How to cancel a video chat app subscription on iPhone and Android

Video chat apps often sell weekly or monthly memberships, and the charge keeps coming until you cancel it where you paid. That is usually Apple or Google, not the app. Deleting the app does not do it, and neither does deleting your account.

How do you cancel on an iPhone?

Open Settings and tap your name. Apple’s support page starts here: in Settings, tap your name at the top.
Tap Subscriptions. You will see active and expired subscriptions billed through your Apple Account.
Tap the video chat app’s subscription. If you have several, check the name and price so you cancel the right one.
Tap Cancel Subscription. Apple notes you might need to scroll down to find the button.
Check whether it is already cancelled. Per Apple, if there is no Cancel button or you see an expiration message in red text, the subscription is already canceled. You do not need to do anything else.
Same steps on iPad. Apple lists the same path for iPad and Apple Vision Pro, and has separate instructions for Mac and Windows PC if you manage your Apple Account from a computer.

How do you cancel a Google Play subscription?

Go to your subscriptions in Google Play. Google’s help page describes the web route: on your computer, open your subscriptions in Google Play, signed in with the same Google account you used on the phone.
Click Manage next to the app. Find the video chat app in the list and click Manage. Google’s help reminds you to make sure you are signed in to the Google Account that holds the subscription; if the app is not listed, check that you are in the correct account.
Click Cancel subscription. Google then shows a confirmation pop-up.
Pick a reason and click Continue. Within the pop-up, select a reason and click Continue to finish.
Know what a prepaid plan does. Per Google, prepaid plans last for a limited time, so you do not need to cancel them; they expire at the end of the billing period. If a prepaid plan has not been used, Google says you can request a refund.
Keep using what you paid for. Per Google, when you cancel you can still use the subscription for the time you have already paid. Google’s own example: buy a one-year subscription on January 1, cancel on July 1, and you keep access until December 31 but are not charged again the following January 1.

What keeps costing money after you stop using an app?

An uninstalled app. Google is explicit: “When you uninstall an app, your subscription won’t cancel.” Removing the icon from your phone does not touch billing.
A deleted account. Per the app’s help center, Azar warns: “Deleting your account won’t cancel an active subscription.” Cancel first, then delete the account if you want to.
An open-ended plan. Per Google, subscriptions on Google Play run for an indefinite term and you are charged at the start of each billing cycle, weekly, yearly or otherwise, unless you unsubscribe.
Paid extras inside free apps. The App Store listings of Kiss Live Chat, Livego and YOYO show each as free to download with in-app purchases. Anything you subscribe to inside them on an iPhone is billed by Apple, so the iPhone steps above are where you stop it.
A website subscription. Per the site, Chatrandom says subscriptions bought on its website are cancelled in My Account, while in-app purchases are cancelled in your Apple or Google Play subscription settings. If you paid on the web, the phone settings will not show it.

What about refunds?

Cancelling stops future charges; it does not usually return money already paid. Per Google, past subscriptions generally cannot be refunded, with some exceptions set out in its refund policies, and in some instances you may be eligible for a refund. If an app is removed from Google Play, Google says your future subscription will be cancelled.

For an iPhone purchase, Apple says some purchases from the App Store might be eligible for a refund. Sign in to reportaproblem.apple.com, tap or click “I’d like to”, choose “Request a refund”, pick the reason and then the item. Apple asks you to wait 24 to 48 hours for an update on the request.

For an Android purchase, Google says refund policies differ by what you bought, when and how you paid, and where you are. It also notes that contacting the app developer directly is often the quickest way to resolve a refund issue, and that it usually cannot refund you if you gave your account or payment details to someone else or did not protect your account with authentication.

If you were charged for something you did not mean to buy, request it from the store you paid through, not from the app’s chat or a stranger who offers to help. For a list of apps that you can use without paying at all, see our free video chat apps page, or line apps up with the compare tool. Before you cancel, take a screenshot of the subscription page so you keep the renewal date and price.

Questions

Does deleting a video chat app cancel my subscription?

No. Per Google, uninstalling an app does not cancel its subscription. On iPhone, cancel in Settings under your name and Subscriptions.

I deleted my account. Will I still be charged?

You may be. Per the app’s help center, Azar says deleting your account won’t cancel an active subscription. Cancel the subscription through Apple or Google as well.

How do I ask for my money back after cancelling?

Cancelling and refunds are separate. On iPhone, Apple’s route is reportaproblem.apple.com, then “I’d like to” and “Request a refund”. For Google Play purchases, Google says contacting the app’s developer is often the quickest route, and its own refund policies decide the rest.

There is no Cancel button on my iPhone. What does that mean?

Per Apple, if there is no Cancel button or you see an expiration message in red text, the subscription is already cancelled.