Apple Music is one of the leading music and video streaming services around. Like its competitors, it makes it easy to stream music and videos on your device, whether at home or on the go. However, as a paid service, there sometimes comes a time when you need to know how to cancel an Apple Music subscription.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Why Cancel an Apple Music Subscription?
- How to Cancel Your Own Apple Music Subscription
- How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Apple Music Subscription
- Frequently Asked Questions: Canceling an Apple Music Subscription
Since most people purchase their Apple Music subscription through their Apple account directly, it’s not always clear how to cancel. This can lead to being charged more than you anticipated or struggling to close a loved one’s account. As part of your executor duties after the death of a loved one, you might also wish to protect their personal information by closing the account for good.
With that in mind, how do you actually cancel an Apple Music subscription? With a few key steps, it’s possible to close your account and protect your information. While this process varies depending on how you pay for your Apple subscription, follow the descriptive step-by-step guide below.
Why Cancel an Apple Music Subscription?
To begin, why might you cancel an Apple Music subscription? There are a few reasons to consider doing this either for yourself or a loved one. Here are the most common reasons for canceling:
- It’s too costly and doesn’t fit your current budget.
- You’re switching to a similar music and video streaming service, like Spotify or Amazon Music.
- You don’t feel like your personal information is secure.
- You’re deleting unused accounts.
- You’re managing a loved one’s accounts on their behalf.
No matter your reason, it’s a good idea to delete accounts you no longer use or need. These accounts could potentially be at risk in the case of a data breach; plus you don’t want to pay for services you don’t use. Managing your accounts is one of the best ways to protect your digital legacy.
How to Cancel Your Own Apple Music Subscription
First, how do you cancel your own Apple Music Subscription? This is the most straightforward process since you likely have access to most of your own information. Depending on the device you use to access your Apple Music account, you have a few different options for deleting your subscription. To get started, follow the steps below.
1. Open your Apple device
The easiest way to cancel an Apple Music subscription is through an Apple device. If you don’t have an Apple device, skip to the final step for an alternative way to cancel your subscription using a PC or non-Apple device. Using the following steps, you can cancel your Apple Music subscription directly from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac.
On your chosen device, make sure you’re signed into the Apple ID associated with your Apple Music Account. This is needed to make sure you’re canceling the correct subscription. The only way to create an Apple Music account is through your Apple ID.
2. Navigate to settings
Next, navigate to your device settings. This is identified by the gear button on most devices. On your Mac, you will need to go directly to the App Store.
Once you’re in your settings, choose your name or Apple ID at the top of the screen. This will open a tab with information about your Apple account. If you’re on a Mac, make sure to sign in through the App Store.
3. Tap subscriptions
Within your Apple ID tab, select Subscriptions. This is the page specifically for managing all ongoing subscriptions. If you pay for any services, apps, AppleCare, and Apple Music, it will show up here.
On your Mac, you’ll find the Subscriptions page under your account information. Scroll through the page to find your subscription to Apple Music.
4. Cancel your Apple Music subscription
When you find your Apple Music subscription, click on it to bring up more management information. You can upgrade your account, adjust settings, and more. To cancel your Apple Music account, click Cancel Subscription.
Once you cancel your subscription to Apple Music, you will no longer be able to use the paid service after your final month comes to an end. If you’re canceling during the trial period, be sure to cancel 24 hours before it comes to an end to avoid being charged.
5. Cancel from the web
Alternatively, if you don’t have an Apple device or you’d prefer to cancel another way, you can also do so from the web. To cancel an Apple Music account online, go to Music.Apple.com. This is how you access streaming digitally if you don’t have the app, such as on a PC or other device.
Once again, you’ll need to sign in to your account by clicking the person icon at the top of the page. Sign in with your Apple ID. From there, go to Settings, scroll to Subscriptions, and select Manage. Lastly, choose Cancel Subscription to stop any ongoing payments and cancel your account. If your Apple Music information is saved in a password manager, make sure it’s deleted to protect your data.
How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Apple Music Subscription
It’s also common to need to delete a loved one’s accounts when they’re gone. This is on the list of what to do when someone dies, and it’s an important part of protecting their digital legacy and identity. How do you cancel a deceased loved one’s Apple Music subscription? There are a few steps to keep in mind.
1. Locate their Apple ID username and password
The easiest way to cancel a deceased loved one’s Apple Music subscription is to simply log in and follow the steps above. However, this requires you to have access to their Apple ID username and password. It’s tricky to recover an Apple ID without this information.
Some ideas for locating their Apple ID are:
- Search for their passwords and IDs on their devices and computers
- Log into their email account
- Reset their password via phone or email
- Request a transfer of ownership through Apple
If you’re unable to locate their Apple ID on your own, continue to the steps below.
2. Obtain a court order
Unfortunately, the only way to access someone’s Apple ID is by obtaining a court order. Apple must protect user accounts, and this means they can’t transfer ownership when someone passes without going through the right legal channels.
To do this, you’ll need to know how to get a death certificate as well as key information about their accounts associated with Apple. If you’re the executor of your loved one’s estate, it’s very possible to get a court order.
3. Cancel the payment
Another option is to simply cancel the payment source. If your loved one was paying for their Apple Music subscription through a specific bank account or credit card, canceling or locking these accounts should stop the payments. Once halted, the Apple Music account will be canceled.
Frequently Asked Questions: Canceling an Apple Music Subscription
Deleting an account of any kind can be confusing and complicated. Review these frequently asked questions below to ensure you know exactly what to expect.
What happens when you cancel an Apple Music subscription?
When you cancel an Apple Music subscription, you lose access to your paid Apple Music account. This means you can’t download music through the app to listen offline, and you’ll no longer have access to your existing playlists. Unless you continue paying for your account, you can’t use the paid Apple Music app any longer.
Do you have to pay to cancel Apple Music?
You do not have to pay to cancel your Apple Music subscription. That being said, you will need to pay if you fail to cancel during the free trial period. Unless you cancel your account, the service continues to renew automatically.
Can you cancel an Apple Music subscription at any time?
Yes, you can cancel an Apple Music subscription at any time. Apple Music does not include any contracts. However, if you sign up during a promotional period, you might lose access to anything you’ve saved during that time.
Protect Your Digital Legacy
Ultimately, there are a lot of reasons why you might need to cancel an Apple Music account. While this is a popular streaming service, there are many others just like it. Whether you’re switching services, no longer use it, or are managing a loved one’s accounts, it’s important to protect your digital footprint.
If you need help deleting another streaming account, you’re in luck. Learn how to delete a Spotify account or a Pandora account. The process is just as simple, and it’s important to keep your data safe online.
Sources:
- “How to cancel a subscription from Apple.” Apple Support. Support.Apple.com.