How to Cancel YouTube Red in 3 Steps

YouTube’s subscription service, dubbed YouTube Red or YouTube Premium, offers you the ability to let videos play in the background on your phone, download videos, and access many hours of original content.

It’s a useful tool, but if you’re trying to cut back on expenses, subscription services are usually the first thing to go. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t make it easy to cancel your account. Here’s how to cancel YouTube Red in three easy steps.

How to Cancel on Android or Website

Since Google owns YouTube, canceling your YouTube Red account is as simple as one, two, three.

1. Tap or click your profile photo and select Paid Memberships. This is also where you will manage any channels that you choose to support monthly.
2. Tap or click Manage on your YouTube premium membership.
3. Tap or click Cancel Membership, then confirm that you want to cancel your YouTube Red membership.

That’s it. Three steps and you’re done! We do recommend keeping an eye on your bank statements to make sure that they don’t continue to charge you.

How to Cancel on iOS

Apple has to make things difficult. You used to be able to cancel your YouTube Red subscription through iTunes, but Apple disabled that feature so now you have to do it through your iOS account. Thankfully, there are still only three steps here that you need to worry about.

1. Open the app store, tap your account photo and select your Apple ID. Verify your password or fingerprint.
2. Tap Subscriptions and select YouTube Premium.
3. Tap Cancel, and confirm the cancellation.

And there you go — canceled! Again, keep an eye on your bank statements. The account should revert back to the free version as soon as your subscription runs out but it’s always better to double check!

Alternatives to YouTube Red

You don’t have to go without your favorite playlists just because you’re trying to save a little money this month. Here are some alternatives to YouTube Red.

• Music Apps — There are plenty of playlist options available for free or freemium, like Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, Last.fm or I Heart Radio. You can stream music from one of these apps or all of them on your phone or computer.
• YouTube Downloaders — You don’t need a subscription to download music or videos from YouTube. You just need a YouTube downloader. Depending on the program, you can download these files from your computer or phone and build your own playlists. Most of them are free, which helps you save money in the long run. It takes a little bit of work but it’s worth it.

Buh-Bye Youtube Red

Now that you know how to cancel YouTube Red, what are you waiting for? Save yourself $10-12 a month and build your own playlists with other apps or YouTube downloaders.

Music is for everyone, and you don’t need to pay for a subscription service to enjoy your favorite tunes. Check out the YouTube Red alternatives and let us know which one is your favorite.