In this guide
Before you start.
- Look at the receipt before anything else. An email from Apple means that store bills you and controls the cancellation, and the app's own support cannot stop the charge for you.
- Separate the two things ShortsWave sells. Its App Store listing sells several weekly items, including a Weekly VIP that unlocks all shows and a Weekly Pack, alongside one-off coin items.
- Check the renewal period. ShortsWave sells weekly plans, and a weekly plan comes round again in days rather than at the end of a month, so a few days of not noticing is a real charge.
- ShortsWave's terms state that deleting your account or the app does not cancel the subscription, and that it keeps the funds charged by the platform until the subscription itself is cancelled.
- If you subscribed without creating an account, the subscription still belongs to the Apple ID that paid, and that is where to look.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel ShortsWave, step by step.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad
Apple bills the subscription, so it is cancelled from iOS Settings rather than inside ShortsWave. The app can show you the plan, but it cannot end an Apple charge.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name (your Apple Account) at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select ShortsWave from the list of active subscriptions.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
If ShortsWave is not listed, you are signed in with a different Apple ID than the one that paid. The receipt email says which account was charged. If more than one ShortsWave entry appears, cancel each one: the store lists every recurring item separately.
Cancel inside the ShortsWave app
ShortsWave's terms state that a subscription can be cancelled either inside the app or from the store account that bills it.
- Open the ShortsWave app and look for the subscription or membership section of your profile.
- Use the cancellation option there.
- Check the store subscription afterwards: ShortsWave states that deleting the app or the account does not cancel the subscription.
ShortsWave states that after cancelling you keep the subscription until the end of the current term, and it is not renewed after that.
What happens next?
- Cancelling stops the renewal. Apple leaves the subscription active to the end of the period already paid for, so access usually continues for the rest of that week.
- Coins and unlocked episodes are separate from the membership. Cancelling does not remove coins you have already bought, and it does not refund them.
- ShortsWave's terms state that all purchases are final and non-refundable and that there are no refunds or credits for partially used periods, while also allowing an exception if a refund is requested within fourteen days of the transaction date.
- Refunds are requested from whoever billed you, and each of them can decline. Cancelling and asking for money back are two separate actions, and cancelling alone refunds nothing.
- Keep the confirmation. In Settings, the subscription shows an expiry date instead of a renewal date once the cancellation has gone through, which is the only reliable proof it worked.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I cancelled the membership but I am still being charged
Check what the new charge is for. ShortsWave sells "Weekly VIP: Unlock all shows", "Weekly Pack" and "premium-week" as recurring items, and "One-time Purchase" and "Black Friday Limitted Pack" as one-off top-ups. A charge after cancelling is usually a second recurring item that was never cancelled, or a coin purchase rather than the membership. Open your store subscription list and confirm every ShortsWave entry shows an expiry date rather than a renewal date.
ShortsWave is not in my subscriptions list
The list only shows what the signed-in account bought. Find the receipt and check which Apple ID was charged, then sign in with that one. It is also worth checking the list for the app's other name: store entries sometimes carry the developer's name, Halofun, rather than the app's.
I deleted the app and the charges continued
Removing an app never cancels its subscription. Apple keeps billing until the subscription itself is cancelled in the store settings, and you do not need to reinstall the app to do it.
I bought coins and thought that was the subscription
They are different products sold on the same screen. A coin pack is a one-off charge that buys episodes, and the membership is a recurring charge that renews on its own. Buying no more coins does nothing to the membership, so if the money keeps leaving every week, the membership is what is still running.
I deleted my ShortsWave account and it kept charging
ShortsWave's terms state explicitly that deleting the account or the app does not cancel the subscription, and that it retains the funds charged by the platform until the subscription itself is cancelled. Cancel in the store account that bills it.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel my ShortsWave subscription?
ShortsWave is billed by Apple, so cancel it in iOS subscription settings: Settings, your Apple Account name, Subscriptions, ShortsWave, Cancel Subscription. The app's own settings do not end an Apple charge.
Does deleting the ShortsWave app cancel the subscription?
No. Deleting an app removes it from the device and leaves the subscription running, so the store keeps charging until you cancel it in your subscription settings.
Is cancelling the membership the same as stopping coin charges?
No. ShortsWave sells "Weekly VIP: Unlock all shows", "Weekly Pack" and "premium-week" as plans that renew, and "One-time Purchase" and "Black Friday Limitted Pack" as one-off top-ups. Cancelling the plan stops the renewal and leaves your coin balance alone, and it does not stop you being charged for any further coins you buy.
Will I lose my coins if I cancel?
Cancelling the membership does not take away coins you have already bought: they are a separate purchase. What you lose is the membership benefit at the end of the period already paid for.
Can I get a refund from ShortsWave?
Refunds come from whoever took the payment. Apple runs its own refund request process and can decline. Cancelling and requesting a refund are separate actions.
Why is ShortsWave charging me every week?
Weekly plans are the norm for this kind of app, and ShortsWave sells "Weekly VIP: Unlock all shows", "Weekly Pack" and "premium-week". The renewal period is shown next to the price in your store subscription settings, which is the reliable place to check what you are on.
Provider resources
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of ShortsWave. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
