In this guide
Before you start.
- Confirm what you are actually paying for. Telegram states that all the features that existed before Telegram Premium was introduced remain free, including unlimited cloud storage, large groups and channels, voice and video calls and multiple devices. A charge is Premium, a Stars purchase, or something bought from a bot or mini app.
- Find out which of the three providers billed you, because that decides where the cancel button is. Telegram names the App Store, Google Play and @PremiumBot, and states that a subscription is cancelled through the same provider you used to purchase it.
- If you cannot find @PremiumBot, that tells you something. Telegram states the bot is currently accessible from the direct versions of its Android, Desktop and macOS apps, and that it will not work if your app came from the App Store or Google Play, or if Premium is not available in your country.
- Check the renewal cadence. The App Store listing for Telegram carries a one week Premium tier alongside the monthly and annual ones, so a missed cancellation can come round again in days rather than at the end of a month.
- Premium given to you as a gift is not a subscription. Telegram describes gifted Premium as a prepaid subscription for 3, 6 or 12 months, which has nothing recurring to cancel.
- Expect no partial refund. Telegram states it is not possible to get a partial refund or credit if you cancel a recurring subscription early, and that it will remain valid until the end of its purchased duration.
- One store account holds one subscription. Telegram states that a single Google account or Apple ID only supports one ongoing subscription at a time, and that @PremiumBot is the route for more accounts. If you run several Telegram accounts, each one needs its own.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Telegram Premium, step by step.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad
Telegram states that Premium purchases are handled by third parties and that you cancel with the provider you bought from. An App Store purchase is billed by Apple, so it is cancelled in iOS Settings.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top, which is your Apple Account.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select Telegram from the list.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Telegram's terms also name the Manage Subscriptions section of the Apple App Store as a route. If Telegram does not appear in the list, you are signed in with a different Apple ID than the one that paid.
Cancel on Android
A purchase made in the Play Store version of Telegram is billed by Google, and Telegram points at the Play Store subscription settings for it.
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Tap your avatar in the top right.
- Go to Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select Telegram.
- Tap Cancel subscription and confirm.
Telegram states that if you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, those platforms may continue to charge you even if you deleted your Telegram account or the application, so the store is the only place that stops it.
Check the Premium section in Telegram Settings
Telegram's terms name the Telegram Premium section of your Settings as the place to manage the subscription. It is the fastest way to see what you hold and when it renews, even when the cancellation itself happens elsewhere.
- Open Telegram and go to Settings.
- Open the Telegram Premium section.
- Read the renewal date and the provider shown there.
- Follow the cancellation instructions it gives, which point back to the store or bot that billed you.
- If your payment method is declined, note that Telegram states the subscription will be cancelled unless you provide new payment information.
What happens next?
- Telegram states that cancelling cancels all future payments and that you keep every Premium feature until the end of the current billing period, after which they expire.
- Nothing is deleted. Telegram publishes exactly what happens: usernames you already created are kept but you cannot create new public ones unless you own fewer than 10, channels and folders stay as they are but you cannot join more or add more chats, the first 10 folders keep working and additional ones are locked.
- Telegram states that GIFs past 200 are hidden, that the first 70 characters of a longer bio stay visible with the rest hidden until you resubscribe, and that the first 5 pinned chats remain while additional ones are unpinned.
- Telegram states that downloads return to standard speed and that the premium badge disappears, and that all free functionality remains exactly as it was before subscribing.
- There is no refund for the remainder. Telegram states that your subscription remains active from the time you cancel until the end of the current billing period and that you will not receive a refund or credit for any remaining days.
- Telegram states that generally all charges for purchases are non-refundable, with one exception it names: if Telegram terminates the service it will cancel the subscription and refund the prorated portion of any prepaid fee.
- Telegram Stars are separate from Premium. Telegram states that all sales of Stars are final, that it does not issue refunds for unwanted or unintentional purchases, and that a remaining Star balance is forfeit if you delete your account or lose access to it.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
Telegram is not in my App Store or Play Store subscriptions
Then a store did not sell it to you. Telegram sells Premium through @PremiumBot as well, at a discount, and a bot subscription never appears in an Apple or Google subscription list. Open Telegram on a direct Android, Desktop or macOS build, open @PremiumBot, and send /stop. Telegram states the bot does not work in apps downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, which is why the route can look missing on the phone you use every day.
I deleted the app, or my account, and the charges continued
Telegram states plainly that deleting your Telegram account or removing the application from your device does not cancel the subscription, and that uninstalling or not opening the app does not pause it: you are billed on the original renewal date. It also states that Apple and Google may continue to charge you even after the account is deleted, so the store subscription has to be cancelled in the store.
I cancelled and want the rest of the month back
Telegram states that it is not possible to get a partial refund or credit when a recurring subscription is cancelled early, and that the subscription remains valid until the end of its purchased duration. If Apple or Google billed you, their own refund processes still apply to the charge they took, and they decide under their own policies rather than Telegram's.
I got a message offering me Telegram Premium and then a charge appeared
Treat that as a warning sign. Telegram states that correspondence from the Telegram Team about a Premium account is sent via verified service accounts in the app, and that its messages contain relevant information about your subscription or payment status, not special offers or promotions. An unsolicited promotional Premium offer is not how Telegram contacts subscribers.
I am charged twice, or for an account I do not use
Premium is tied to a Telegram account, not to a phone number or a device, and Telegram states a subscription survives a phone number change. If you run more than one Telegram account, each needs its own subscription, and it is easy to end up paying for one you have stopped using. Telegram also states that a single Apple ID or Google account only supports one ongoing subscription at a time, so a second one was bought somewhere else: check @PremiumBot as well as the stores.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
Is Telegram free?
Yes. Telegram states that all features that existed before Telegram Premium was introduced remain free to use, including unlimited cloud storage, large groups and channels, voice and video calls and support for multiple devices and accounts. Premium, Telegram Stars and purchases from bots are the paid parts.
How do I cancel Telegram Premium?
With whoever sold it. Telegram states you cancel through the same provider you used to purchase: iOS Settings then your Apple Account then Subscriptions for an App Store purchase, the Play Store then your avatar then Payments and subscriptions then Subscriptions for an Android one, or the /stop command sent to @PremiumBot for a direct purchase.
What happens to my chats and files when Premium ends?
They stay. Telegram states that all free functionality remains exactly as it was before subscribing and describes the Premium extras as hidden or locked rather than deleted: folders past the first 10 are locked, GIFs past 200 are hidden, pinned chats past the first 5 are unpinned, and downloads return to standard speed.
Can I get a refund for Telegram Premium or Telegram Stars?
Telegram states that charges are generally non-refundable and that a partial refund or credit for cancelling early is not possible. For Stars it states that all sales are final and that a remaining balance is forfeit if you lose access to the account. Where Apple or Google took the payment, their own refund processes still apply to that charge.
Someone gifted me Telegram Premium. Will it renew?
Telegram describes a gifted subscription as prepaid for 3, 6 or 12 months. A prepaid gift is not a recurring subscription, so there is nothing charging you and nothing to cancel.
Provider resources
- Telegram: Premium FAQ
- Telegram Premium terms of service
- Telegram Stars terms of service
- Telegram FAQ
- Telegram Messenger on the App Store
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel, pause, or change a subscription
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Telegram Premium. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
