How to get rid of apple tv subscription

Apple has been very generous with its free promotional offers for Apple TV+ with year-free trials alongside the purchase of new hardware extended through the pandemic period. However, those trials are now coming to an end and many more customers will need to start paying to watch Apple TV+ original TV shows and movies, or cancel their subscription if they don’t want to continue.

Apple TV+ offers access to a growing library of original, exclusive, video content across TV shows and movies. Unlike most other streaming services, Apple TV+ does not include a back catalog to sift through, so the overall number of titles available is much lower than something like Disney+ or Netflix. Apple is banking on high-quality premium originals to make its mark. The company adds new titles on a monthly basis.

You can subscribe to Apple TV+ on its own for $4.99 per month. Seven-day free trials are available for all new subscribers, and Apple hardware purchases come with three months free as a taster. Note that if you take advantage of the free trial offers, the subscription automatically renews at the end of the free period. Unlike other App Store subscriptions, if you cancel early, you immediately lose access to the remainder of your free trial.

Apple TV+ is also bundled as part of Apple One (which combines services like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade into one discounted monthly subscription) and is also currently included with the Apple Music student plan.

With Apple TV+, you are free to cancel at anytime and come back in a few months when there is something new to enjoy.

How to cancel Apple TV+

If you have watched everything that takes your fancy on the service, or are simply not interested in Apple TV+ anymore, here’s how to cancel.

If you are using an iPhone or iPad, it is really easy. Just go to Settings -> Apple ID -> Subscriptions -> Apple TV+ -> Cancel Subscription. On the Mac, open System Preferences -> Apple ID -> Media & Purchases and press the Manage button in the Subscriptions section.

If you don’t have access to an Apple device, the best way to cancel is through the Apple TV+ website, tv.apple.com. Sign in with your Apple ID and then click the account icon at the top of the page and choose Settings. Scroll all the way down to manage your subscription and you can select Cancel Subscription.

If you are not the owner of the Family Sharing group associated with the Apple TV+ subscription, you’ll need to contact them to complete the cancellation.

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How to get rid of apple tv subscription


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It’s easy to cancel your subscription to Apple TV Plus

TV remote control is seen with Apple TV+ logo displayed on a screen

(Image: © Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

When Apple Inc. first elbowed its way into the VOD market with Apple TV Plus, customers who purchased a shiny new iPhone, iPad, or other eligible product were delighted to receive a year’s free access to the company’s new streaming platform. But given the 12-month Apple TV Plus free trial has lapsed and many customers are now paying full whack, a subscription might not seem so compelling and you may therefore be looking to cancel Apple TV Plus.

  • Head to the Apple TV Plus website to check your options (opens in new tab)

Whether you’re underwhelmed by its slim library of content or you don’t have the cash to splash right now, this guide explains how to cancel Apple TV Plus, as well as what to watch before you well and truly pull the plug, and alternative streaming services worth subscribing to instead.

  • Read more: our guide to the best TV streaming services

Wait! Before you cancel Apple TV Plus, here’s everything you could watch

The Morning Show and Ted Lasso are the platform’s flagship series and two of the best Apple TV Plus shows, having bagged dozens of awards between them. The former is a drama about the cut-throat world of TV broadcasting starring Jennifer Anniston and Reece Witherspoon (season three arrives later this year), while Ted Lasso won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, in addition to the hearts of viewers around the world.

Severance, however, might be the platform’s first binge-worthy show: a mind-bending sci-fi thriller that’s garnered almost unanimously glowing reviews. And, if you’re looking for more spooky chills and mystery, you’ll be well served by Servant, a supernatural shocker from the mind of director M. Night Shyamalan and whose final season is due to arrive soon.

Best Apple TV shows

(Image credit: Apple)

There's a delightfully idiosyncratic collection of titles here, with musical comedy Schmigadoon!, postmodern whodunnit The Afterparty, epic space saga Foundation and acclaimed spy thriller Tehran being just a small sample of its diversity.

Apple TV Plus has great new content on the horizon too. The star-studded dark comedy anthology Roar features Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo, and will debut on April 15. Plus, while a release date hasn’t been announced, Martin Scorsese’s The Killers of the Flower Moon will stream exclusively on Apple TV Plus, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro among its glittering A-list cast.

Your step-by-step guide on how to cancel Apple TV Plus

It’s easy to cancel Apple TV Plus, and there are a few options. Follow the instructions below if you want to cancel Apple TV Plus via the web:

  • Type or copy https://tv.apple.com/ (opens in new tab) into your web browser
  • Sign In with your Apple ID
  • Click on the Account icon in the top right
  • Select the ‘Settings’ option
  • Scroll down to the Subscriptions heading and click on ‘Manage’
  • Click on 'Cancel Subscription'

iPhone with Apple TV Plus logo, a pair of AirPods on top, laying on a red background with pieces of popcorn

(Image credit: Burdun Iliya / Shutterstock)

(opens in new tab)

Follow the below instructions, meanwhile, to cancel Apple TV Plus from an Apple device like an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

  • Launch the Apple TV Plus app
  • Tap the Account icon in the top right-hand corner
  • Select your name in the Account section
  • Scroll down and tap 'Subscriptions'
  • Under the Active subheading, tap on the Apple TV Plus icon
  • Select ‘Cancel Subscription’

What streaming service should I get now I’ve cancelled Apple TV Plus?

Now you’ve decided to cancel Apple TV Plus, you might be looking for a more suitable VOD platform. The ones we’ve listed below are available globally too, but have a far more comprehensive library of movies and TV shows.

Plus, if these VOD titans aren’t to your liking, there are brilliant alternative services you can pick from in specific regions, like HBO Max in North America, Crave in Canada, and Stan in Australia.

Read more:

  • Are you eligible for an Amazon Prime Video free trial?
  • Discover the best Prime Video shows to watch
  • How to install the Disney Plus app on your device

Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.

How can I cancel my Apple TV subscription?

Click Account Settings. Scroll to Subscriptions, then click Manage. Next to the subscription, click Edit. Click Cancel Subscription.

Can I cancel my Apple TV subscription any time?

If you have a paid subscription, you can still cancel it and renew it whenever you wish in the future. Once you cancel it, you can use the offers from Apple TV Plus for the remainder of the current subscription, more specifically until the next billing date.

Can I cancel Apple TV after 1 year free?

In the Apple TV app, go to Account > View My Account, and then scroll down to the Settings section. Here you'll find the Manage Subscriptions option. In the list of your subscriptions, find the entry for Apple TV Plus and hit the Edit button next to it. Select the highlighted 'Cancel Free Trial' button.