How to cancel a subscription on your iPhone

Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap Subscriptions. Pick the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription. If it is not in the list but your card is still being charged, you bought it from a website, not from Apple. Then you cancel with that company, and we explain below how to find it.

Cancel a subscription on iPhone in 4 steps

  1. Open Settings (the gray gear icon) and tap your name at the very top.
  2. Tap Subscriptions.
  3. Find the subscription in the list and tap it.
  4. Scroll down and tap Cancel Subscription. Confirm.

If there is no Cancel button, or you see an expiration date in red, the subscription is already canceled and you will not be charged again. These are Apple’s own steps: support.apple.com. The exact wording can differ a little between iOS versions.

How to cancel a free trial on iPhone

A trial is canceled the same way, through Subscriptions. Apple says to cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends. Cancel at the last minute and the first month may be charged anyway. You usually keep access until the trial runs out, so there is no reason to wait for the last day.

Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. You have to cancel it separately, or the charges keep coming.

Subscription not showing in iPhone settings but still charged

This is the most common situation among our readers. If you paid on a website after a long questionnaire, rather than in the App Store, the subscription lives with that company, not on your iPhone. Apple knows nothing about it, so it will never appear under Subscriptions, and Apple cannot cancel or refund it.

  • Search your email for “Your receipt from Apple”. No such email, but a receipt from some other company? Then that is who you paid.
  • Look at the name on your card statement. Apple’s own charges show as apple.com/bill. Any other name is another company. How to work out who it is: what is this charge on my card.
  • Found the company? Cancel with them: how to cancel a subscription you bought on a website.
  • Ask your family. Someone may have subscribed under their own Apple ID or through the phone carrier’s bill using your card.

Canceling and getting a refund are two different things

Canceling only stops future charges. It does not return money already taken. For that, you ask Apple separately at reportaproblem.apple.com. We walk through it here: how to get a refund from the App Store or Google Play. A refund is never guaranteed, but it is worth asking, especially if you never used the app after the charge.

If the amount was far more than you expected, for example after a “$0.99 trial”, read: paid $0.99 for a trial, then charged much more. And the full plan for the first hour after an unexpected charge is here: charged for a subscription: what to do.

Common questions

Will I still have access to the app after I cancel?

Usually yes, until the end of the period you already paid for. So you can cancel right away instead of waiting for the last day.

I canceled on my iPhone but was charged again. Why?

Either you canceled less than 24 hours before the renewal, or the charge comes from another company, not Apple. Check the name on your statement. What to do next: canceled but still being charged.

Where do I see all my subscriptions on iPhone?

Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Active and expired ones are both there. Subscriptions bought on websites are not listed.

Will Apple refund me if I forgot to cancel a free trial?

You can ask at reportaproblem.apple.com. Apple reviews each request and does not promise a refund, but if you did not use the app, you have a reasonable chance.

This is general information, not legal advice. Bank and app store rules change and differ from country to country, so check the steps in your bank’s app or with their support.