The paid premium subscription on YouTube comes with its perks, and quite a few of them, too. Imagine browsing through apps on your phone while listening to music in the background, uninterrupted by ads. How about downloading the videos you enjoy and viewing them offline? All of that, and more, comes courtesy of YouTube Premium.
However, sometimes users are not satisfied with a service, or they can’t afford it anymore. Whatever the reason may be, and there are many, YouTube offers its members the chance to cancel their Premium subscriptions. So, if you’re on the fence regarding this service, don’t hesitate to cancel it. But before you do, you ought to learn how to do it properly and without any missteps. This article is here to help you achieve just that.
Canceling vs. Pausing
Naturally, a few YouTube users out there will wonder if canceling a YouTube Premium subscription is the same as pausing it. While the two concepts sound similar, they’re not the same. Let’s explain.
Pausing a Premium membership merely keeps it on hold, so to speak. You’re using the basic YouTube features, but you have the ability to go back to Premium anytime you feel like it. All you have to do is unpause it. On the other hand, completely canceling the Premium subscription will permanently get you back to the basic YouTube fare. Well, as permanently as you wish; even after canceling, you can pay for a new Premium, though you’d have to go through the activation process all over again.
Can You Get a Refund?
Since YouTube Premium is a paid service, a lot of people wonder if canceling it will result in them getting their money back. The truth is a refund is only possible under certain conditions. For instance, if you decide to cancel within the first 30 days of using the service, you get a full refund. Those 30 days are the so-called trial run of YouTube Premium.
Of course, before you request a refund, familiarize yourself with YouTube’s policy on the subject. Once you’re eligible for a refund, it will be sent to you via the method you used to pay for your membership when signing up.
With that out of the way, we can now concentrate on different methods of canceling your Premium membership. These methods will vary depending on the platform you’re using to view YouTube videos.
Canceling Via Desktop
- Open your web browser of choice and go to YouTube (you must be logged in);
- Go to the Paid Membership page;
- Click on the Cancel option;
- You will get two prompts, Continue and Pause; pick Continue;
- Select the appropriate reason for canceling your Premium, then click Continue;
- Finally, click on Cancel subscription.
It’s important to note that you can use any browser to cancel your Premium this way. Even if you’re using a browser on a smart device, the first few steps will remain the same. The only difference is where the prompts take you. On your smart device, you will be sent to the Play Store, and if you’ve subscribed through the store, cancel the Premium on the spot.
Canceling Via Android
- Launch the YouTube app;
- Tap your profile icon (in the upper-right corner);
- Pick Purchases and Memberships;
- Tap your active YouTube Premium membership, then pick Deactivate;
- You will be given a prompt with an option to Pause or to Continue to cancel; pick Continue to cancel instead;
- Tap Next, then choose the reason behind the cancelation;
- Tap Yes, Cancel Premium.
Canceling Via iPhone
With iOS users, there’s a bit of a snag. Namely, if you’ve signed in via Google Play, you won’t be able to cancel your Premium over an iPhone. Instead, you’ll need to log in to a different device that doesn’t use iOS. From there, you can access the Google Play Store and cancel the subscription.
On the other hand, if you’ve signed up for Premium via the App Store, the cancellation process is as follows:
- Find the Settings on your device;
- Tap your Apple ID;
- Tap Subscriptions;
- Scroll down until you find YouTube;
- Choose the Cancel Subscription option;
- Tap Confirm.
Odds and Ends of YouTube Premium Cancellation
Before we wrap up the article, let’s go over a few bits and bobs regarding the cancellation process.
For instance, a good number of YouTube Premium users claim that, despite following each list of steps to the letter, their Premium was still not canceled. There are a few things you can do to address that if it ever happens to you. Firstly, restart the app or reload your web browser, then try canceling the Premium once again. If that doesn’t work, try a separate browser or even an incognito window. Finally, use a different device to log in to your account and try canceling from there.
Now, it’s important to know that if you cancel before your billing period is over, you will retain the YouTube Premium features. They will be fully gone when the next billing period starts.
Sadly, considering it’s a huge Premium feature, you will no longer be able to download any videos. Furthermore, your access to the ones you did download will be lost. If possible, try to make an archive of the ones you did download and save them on a separate device if you don’t want to lose them forever.
