In this guide, we go over some important tips to manage your app and service subscriptions and save money along the way.
Some apps on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac work on a subscription-based model that removes ads and unlocks new features for a recurring fee. As a customer, you may not want to pay a subscription every month for everything. But these small payments allow a developer to keep an app functional, add new features, fix bugs, and ensure operability with the yearly versions of iOS.
However, if you are not careful, subscriptions can pile up, leading to small amounts of money getting charged to your credit card every month. So, it’s crucial to keep an eye on this and keep your subscriptions in check.
1. Review your list of subscriptions and cancel the ones you don’t need
It’s not uncommon for people and their kids to subscribe to a bunch of apps or opt for their free trials and then forget about it. As a result, these services keep billing you every month.
So, the first thing to do is review your current subscriptions by going to iPhone Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. If you do not recall subscribing to an app or do not need one anymore, just tap it and then cancel it from the subsequent screen.
The next step is to think of all the apps and services you have subscribed to outside of Apple’s App Store billing system. If you can’t recall their names, open your email and search for words like “Subscription,” “Purchase,” and so forth. You may see confirmation bill receipts. Head to that service’s website to cancel your subscription.
2. Use an app or set a reminder to keep track of subscriptions
The Subscriptions section in iOS Settings is not enough to keep track of all your app subscriptions. This is because it only shows the services that you have subscribed to using Apple’s App Store. Your other subscriptions, like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, and more, are not visible here.
To take care of this, you can use third-party apps like SubManager. It takes a while to set everything up if you have several subscriptions, but once you have done that, the app will show all your active and upcoming subscriptions in one place. It even has the option to alert you a few days in advance before the renewal date so you can decide if you want to keep this subscription active for another month or cancel it.
If you do not want to install yet another app on your iPhone, I’d recommend setting a repeating reminder in the built-in Reminders app. You can even have it send you early reminders so you are informed of your subscription renewal a few days in advance.
3. Look for cheaper yearly subscriptions
Nearly every app offers some sort of discount when you opt for its yearly plan compared to its monthly plan. So, if there is a service that’s critical to you and you know you will use it for the next several months, just take the leap and subscribe to its annual plan.
4. Opt for lifetime subscriptions
What’s even better than annual subscriptions is a one-time purchase or a lifetime subscription. So, if you love an app and it offers a lifetime purchase option along with yearly subscriptions, do the calculations and then decide if it’s worth the jump.
I have noticed that most lifetime purchases are about three to six times the annual subscription cost. As a result, the upfront amount you will be charged today can be significant. So, you must thoroughly research about that app, check its official website, see its reviews on Reddit and X (Twitter), and even have a word with the developer before opting for the lifetime purchase.
You don’t want to end up paying a hefty price for an app only to discover the developer abandons it in a couple of years with no updates, new features, or customer support.
5. Try subscription bundles
A few developers, like Apple, may offer access to multiple paid apps and services with a single subscription. For instance, subscribing to Apple Music, iCloud+, Apple TV, and Arcade individually is more expensive than subscribing to Apple One, which includes all of these. So, evaluate your needs and explore your options to subscribe to a collective app bundle and save money.
6. Downgrade your subscription plan
Imagine you have subscribed to the highest tier plan of a streaming service, which gives you 4K streaming on up to 4 devices simultaneously. However, you live alone and only watch movies and TV shows on just your phone instead of a 4K TV. In this case, you’d be perfectly fine downgrading your subscription to the cheaper 1080p plan that supports streaming to just 2 devices at the same time.
7. See if one subscription works across devices and platforms
I use an iPhone, iPad, and Mac daily for my work, so it’s essential that apps and services I rely on work across all devices with a single subscription.
While not all apps allow you to use your iOS app subscription on Android, Mac, Windows PC, or web browser and vice versa, popular ones, especially with their own billing system, do. So, if a new app you are about to subscribe to is available on multiple platforms and devices, check if it supports a single subscription everywhere. If it doesn’t, you can try to find alternatives.
8. Subscribe directly from the service instead of the App Store
Apple charges developers a 15 to 30 percent commission on every sale or subscription. As a result, many services like YouTube and X (Twitter) inflate their prices when you subscribe directly from your iPhone. So, before subscribing to an app on your iPhone, check its official website to see if subscribing directly there can save you money.
Caution: Do your due diligence before punching your credit card details on unknown developer websites. If you feel something isn’t right or the payment processor (like Stripe or PayPal) they use isn’t known to you, just subscribe directly via Apple’s App Store. The App Store is trusted, offers support should you need it, and even lets you request a refund if the app subscription does not work as advertised. These perks may not be available if you subscribe directly from a developer’s website.
9. Look for alternatives
Another tip that can help is to simply look for free or ad-supported alternatives to apps you do not plan on using regularly. In some cases, you may find an app that offers nearly the same features without requiring a monthly subscription.
10. Take a moment before subscribing to free trials
Many apps offer free trials extending from 3 days to a month or even more. The splash screens for subscribing to trials can appear tempting, nudging you to opt in. Some apps even resort to tricky practices like making the subscribe button in such a way that it becomes obvious you are expected to tap it to go inside the app. Other times, the X button to close the trial screen may be tiny and barely visible in the top corners of the screen.
While it’s true in nearly all cases that you are not charged immediately when you opt in for a free trial, it’s easy to forget about the trial and then be charged instantly the day this trial ends.
Therefore, you must be cautious before subscribing to every free trial you see in various iOS apps.
If an app seems useful and you get its trial, take a few seconds to add it to the SubManager app or Reminders app mentioned above. You can even invoke Siri and ask it to remind you to cancel or review this trial at least one day before it ends.
11. Control your kid’s purchases
Lastly, try to keep an eye on what apps your kids purchase or subscribe to.
Instead of loading their Apple ID balance or adding your credit card to their Apple Account, add their Apple ID to your digital Family setup and turn on Ask To Buy > Require Purchase Approval. After this, you will get an alert on your iPhone to approve their purchase requests. You can choose to allow the purchase or deny it.
These tips should help you keep your subscriptions in check and stop money wastage on apps you no longer need.
What’s your go-to way to manage your app subscriptions? And how many subscriptions do you pay for?
On a related note: