How to cancel a subscription on iPhone, iPad & the App Store

Every subscription you bought inside an app on your iPhone or iPad is an App Store subscription (you may also see it called an iTunes subscription), and they're all cancelled in the same place: Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Here's the exact path on iPhone, iPad and Mac, how to stop a free trial before it charges, and how to get a refund if you were billed by mistake.

The fast way: one tap

App Store subscriptions can only be cancelled through Apple. The developer can't do it for you, and deleting the app won't either. The good news: it doesn't matter which Apple device you use. The same subscription is cancelled identically from an iPhone, iPad or Mac, because it's tied to your Apple Account, not the device.

• On iPhone or iPad, it lives in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Full steps below.
• Or skip the menu-digging: in On Top of Subs, one tap opens the cancellation screen. (Works the same for Google Play subscriptions.)

Cancel a subscription on iPhone & iPad

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the very top of the screen.
3. Tap Subscriptions.
4. Tap the subscription you want to cancel.
5. Tap Cancel Subscription (scroll down if you don't see it), then confirm. If it only offers Cancel Free Trial, tap that instead.

Cancel a subscription on a Mac

1. Open the App Store app.
2. Click your name in the bottom-left corner (or Sign In first).
3. Click Account Settings. You may be asked to sign in.
4. Scroll to Subscriptions and click Manage.
5. Click Edit next to the subscription, then Cancel Subscription.

Cancel a free trial before it charges you

An App Store free trial converts to a paid plan automatically when it ends. To be safe, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial end date, because Apple processes renewals up to a day early. You'll keep access for the rest of the trial and you won't be charged for the paid plan. The steps are the same as cancelling a paid subscription above.

Can't find the subscription?

If a charge keeps showing up but it isn't in your Subscriptions list, one of these is true:

• It's on a different Apple Account. Search your email for "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple" to spot which account was used, then sign in with that one.
• It isn't an Apple subscription at all. If you subscribed on an Android phone it's a Google Play subscription; if you signed up on the company's website it's billed directly. You cancel it wherever it's billed, not in Apple's settings.

The quickest way to tell is the merchant name on your bank statement. On Top of Subs lines your subscriptions up across the App Store, Google Play and your cards, so you can see which is billed where at a glance.

After you cancel

• You keep access until the period ends. Cancelling stops the next renewal. It doesn't cut you off immediately. The subscription will show an expiration date.
• Check it actually went through. Re-open Settings > Subscriptions; it should now read "Expires" rather than "Renews".
• Make sure you're not paying twice. Plenty of people are billed for the same service on both the App Store and direct, or once per family member. Check your other store and your cards.

Refunds on the App Store

Cancelling isn't a refund. By default Apple doesn't refund the current period; you simply aren't billed again. If you were charged by mistake or never used the service, request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com: sign in, find the charge, and choose "Request a refund." Unlike Google Play, refunds are handled by Apple, not the developer, and are granted at Apple's discretion.

Frequently asked questions