want to Cancel a Subscription From Apple
What Cancelling Actually Does
Deleting the app from your home screen does not stop the billing. You have to go through the cancellation steps above. Once you do, Apple’s terms keep your access running until the end of the period you already paid for.1Apple. Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions Cancel two weeks into a $9.99 monthly plan and you still get the remaining two weeks; it simply won’t renew.
Free Trials and the 24-Hour Rule
Free and discounted trials have a tighter deadline. To avoid being charged for the first full billing cycle, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends.5Apple. If You Want to Cancel a Subscription From Apple Wait until the last day and it may already be too late. Cancelling early doesn’t cut your trial short; you generally keep trial access through the original end date.
When the Subscription Isn’t in Your List
Seeing a charge on your statement but nothing in Subscriptions usually comes down to one of three things.
The charge may belong to a different Apple Account. If you have more than one, sign in with the account that actually bought the subscription. Searching your email for “receipt from Apple” or “invoice from Apple” will tell you which account the charge is under.5Apple. If You Want to Cancel a Subscription From Apple
A family member may have bought it through Family Sharing. Only the person who subscribed can cancel it. Even the family organizer cannot cancel another member’s subscription.5Apple. If You Want to Cancel a Subscription From Apple
The subscription may not run through Apple at all. Some apps bill you directly or through a wireless carrier. If no Apple receipt exists for the charge, look at your bank or credit card statement for the billing company’s name and contact that company to cancel.
Refunds for a Charge That Already Hit
Cancelling stops the next charge; it does not reverse one that has already posted. To ask for your money back on a renewal you didn’t want, go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple Account, and select “Request a refund.”6Apple Support. Request a Refund for Apps or Content That You Bought From Apple
Apple does not guarantee approval. Eligibility varies by country, the charge has to finish processing before you can submit (pending charges can’t be refunded yet), and any unpaid order on your account has to be cleared first.6Apple Support. Request a Refund for Apps or Content That You Bought From Apple The surer path is to cancel before the renewal date, especially during a trial.