Subscription Stopper

How to cancel YouTube Premium

Where you cancel YouTube Premium depends on where you signed up, and getting it wrong is the reason people report cancelling twice and still being charged. The YouTube website cannot stop a subscription that Apple is billing — it will show the membership but give you no way to end it.

There is a second thing worth knowing if you subscribed on an iPhone: you are probably paying more than everyone else. Signing up inside the iOS app has long carried a higher price than signing up on the web, because Apple's commission is passed on. Cancelling and re-subscribing at youtube.com is a genuine saving.

First, work out who bills you

Check your statement, or open youtube.com/paid_memberships on a computer — if it says your membership is billed through Apple or Google Play, that is your answer.

  • The charge reads APPLE.COM/BILL — Apple bills you. You subscribed in the YouTube app on an iPhone or iPad.
  • The charge reads GOOGLE *YouTube on an Android device's Play account — Google Play bills you.
  • The charge names Google or YouTube directly from a web signup — YouTube bills you.

Cancelling if you subscribed on an iPhone or iPad

  1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
  2. Tap Subscriptions.
  3. Tap YouTube Premium, then Cancel Subscription.

There is no way to do this from inside the YouTube app or from youtube.com, and YouTube support cannot do it for you. If YouTube Premium is not listed, you are signed in with a different Apple Account than the one that bought it — the Apple subscriptions guide covers how to check.

The iPhone price difference

Subscribing through the iOS app has historically cost several dollars a month more than subscribing through a browser, for exactly the same service. Apple takes a commission on in-app purchases and the price reflects it.

If you want to keep YouTube Premium, the sequence that saves money is: cancel the Apple-billed subscription, wait for it to lapse at the end of the paid period, then sign up again at youtube.com in a browser. The account, playlists and history are unaffected — it is the same membership bought through a cheaper till.

Do not sign up again before the old one lapses, or you will briefly hold two memberships and be charged for both.

Cancelling if you subscribed on the web or Android

  1. Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships and sign in, or open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture → Purchases and memberships.
  2. Find YouTube Premium and choose Manage or Deactivate.
  3. Select Continue to cancel, skip the pause and discount offers, and confirm.
  4. Check that the page now shows an end date rather than a renewal date.

YouTube offers to pause the membership for up to six months instead of cancelling. A pause stops the billing and keeps your settings, which is worth taking if you only want a break.

Cancelling a free trial

The cancellation route is identical, and you keep Premium until the trial's original end date — cancelling on the first day still gives you the whole month. There is no advantage to leaving it until the last minute, and every trial that gets charged is one somebody meant to cancel later.

Trials bought through Apple are cancelled in iPhone Settings, not on YouTube, exactly as above.

Family plans and other people's memberships

Only the family manager can cancel a family plan, and doing so removes Premium from everyone on it. Members who want out individually leave the family group instead, from families.google.com, which does not stop the manager's billing.

If Premium arrived with a phone, a carrier plan or a promotional bundle, it may be billed by that company rather than by Google or Apple. It will not appear in any of the places above, and the carrier's own account page is where it lives.

What happens after you cancel

Premium stays active until the end of the period you have already paid for. After that, ads return, background play stops, and downloaded videos stop playing — including anything saved for a journey.

YouTube Music Premium ends at the same time, because it is included rather than separate. Your playlists, uploads and library all survive; only the ad-free and offline features stop.

For a charge that has already gone through, request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com for Apple purchases, or through Google Play order history for Play purchases. Both are more receptive within a few days.

Common questions

Why can't I cancel YouTube Premium on the YouTube website?

Because Apple or Google Play is billing you rather than YouTube. The site shows the membership but cannot end it. Cancel in Settings → your name → Subscriptions on an iPhone, or in the Play Store on Android.

Is YouTube Premium more expensive on iPhone?

Yes, subscribing inside the iOS app has long cost more than subscribing at youtube.com in a browser, because Apple's commission is passed on to the price. Cancelling the Apple-billed subscription and re-subscribing on the web after it lapses costs less for the same service.

Do I keep YouTube Premium until the end of the month if I cancel?

Yes. Access runs to the end of the period you have already paid for, or to the original end date of a free trial. Cancelling early does not cut it short, so there is no reason to wait.

Does cancelling YouTube Premium delete my playlists or history?

No. Your account, playlists, subscriptions and watch history are unaffected. You lose ad-free viewing, background play, downloads and YouTube Music Premium, which is bundled in.

Can I pause YouTube Premium instead?

Yes, for up to six months, if YouTube or Google Play bills you — the option appears during the cancellation flow. Apple-billed subscriptions cannot be paused; cancelling and re-subscribing later is the only equivalent.