DeadlinrDownload

How to Cancel a Free Trial on iPhone Before You're Charged

By Papyrus Digital · Updated · 7 min read

To cancel a free trial on iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, choose the trial, then tap Cancel Subscription. Apple asks you to do this at least 24 hours before the trial ends, because the first payment can be taken up to a day early. Deleting the app does not cancel the trial.

The steps below match Apple's support article as of October 2026 (iOS 26 and later). They work the same way on iPad.

How do I cancel a free trial on iPhone?

  1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
  2. Tap Subscriptions.
  3. Tap the trial you want to stop.
  4. Tap Cancel Subscription. You may need to scroll down to find it.
  5. Read the confirmation message, then confirm.

If there is no Cancel button, or you see an expiration message in red text, Apple says the subscription is already cancelled. Nothing else is needed.

Removing the app from your Home Screen is not enough. Apple states that "if you delete an app, it doesn't automatically cancel in-app subscriptions".

Why do I need to cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends?

Apple's Media Services Terms say subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel them, and that you "will be charged no more than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the start of the latest Subscription period." The same terms ask you to cancel a trial at least 24 hours before it ends.

In practice, a trial that ends on Friday at 6 PM can be charged from Thursday at 6 PM. A reminder on the last day can arrive after the charge.

Two habits help:

What happens to the rest of my trial if I cancel early?

It depends on the subscription, so read the confirmation message before you tap Confirm.

Some trials end immediately. Apple's terms for its Apple Music offer say: "If you cancel during your free offer period, you will immediately lose access to Apple Music and the remainder of your free trial. You can't reactivate this trial." (Apple Music offer terms). Apple's general terms also say that once you cancel a trial, you cannot reactivate it.

Other apps let you keep using the trial until its original end date, and the confirmation message shows that date.

So the choice is simple:

  • You already know you won't keep it: cancel now.
  • You want the full trial: set a reminder for two or three days before it ends, and decide then.

Why isn't my trial listed under Subscriptions?

If the trial is missing from the list, Apple suggests working through these:

  • Another Apple Account. Search your email for "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple" and check which Apple Account is on the receipt. Sign in with that account to cancel.
  • A family member's account. "You can't cancel a family member's subscription." Ask the person whose Apple Account is on the receipt to cancel it.
  • Another company bills you. If there is no Apple receipt, check your bank or card statement and contact the company that charged you.

Apple cannot help with purchases made outside the App Store. Its support page says it "isn't able to assist users with refunds, purchase history, subscription cancellation and management" for those.

If you suspect more than one stray subscription, our guide on how to find all subscriptions on iPhone walks through every place to look.

How do I cancel a trial I started on a website, with PayPal or a card?

These trials never appear in your iPhone's Subscriptions list, so cancel them where you signed up.

On the company's website. Sign in, open the account, billing or plan page, and cancel there. Save the confirmation email or take a screenshot. The FTC advises keeping records of cancellation requests in case you are charged anyway.

Through PayPal. On the website, go to Settings, then Payments, then Automatic payments, select the merchant and cancel. In the app, tap Menu, then Subscriptions or Linked Businesses, tap the merchant, tap Account, then Unlink. PayPal notes that this stops charges to your PayPal account but "typically does not cancel the underlying subscription", so cancel with the merchant too.

With a debit or credit card. If the company makes cancelling hard, the rules depend on where you live:

  • US: the FTC says that if you can't cancel, "call your credit card company, and ask them to stop the payments".
  • UK: you can ask your card issuer to cancel a recurring card payment, and the FCA says it must stop the payments. Ask by the end of the business day before the payment is due. This does not end your contract with the business.
  • India: under the RBI's e-mandate framework, your bank must notify you at least 24 hours before a recurring charge and let you opt out of that payment or withdraw the mandate.

How do I get a refund if I was already charged?

If an App Store trial turned into a paid subscription you didn't want, you can request a refund from Apple:

  1. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com.
  2. Select I'd like to, then choose Request a refund.
  3. Choose the reason and continue.
  4. Select the subscription and submit.

Apple says to expect an update within 24 to 48 hours. A pending charge can't be refunded until the receipt arrives, and refund eligibility varies by country or region. Cancel the subscription as well, so it doesn't renew again. If a family member made the purchase and you are the family organizer, you can still request the refund from your own account.

For trials billed outside Apple, contact the company first. If it won't refund you, the FTC suggests disputing the charge with your card company.

How do I stop this happening again?

Trial dates slip when nothing reminds you at the right moment, and a busy month can hold several of them. The FTC's own advice is to mark your calendar the day you sign up.

A reminder only helps if it arrives with enough time to act. Because of the 24-hour rule, a reminder on the last day is often too late. Our guide to reminder lead times explains how far ahead to set them, and the guide to building a second memory covers the wider habit of getting dates out of your head.

How Deadlinr helps

Deadlinr is an iPhone and iPad app that remembers things that expire, including free trials. You add the trial yourself, with its end date and price: Deadlinr does not read your App Store account, email or bank. In the Subscriptions category it reminds you 7 days, 3 days and 1 day before, and on the day, at 9:00 AM, with a plain notification such as "renews in 7 days for ₹649 via HDFC Card." For trials, act on the 3-day reminder so the 24-hour rule never catches you. See how it works on the free trial reminder page.

Sources

Questions? Answered.

Something else? Email us.

If I cancel a free trial on iPhone, can I keep using it until the end?

It depends on the subscription. Some trials, including Apple's own Apple Music offer, end the moment you cancel and cannot be restarted, while others keep working until the trial's end date. The confirmation message tells you which applies before you confirm.

Does deleting the app cancel the free trial?

No. Apple says deleting an app does not automatically cancel its in-app subscriptions. Cancel it in Settings, under your name, then Subscriptions.

Why can't I see my free trial under Subscriptions?

It may belong to a different Apple Account or a family member, or it may be billed by another company, such as the app's website, PayPal or your phone carrier. Search your email for the receipt to see who bills you, then cancel with them.

Can I get a refund if the trial already turned into a paid subscription?

You can ask Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com by choosing Request a refund and selecting the subscription. Apple says to expect an update within 24 to 48 hours, and eligibility varies by country or region.

Related guides. Keep reading.