With so many music streaming services available, you have probably taken advantage of the free trials to see which platform is the best for you. As you switch between two or three of the popular services, you may eventually land on one that is the standout winner in your eyes — and well, to your ears.
This could be for a variety of reasons, such as the fact that Apple Music has the best gym playlists (just ask Taylor Swift) or because Tidal has the Beyoncé exclusive release of Lemonade.
Then again, it could always come down to price. You may have no problem shelling out $9.99 per month for Apple Music, Google Play Music, Tidal Premium or Spotify Premium, but it seems ridiculous (and a waste of money) to pay for more than one at the same time.
This is even true for those who decide on a family plan. You might have been a loyal Spotify fan, but made the switch to Apple Music so that the entire family of six could stream music for just $14.99 a month. However, now that Spotify just began rolling out its upgraded family plan to now also allow for six accounts for the same discounted family sharing rate, you might be tempted to go back to the streaming service you prefer.
Whether you want to cancel one subscription to join another, end the free trial or just stop paying in general and move to a free option, you might be wondering how to do this before you get slapped with next month's charge.
Here's how to cancel your Apple Music, Google Play Music, Tidal and Spotify accounts.
Apple Music
You might have signed up for Apple Music when it launched, but quickly found out that it did not live up to your expectations. To cancel your subscription on your iPhone or iPod, follow these steps:
| • Open the Apple Music app. • Tap on your profile icon located at the top left corner. • Tap on View Apple ID to bring up Account Settings. • Go To Subscriptions > Manage > Apple Music Membership. • Look under Renewal Options and toggle off Automatic Renewal to cancel. |
Cancel on a PC or Mac:
| • Open iTunes. • Click on account name located on the top right to access the drop-down menu. • Click on Account Info and enter in your Apple ID. • Scroll down to Settings > Manage under Subscriptions > Apple Music Membership > Edit. • Click "off" under Automatic Renewal to cancel. |
Google Play Music
Here's how to cancel your free trial or subscription on an Android device:
| • Open the Google Play Music app • Tap on the Menu icon (three lines) and tap on Settings > Cancel Subscription. |
Cancel on a PC or Mac (iPhone customers use this method):
| • Go to Google Play Music on your Web browser. • Click on the Menu icon in the top right corner and scroll down to Settings. • Look for your billing date and click on Cancel. • Follow the instructions to confirm this cancellation. |
Tidal
Now that you are over Tidal after hearing the new Kanye West or Beyoncé, you can cancel using these simple steps on your iPhone or iPad:
| • Open the Settings app and scroll down to iTunes & App Store. • Tap on Subscriptions > Manage > Tidal. • Toggle off Auto Renewal and tap done. • You may have to fill out a survey before the cancellation is complete. |
Cancel on a PC, Mac (Android users use this method):
| • Enter Tidal.com on your Web browser. • Go to Menu > Manage Account. • Log in to your account and go to Subscription > Cancel My Subscription. |
Spotify Premium
You might have tried Spotify Premium to go ad-free and take advantage of offline streaming, but when you want to go back to the free version, cancel on an iPhone or Android using these steps:
| • Open the Spotify app and tap on the Menu icon. • Tap on the gear icon to access Settings > Account > Subscription. |
This will display whether or not you have the free or Premium version, although you might only be able to cancel by going to Spotify.com.
Cancel on a PC or Mac:
• Enter your password and click on Cancel Spotify Premium Subscription.
| • Go to Spotify.com in your Web browser. • Click on your account name to access the drop-down menu and click on Account. • Click on Subscription located on the left side menu > Update Details > Cancel Your Subscription. • You will be asked a reason why, then click Continue > Cancel My Subscription (again). |
Remember that all these services will remain available until the 30-day free trial period is over. That means it's better to cancel early within this period so you don't forget to do so and get charged for the next month. If you are a paying subscriber and cancel, you will also be able to keep streaming until that month's payment cycle ends.
Photo: freestocks.org | Flickr
