The difference between canceling a subscription and deleting an app
Canceling an app and removing it from your phone are two separate things, and doing one does not do the other. Deleting the app removes the program from your device and frees up storage space, but if you have a paid subscription attached to it, you will keep being charged. Canceling the subscription stops the charges, but the app may still sit on your phone taking up space until you delete it. Most people need to do both.
The reason they are separate is that subscriptions are managed by the app store (Apple App Store or Google Play Store), not by the app itself. The app company cannot stop your charges — only the store can. This is why you have to go to the store to cancel, even if you delete the app first.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting an app from your phone does not stop subscription charges; you must cancel the subscription through the app store first.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions to find and cancel any active subscriptions.
- On Android, open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, select Subscriptions, and cancel from there.
- After canceling the subscription, delete the app itself by holding down its icon and selecting Remove App or Delete.
- Check your bank or credit card statement after canceling to confirm the charges have stopped.
How to cancel a subscription on iPhone
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap your name at the very top of the screen (not Settings — your actual Apple ID name). Then tap Subscriptions. You will see a list of every app you are currently paying for, with the renewal date and price for each one.
Tap the subscription you want to cancel. You will see the renewal date, the price you are being charged, and a button that says Cancel Subscription or Manage. Tap that button. On the next screen, confirm that you want to cancel. Apple will ask you why, but you do not have to answer — you can just tap Cancel Subscription again at the bottom. The cancellation takes effect when ready, and you will not be charged again.
If you see a subscription you do not recognize, cancel it the same way. Fraudulent charges on app subscriptions are common, especially if you have ever used the same password on multiple services or if your Apple ID password is weak. After you cancel, change your Apple ID password to something unique and long.
How to cancel a subscription on Android
Open the Google Play Store app. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner (a circle with your initial or photo). Tap Subscriptions. You will see every app you are currently paying for, with the renewal date and price.
Tap the subscription you want to cancel. Tap Manage. Then tap Cancel Subscription. Google will ask you to confirm and may offer you a discount to keep the subscription — you can ignore that and tap Cancel Subscription again. The cancellation takes effect when ready.
If you see a subscription you do not recognize, cancel it right away. Change your Google account password to something unique and long, and turn on two-factor authentication in your Google account settings. This adds a second step when anyone tries to log in, making it much harder for someone else to charge things to your account.
Deleting the app after you cancel the subscription
Once the subscription is canceled, you can delete the app. On iPhone, hold down the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears. Tap Remove App, then tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm. On Android, hold down the app icon until a menu appears, then tap Uninstall.
Deleting the app does not affect the cancellation — the subscription is already stopped at the store level. But deleting it does free up storage space on your phone, which can help your device run faster if you are running low on space.
What to do if you cannot find a subscription to cancel
If you are being charged for an app but cannot find it in your Subscriptions list, the subscription may be managed through the app's own website rather than through the app store. This is common with streaming services like Netflix or Spotify, which let you sign up through their websites and then use the app to watch or listen.
In this case, go to the company's website, log into your account, and look for a Subscriptions, Billing, or Account Settings page. Cancel from there. You may need to find your confirmation email from when you signed up to remember which email address you used.
If you still cannot find where you are being charged, check your bank or credit card statement. The charge will show the name of the company that is billing you. Search for that company's name plus "cancel subscription" to find their billing page. If the charge is fraudulent and you cannot reach the company, contact your bank or credit card company and ask them to dispute the charge.
Checking that the charges have actually stopped
After you cancel a subscription, wait for your next billing cycle to confirm the charge does not appear. Check your bank or credit card statement online — do not wait for a paper statement, which can take weeks. Most banks and credit card companies let you check your account on their website or app within a day or two of a charge.
If you are still being charged after canceling, take a screenshot of the cancellation confirmation (if you got one) and contact the app store's customer service. Apple has a support page at support.apple.com where you can report billing issues. Google has a help page at support.google.com/googleplay. Both will ask you to describe the problem and may refund the charge if you were billed after canceling.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I delete the app, will the subscription automatically cancel?
No. Deleting the app does not stop the charges. You must cancel the subscription through the app store first, then delete the app. If you delete without canceling, you will keep being charged until you manually cancel through Settings or the Play Store.
Can I pause a subscription instead of canceling it?
Some apps offer a pause or freeze option, but most do not. Check the subscription details in your app store to see if that option is available. If it is not, you will have to cancel and re-subscribe later if you want to use the app again.
What if the app company will not let me cancel?
The app store (Apple or Google) can force the cancellation even if the app company refuses. Contact Apple Support or Google Play Support through their websites, explain that you cannot cancel through the app, and ask them to cancel on your behalf. They can also refund charges from the past 90 days if the company was not allowing cancellations.
Do I need to delete the app if I just canceled the subscription?
No, you do not have to. The subscription is canceled and you will not be charged. Deleting the app is only necessary if you want to free up storage space or remove it from your home screen. You can leave it installed and never use it if you want.
How do I know if an app is charging me?
Check your Subscriptions list in Settings (iPhone) or the Play Store (Android). You can also look at your bank or credit card statement and search for charges from app companies. If you see a charge you do not recognize, search for the company name online to find out what app it is, then cancel the subscription when ready.