How to Turn off Auto Renewal on iPhone

Control how often you pay for an app's subscription

An iPhone displaying the iTunes Store screen

S3studio / Getty Images

by Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology since 2010. Her work has appeared in Mashable, TechRadar, and many more publications.
Updated February 12, 2019

There are plenty of great subscription-based services available through your iPhone, but what about when you want to call time on something? Here's how to cancel subscriptions on your iPhone so you don't have to worry about any unwanted future charges.

Make sure you complete these steps at least 24 hours before a renewal date. Otherwise, the subscription might still renew and you'll be charged.

How to Turn off Automatic Renewal

  1. On your iPhone, tap Settings, then your name.

  2. Tap iTunes & App Store.

  3. Tap Apple ID: your email address.

    Name, iTunes & Ap Store, Apple ID buttons in iOS Settings

    You can also get to this screen via the App Store. Just tap on your Apple ID icon then your name to get here.

  4. Tap View Apple ID.

  5. Tap Subscriptions.

  6. Take a look at your active subscriptions and look for the one you want to cancel.

    View Apple ID, Subscriptions, two subscriptions in iOS Settings

    If you have a lot of subscriptions, you might need to scroll down the list. 

  7. Tap the subscription you want to manage.

  8. You can choose to change your subscription to something else or cancel auto renew. Tap Cancel Subscription to immediately cancel the subscription.

    Cancel Subscription in iOS settings

    If you've paid in advance, you can still use the service up until the date listed. It's worth doing this if you plan on only having the subscription for a brief time.

  9. Congratulations! You've successfully turned off auto-renew on your iPhone.

How to Turn Automatic Renewal Back On

Realized you didn't mean to turn off auto-renewal for a particular subscription? You can switch it back on from the same screen. 

  1. At the Edit Subscription screen, tap the subscription option you want to re-subscribe to. 

    Annual MVP subscription in iOS Settings

  2. A payment screen will appear explaining what you're renewing.

  3. Agree to it, either through entering your password or via FaceID or TouchID.

    The subscription is automatically renewed on the date that's listed on the payment screen. Bear that in mind when subscribing.

  4. Your subscription is now set up again, until you choose to cancel it.

I Can't See My Subscription Listed

Don't panic! There are a few key things to consider. 

  • Do you definitely have the subscription? Don't rely on an email from Apple or iTunes. It might not be genuine. Trust the subscriptions screen on your iPhone, rather than any emails you receive. 
  • Some subscriptions are conducted directly with the provider rather than Apple. Check the provider's website for more details. 
  • Check that you've signed in with the correct Apple ID. If you have more than one Apple ID, you may have signed in on the wrong one for the subscription.
  • Family Sharing organizers can't manage subscriptions for other family members. They need to do it themselves.