In this guide
Before you start.
- Check who bills you. Google states that if you joined from the YouTube iOS app, you cancel from your Apple account rather than from YouTube, and that a Google Play billed membership is cancelled in your Google Play account settings.
- Decide between cancelling and pausing. Google's pause runs 1 to 6 months, chosen with a slider, and states you will not be charged until the membership resumes.
- Google states that annual plans cannot be paused, and that pausing is not available to members billed through Apple. For those, cancelling is the only option.
- A pause is not a free hold on your benefits. Google states that you and your family members lose access to Premium benefits while paused, and that downloaded videos and music are retained but not accessible.
- If you pause, note the resume date. Google states the membership resumes automatically on its scheduled date and you are billed at the current price at that point, with at least 30 days of email notice before a price increase.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel YouTube Premium, step by step.
Cancel YouTube Premium on a computer
This is the route for a membership Google bills directly, which covers most people who signed up on the web or on Android.
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships.
- Click Manage membership.
- Click Deactivate.
- Click Continue to cancel.
- Select your reason for cancelling and click Next.
- Click Yes, cancel.
The Deactivate button is where the pause option also lives, so this is the screen to use if you change your mind and want a pause instead.
Cancel YouTube Premium on Android
The same membership, reached through the app instead of the browser.
- Tap your profile picture, then Paid memberships.
- Tap on the membership you want to cancel.
- Tap Continue to cancel.
- Select your reason for cancelling and tap Next.
- Tap Yes, cancel.
Pause instead of cancelling
Worth considering before you cancel, because a resubscription later may not come back at the price you are paying now. Google states that pausing keeps the membership in place without a charge.
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships.
- Select Manage membership.
- Click Deactivate, then choose Pause instead.
- Use the slider to choose a length between 1 and 6 months.
- Tap Pause membership.
Google states that while paused you and your family members lose access to Premium benefits, that downloaded videos and music are kept but not accessible, and that you can still cancel outright at any point during the pause.
Cancel on iPhone or iPad (billed by Apple)
If you joined from the YouTube iOS app, Apple holds the subscription. Google states the cancellation happens in the Apple account, and this is also why iOS members cannot use the pause feature.
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad and tap your name.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the YouTube Premium subscription.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Google states explicitly that pausing is not available for members billed through Apple, so a pause is not a fallback here.
Cancel a membership billed through Google Play
Some memberships are held in Google Play subscriptions rather than in the YouTube memberships page.
- Open the Google Play Store app, or go to play.google.com.
- Open Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select the YouTube Premium subscription.
- Select Cancel subscription and follow the prompts.
What happens next?
- Google states that benefits continue until the end of the billing period, and that no further charge follows unless you resubscribe.
- Ad-free viewing, background play and downloads all stop at that point. Downloads stay on the device but become unplayable.
- Cancelling Premium does not delete your YouTube account, your subscriptions, your playlists or your watch history. Those are part of the Google account, not the membership.
- If you were on a family plan, the members you added lose their benefits too, since they run off your membership.
- YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium are different memberships. If you hold both, cancelling one leaves the other running.
Pausing or freezing YouTube Premium.
Can I pause YouTube Premium instead of cancelling?
Yes, for 1 to 6 months, chosen with a slider on the same Deactivate screen. Google states you are not charged until the membership resumes, but that annual plans and Apple-billed memberships cannot be paused.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
YouTube says my membership is managed elsewhere
That means Google is not the biller. Google states that a membership joined from the YouTube iOS app is cancelled from your Apple account, and that a Google Play billed membership is cancelled in your Google Play account settings. The YouTube memberships page cannot end either one.
I cannot find the pause option
Google gives two reasons it would be missing. Annual plans cannot be paused, and pausing is not available to members billed through Apple. If either applies, cancelling is the only way to stop the charge, and you would resubscribe later at whatever the price is then.
I paused and lost access immediately, which I did not expect
That is how the pause works. Google states that while paused you and your family members lose access to Premium benefits, and that downloaded videos and music are retained but not accessible. The pause protects your price and your membership, not your viewing.
My pause ended and I was charged again
Google states the membership resumes automatically on its scheduled date and you are billed at the current price. A pause is a delay, not a cancellation. If you want it to stop for good, cancel during the pause, which Google states you can do at any point.
I cancelled YouTube Premium but ads came back before the month ended
Check whether you are signed into the right Google account on that device, because ads returning early usually means the device is playing as a different account or signed out. Google states benefits continue until the end of the billing period, so a genuinely cancelled membership should still be ad-free until then.
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 Premium?
Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships, click Manage membership, click Deactivate, click Continue to cancel, choose a reason, click Next, then click Yes, cancel. On Android, tap your profile picture, then Paid memberships, and follow the same prompts.
Can I cancel YouTube Premium anytime?
Yes. Google states that YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers can cancel, pause or resume a paid membership at any time, and that membership benefits continue until the end of the billing period. A membership joined from the YouTube iOS app is cancelled in your Apple account, and one billed through Google Play in your Google Play settings.
Do I keep Premium until the end of the month I paid for?
Yes. Google states that benefits continue until the end of the billing period and that you will not be charged again unless you resubscribe.
Why is my YouTube Premium more expensive on iPhone?
A membership joined inside the YouTube iOS app is sold and billed by Apple, which is a separate subscription from one bought on the web. If the price differs, cancelling the Apple one and signing up on the web is a plan change rather than a cancellation, and it is worth checking both before you decide.
Provider resources
- YouTube Help: cancel, pause or resume paid memberships
- Google: pause or resume your YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium membership
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of YouTube Premium. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
