YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month for individuals (or $22.99 for Family), and canceling is deliberately buried across different menus depending on where you subscribed. This guide walks you through every cancellation path — web browser, Android, iPhone/iPad, and smart TV — so you can stop the charges today without losing access until your billing period ends.
Before You Cancel: Key Things to Know
- Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — not immediately
- You must cancel through the platform where you originally subscribed (Google, App Store, or Google Play)
- If you subscribed via Apple, you must cancel through iPhone/iPad Settings — not the YouTube website
- If you subscribed via Google Play, you must cancel through Android — not the web
- Family Plan managers must cancel on behalf of the whole group
How to Cancel YouTube Premium on Desktop / Web
This method works if you subscribed directly through Google (the most common case).
Steps:
- Go to youtube.com and sign in to your account
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner
- Select "Paid memberships" from the dropdown menu
- Find YouTube Premium and click "Manage"
- Click "Deactivate membership"
- Choose your reason (optional) and confirm
You'll see a confirmation screen showing your last day of Premium access. Write it down — you can use Premium until that date.
Can't find "Paid memberships"? Try going directly to youtube.com/paid_memberships — this deep link bypasses the menu.
How to Cancel YouTube Premium on Android
If you signed up through the YouTube app on Android, you subscribed via Google Play. Use the Play Store to cancel.
Steps:
- Open the Google Play Store app
- Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner
- Tap "Payments & subscriptions"
- Tap "Subscriptions"
- Find YouTube Premium and tap it
- Tap "Cancel subscription"
- Follow the prompts and confirm
Alternatively: Open the YouTube app → tap your profile → "Get Premium" → "Manage" → "Deactivate membership" (this only works if you subscribed via Google, not Play Store).
How to Cancel YouTube Premium on iPhone or iPad
If you subscribed through the YouTube iOS app, Apple billed you — and only Apple can cancel it.
Steps:
- Open iPhone/iPad Settings
- Tap your name at the top (Apple ID)
- Tap "Subscriptions"
- Find YouTube Premium in the active subscriptions list
- Tap "Cancel Subscription"
- Confirm the cancellation
Don't see YouTube Premium here? You probably subscribed via Google, not Apple. Go back and try the web method instead.
How to Cancel YouTube Premium on Smart TV
Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Roku, Fire TV) don't have a built-in cancellation option. You must cancel through whichever platform you used to subscribe:
- Roku: Go to roku.com/account on a web browser → Manage subscriptions → Cancel YouTube Premium
- Amazon Fire TV: Go to amazon.com → Account → Memberships & Subscriptions → Cancel
- Samsung / LG TV (Google account): Use the web method at youtube.com/paid_memberships
YouTube Premium Free vs Paid: What You Lose After Canceling
- Save $13.99/month (or $167.88/year) for individual plan
- No ad-free experience isn't as painful with browser ad blockers on desktop
- YouTube Music access also ends — switch to Spotify free tier
- Background play was the killer feature — workarounds exist on Android
- Ads return immediately after your billing period ends
- Background play (phone screen off) no longer works on iOS
- YouTube Music reverts to free with ads and shuffle-only on mobile
- No offline downloads for videos or music
Can You Pause Instead of Cancel?
Yes — YouTube Premium lets you pause your membership for 1–6 months instead of canceling outright. This is worth doing if you're traveling, on a budget crunch, or just need a break.
How to pause:
- Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships
- Click "Manage" next to YouTube Premium
- Select "Pause membership"
- Choose your pause duration (1, 2, 3, or 6 months)
Your membership resumes automatically at the end of the pause period. You'll be billed again when it restarts.
What Happens to YouTube Music After Canceling?
If you mainly used YouTube Premium for YouTube Music, consider downgrading to the YouTube Music Premium standalone plan ($10.99/month) rather than canceling everything.
Alternatives to YouTube Premium in 2026
Once you cancel, here's what most people switch to:
Cancellation Not Going Through? Common Fixes
If you hit an error during cancellation:
- "You don't have an active membership" — You're signed into the wrong Google account. Sign out and sign in with the account you used to subscribe.
- Option is greyed out — You're in a Family Plan as a member, not the manager. Contact the manager to cancel.
- Can't find the cancel option on web — Your subscription is through Apple or Google Play. Use the iOS or Android method instead.
- Payment method issues — Cancellation doesn't require your payment method to be active. Proceed with the cancel steps even if the card is expired.
Canceling YouTube Premium takes less than two minutes once you know which platform to use. The most common mistake is trying to cancel through the YouTube website when you actually subscribed through the App Store — always match the cancellation method to where you originally signed up.
