Let’s say you’ve been thinking about food coupons, and you get an ad for a meal discount app! Or maybe you’ve been meaning to catch up on current affairs and you find an affordable news subscription service!
It’s so exciting to find a new app or a super-relevant subscription service, especially if it claims to offer what we’ve been seeking. It’s tempting to hit download or subscribe. The dopamine hit of novelty is unparalleled.
But soon you realize you’ve gone overboard. Downloading one or two apps here and there eventually ends up in a phone full of apps you barely open. Think of all the newsletters and subscriptions you’ve paid for, feeling all giddy. You promise yourself you’ll look at them when you have some free time, but it’s been weeks (or months!) since you last used these services. So why are you keeping them? Why not get rid of all the apps and services you’re oversubscribed to?
When you’re looking at all those colorful apps and services on your phone, it’s easy to lie to yourself and say, “oh, I need this,” aboutevery app, especially if you’ve already paid for it. Sometimes it can be genuinely difficult to separate rarely used apps from the ones you just don’t care about. Fortunately, there are many apps and services to help you figure out which apps to keep and which to let go of. Here’s a list of the best tools to manage and cancel your subscriptions.
Your phone’s app manager
If you’re sick of downloading apps, check out your phone’s built-in app manager. Most devices offer a list of apps that you can order based on your last usage time. So if you use Facebook daily but hardly open Tinder, Tinder will be displayed at the bottom with a “not used in 3 months” tag.
This feature can help you quickly weed out apps and services that you haven’t even touched for months.
App Store
Another alternative to directly cancel subscriptions without installing a new app to do so is by directly unsubscribing to apps and services from the app store.
If you’re using the Apple app store, visit Settings > Subscriptions. Choose the service you want to cancel and select Cancel Subscription.
Android users can select Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions on the Google app store. Then click on an app or service you want to cancel and tap Cancel subscription. You can also unsubscribe temporarily by selecting Manage > Pause payments to put the payments on hold for a few weeks or months until you’re ready to use the app or service again.
Truebill budget and bill tracker
This handy (and FREE!) app lets you easily categorize your expenses and cancel all unwanted subscriptions in one click. It also lets you manage your subscriptions if you just want to track them for a while before unsubscribing.
Truebill is available on the Apple app store or on Google Play
Trim
Going through all your subscriptions can be tedious. The good news? Apps like Trim will do the job for you. Trim analyzes your transactions to find your recurring subscriptions. If you find unwanted apps and services you’re paying for, Trim will cancel them for you in one click. Even more good news? The app can also negotiate bills on your behalf if you want to save money without canceling your subscriptions.
Visit the Trim website for details.
DoNotPay
The name gives it away — this app is all about saving money when you don’t need to continue paying extra. It helps you cancel all digital subscriptions you hardly use, right within the app. The app has a built-in chatbot that gets information, negotiates on your behalf, and unsubscribes you from apps and services that are just draining your bank account.
DoNotPay is available on the iOS App Store.
Track My Subs
If you don’t want to link your bank account and have an app automatically view your payment data, you can use websites like Track My Subs that ask you to enter your subscriptions manually. The app shows the cost of each subscription along with the date of renewal on an easy-to-use dashboard. From here, you can track subscriptions, set up notifications, and view the payment history to decide whether to continue using the app or service.
Visit the TrackMySubs website for details.
