How to cancel a subscription on iPhone, iPad & Mac
Every subscription you bought inside an app on your iPhone or iPad is billed by Apple through the App Store (older receipts call it an iTunes subscription), and they're all cancelled in the same place: Settings > your name > Subscriptions. Here's the exact path on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and the web, how to stop a free trial before it charges, and how to ask for a refund if you were billed by mistake.
On this page
The fast way: one tap Cancel on iPhone & iPad Cancel on a Mac, Windows PC or the web Cancel a free trial before it charges Can't find the subscription? After you cancel Refunds on the App Store Cancelling a specific service? FAQThe 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
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the very top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Tap the subscription you want to cancel.
- Tap Cancel Subscription (scroll down if you don't see it), then confirm. If it only offers Cancel Free Trial, tap that instead.
Cancel on a Mac, Windows PC or the web
Same Apple Account, same subscriptions, so any of these routes cancels the same thing:
- Mac: open the App Store app, click your name in the sidebar (sign in first if you need to), then Subscriptions. Choose the subscription and click Cancel Subscription.
- Windows PC, Android phone or any browser: sign in at account.apple.com, open Subscriptions, choose the subscription and cancel it.
Cancel a free trial before it charges you
An App Store free trial converts to a paid plan automatically when it ends. Apple's advice is to cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, because the renewal can process up to a day early. The steps are the same as cancelling a paid subscription above. Whether you keep using the app for the rest of the trial after cancelling is up to the app: most let the trial run to its end date, a few end it straight away. If you want the full trial, set a reminder for two days before it ends rather than cancelling on day one.
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. If the receipt shows a family member's account, they have to cancel it.
- 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.
One tap to the cancel screen, and catch the ones you forgot
On Top of Subs tracks every subscription and free trial in one place, reminds you before anything renews, and takes you straight to the cancellation screen for the ones you don't want in one tap. Free on iOS & Android.
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.
Cancelling a specific service?
Plenty of services can be paid for through Apple or directly on their own website, and the cancel route depends on which one you used. Each of these guides covers every way the service can bill you, so start with the one you need:
- Cancel ChatGPT Plus
- Cancel Amazon Prime (and its Prime Video add-ons)
- Cancel Paramount+
- Cancel Peacock
- Cancel YouTube TV
- Cancel Xfinity (Comcast)
Frequently asked questions
No. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. Apple keeps billing you. You have to cancel it in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions.
Cancelling stops the next renewal but doesn't refund the current period, so you keep access until it ends. To request a refund, go to reportaproblem.apple.com; Apple decides case by case.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, using the same steps in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Whether you keep using the app for the rest of the trial after cancelling is up to the app: most let it run to the end date, a few end it straight away.
It may be on a different Apple Account (search your email for "receipt from Apple"), or it isn't an Apple subscription at all. It could be billed through Google Play or directly by the company. Cancel it wherever it's billed.
Yes. On a Mac, open the App Store, click your name in the sidebar, then Subscriptions. On a Windows PC, an Android phone or any browser, sign in at account.apple.com and open Subscriptions.