Canceling YouTube Premium (formerly Red) on your iPhone might seem tricky, but I’ll walk you through the exact steps to stop those recurring charges. Let’s make sure you’re not paying for a service you no longer want to use.
Understanding Where Your YouTube Premium Subscription Lives
First, it’s important to know that how you originally signed up for YouTube Premium determines how you’ll need to cancel it. If you subscribed through your iPhone, you’ll need to cancel through Apple’s subscription services. If you signed up through YouTube’s website, you’ll need a different approach.
Canceling Through iPhone Settings
Here’s the easiest way to cancel if you subscribed through iOS:
1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app
2. Tap your Apple ID at the top
3. Select “Subscriptions”
4. Find “YouTube Premium” in your active subscriptions
5. Tap it and select “Cancel Subscription”
6. Confirm your cancellation
Canceling Through the YouTube App
If you’re not seeing YouTube Premium in your iPhone’s subscriptions, try this method:
1. Open the YouTube app
2. Tap your profile picture
3. Go to “Purchases and memberships”
4. Select YouTube Premium
5. Tap “Cancel membership”
Important Things to Remember
When you cancel, you’ll still have access to Premium features until the end of your current billing period. I always recommend setting a calendar reminder for when your subscription actually ends, so you’re not surprised if you still see Premium features for a few more days or weeks.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes you might run into a situation where you can’t find where to cancel. This usually happens when you’re trying to cancel in the wrong place. If you subscribed on the web but are trying to cancel through iPhone settings (or vice versa), you won’t see the cancellation option. In this case, visit youtube.com/paid_memberships in your web browser while signed into your Google account.
After Cancellation
Once you’ve canceled, make sure you get a confirmation email. Keep this for your records – I’ve seen cases where people thought they canceled but actually didn’t complete all the steps. Also, watch your credit card statements for the next billing cycle to ensure the cancellation went through properly.
Remember, you can always resubscribe if you find yourself missing the ad-free experience or download features. YouTube makes it easy to come back whenever you want, and they’ll typically offer the same promotional rates to returning customers.
