In this guide
Before you start.
- Check which membership you actually hold. YouTube Premium includes YouTube Music Premium, so a great many people searching for how to cancel YouTube Music are holding a Premium membership. Cancelling is the same control either way, but knowing which one tells you what you are giving up.
- Check who bills you. YouTube states that if you subscribed through the YouTube iOS app you cannot cancel within YouTube itself and must cancel your paid membership from your Apple account. An Android purchase may be billed through Google Play instead.
- Expect no money back for the rest of the period. YouTube states that cancelling turns off auto renewal and that refunds are not available for partially used prepaid plans.
- If you are on an annual plan, understand the constraints before cancelling. YouTube states annual plans cannot be paused and are not refundable, and that ending one early means contacting YouTube Support before it expires. It also states annual benefits end after the 12 months rather than continuing automatically, so a lapsed annual plan simply stops.
- Consider pausing instead if the break is temporary, but check it is available to you: YouTube states pausing is unavailable on Google Play billing, where you have to cancel and resubscribe instead.
- On a family plan, the family manager controls it. YouTube states the manager must be 18 or over, that a group is the manager plus up to 5 members, and that members must live at the same residential address as the manager.
- Student pricing is not permanent. YouTube states a student membership is verified through SheerID, has to be re-verified every year, and is available for a maximum of 4 consecutive years.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel YouTube Music, step by step.
Cancel YouTube Music or YouTube Premium on the web
This is the route for a membership billed by Google, which is most of them. The same page covers Premium and Music Premium.
- Sign in to YouTube with the account that holds the membership and open your paid memberships.
- Select the membership you want to end.
- Select Continue to cancel.
- Pick a reason, then select Next.
- Select Yes, cancel to finish.
YouTube states that cancelling turns off auto renewal and that benefits continue until the end of the current billing period. If you see a pause option and only want a break, that is an alternative, though YouTube states pausing is unavailable on Google Play billing.
Cancel in the YouTube Music or YouTube app on Android
The same cancellation is reachable from the app on Android, with the same three confirmation labels.
- Open the app and tap your profile picture.
- Tap Paid memberships.
- Select the membership, then tap Continue to cancel.
- Pick a reason and tap Next.
- Tap Yes, cancel.
If the membership was bought through Google Play, cancelling here reaches the same subscription. What it cannot reach is an Apple-billed membership from the iOS app.
Cancel a membership bought in the YouTube iOS app
This is the case that traps people, because the YouTube app shows the membership but will not cancel it.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the YouTube entry.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
YouTube states that a membership bought through the iOS app cannot be cancelled within YouTube itself, and that YouTube purchases made through the Apple store require authorization from Apple and are subject to Apple's refund policies.
What happens next?
- YouTube states that cancelling turns off auto renewal and that benefits continue until the end of the current billing period, so music keeps playing ad-free until then.
- YouTube states refunds are not available for partially used prepaid plans, so cancelling early in a period does not recover the balance.
- Downloads stop working once the membership lapses, because offline playback depends on an active membership.
- An annual plan behaves differently at the end: YouTube states benefits end after the 12 months and do not continue automatically, so you would have to buy another plan to carry on.
- The YouTube and Google account itself is untouched. Playlists, uploads and subscriptions to channels are not affected by ending a paid membership.
Cancelling a YouTube Music free trial.
How do I cancel an App Store free trial before I’m charged?
For a trial billed by Apple, open Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Select the trial, choose the cancellation option and confirm. Apple advises cancelling at least 24 hours before the trial ends to prevent renewal. Check the confirmation for your access end date. If you track it in Subex, enter the date the trial converts as the renewal date and set a reminder 1 or 3 days before.
How do I cancel a Google Play free trial before it renews?
Open your subscriptions in Google Play using the Google Account that started the trial. Select the plan, choose Cancel subscription and complete the confirmation steps before the trial expires. Otherwise, the paid subscription begins automatically under the offer’s terms. Uninstalling the app does not stop renewal. If you track it in Subex, enter the date the trial converts as the renewal date and set a reminder 1 or 3 days before.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
There is no cancel option in the YouTube app
If you subscribed through the YouTube iOS app, this is expected. YouTube states you cannot cancel within YouTube itself in that case and must cancel your paid membership from your Apple account, in Settings, Subscriptions. Check the receipt: if it comes from Apple rather than Google, that is the reason.
I cancelled YouTube Music but I am still being charged
Check what the charge actually is. YouTube Premium includes YouTube Music Premium, so if you hold Premium, a music-only cancellation does not exist to be made and the Premium membership is what charges you. Open your paid memberships and look at what is listed rather than at what the app is called.
I cancelled an annual plan and got nothing back
That matches YouTube's published terms: annual plans are not refundable and refunds are not available for partially used prepaid plans. YouTube states that to end an annual plan early you need to contact YouTube Support before it expires, which is a different request from the self-service cancellation.
The pause option is missing
YouTube states pausing is unavailable on Google Play billing, and that annual plans cannot be paused at all. If either applies to you, cancelling and resubscribing later is the route YouTube points to, accepting that you would return at the current price rather than an older one.
My family members lost access, or the family plan will not let me join
YouTube publishes several conditions that cause this. The family manager must be 18 or over, a group is the manager plus up to 5 members, members must live at the same residential address as the manager, and someone who has switched family groups in the last 12 months cannot join another. YouTube also states family plans are not available in Belarus, Iceland, Slovenia, South Korea and Venezuela, and that Google Workspace accounts cannot start or join one.
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 YouTube Music Premium?
Open your paid memberships on YouTube, select the membership, select Continue to cancel, pick a reason, select Next, then select Yes, cancel. If you subscribed in the YouTube iOS app, cancel from your Apple account instead.
Is YouTube Music the same as YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium includes YouTube Music Premium, so a Premium membership covers both. A music-only membership is the cheaper standalone option. Check your paid memberships page to see which one is charging you, because cancelling the wrong assumption wastes a renewal.
Can I get a refund on YouTube Music?
YouTube states refunds are not available for partially used prepaid plans, and that annual plans are not refundable. A membership bought through Apple is subject to Apple's refund policies and requires Apple's authorization.
Does cancelling stop my access immediately?
No. YouTube states that cancelling turns off auto renewal and benefits continue until the end of the current billing period.
Provider resources
- YouTube: cancel or pause paid memberships
- YouTube Music help centre
- YouTube Music: memberships and refunds
- YouTube: family plan requirements
- YouTube: student membership verification
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of YouTube Music. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
