How to Cancel Apple Music (2026) — Keep Your Library & Playlists

Updated February 2026 · 6 min read

Apple Music auto-enrolled millions of users during free trial periods with new iPhone purchases, Beats headphones, and Apple One bundles. If you're paying for Apple Music but mostly use Spotify (or don't stream much at all), here's how to cancel and what happens to your music.

💰 What You're Paying

• Individual: $10.99/month ($132/year)
• Family (up to 6 people): $16.99/month ($204/year)
• Student: $5.99/month ($72/year)
• Via Apple One Individual: $19.95/month (bundled with iCloud+, TV+, Arcade)
• Via Apple One Premier: $34.95/month (everything Apple)

📱 Cancel on iPhone/iPad

1. Open Settings
2. Tap your name at the top
3. Tap "Subscriptions"
4. Tap "Apple Music"
5. Tap "Cancel Subscription" (or "Cancel Free Trial")
6. Confirm cancellation

💻 Cancel on Mac

1. Open the Music app (or Apple TV/App Store)
2. Click Account → "Account Settings"
3. Scroll to "Subscriptions" → "Manage"
4. Find Apple Music and click "Cancel Subscription"

🌐 Cancel on the Web

1. Go to music.apple.com
2. Sign in with your Apple ID
3. Click your profile icon → "Settings"
4. Under Subscriptions, click "Manage"
5. Cancel Apple Music

⚠️ The Apple One Bundle Trap

If Apple Music is part of your Apple One subscription, canceling Apple Music means canceling the entire bundle. Before you do:

• Check what else is in your bundle (iCloud+, TV+, Arcade, Fitness+, News+)
• Calculate if the individual services you want cost more separately
• Apple One Individual ($19.95): Music ($10.99) + TV+ ($9.99) + Arcade ($6.99) + iCloud 50GB ($0.99) = $28.96 separately. The bundle saves $8.96/month.
• If you only use iCloud and TV+, cancel Apple One and subscribe to those individually for $10.98/month (saves $9/month)

🎵 What Happens to Your Music

• Downloaded Apple Music songs: Disappear immediately — they're DRM-protected rentals
• Playlists: Saved for ~30 days, then deleted permanently
• iTunes purchases: Stays forever — music you BOUGHT is yours
• Uploaded music (iCloud Music Library): Accessible for 30 days, then removed from cloud
• Listening history/recommendations: Preserved if you resubscribe within 30 days

🔄 Free & Cheaper Alternatives

• Spotify Free — ad-supported, unlimited music, good recommendations
• YouTube Music Free — ad-supported, includes music videos
• Amazon Music (Prime members) — included with Prime, no extra cost
• Spotify Premium ($11.99/mo) — slightly more but better discovery algorithms
• YouTube Premium ($13.99/mo) — includes YouTube Music + ad-free YouTube
• SoundCloud/Bandcamp — free for indie and underground music

✅ After Cancellation Checklist

• ✅ Transfer playlists to new service (Soundiiz/TuneMyMusic)
• ✅ Download any iTunes purchases you want offline
• ✅ Check if you have Apple One (may need to cancel that instead)
• ✅ Verify no other family members are using your Family plan
• ✅ Remove downloaded Apple Music songs from devices (they won't play anyway)
• ✅ Set up your new music service
• ✅ Watch for the win-back offer — Apple typically sends 3-month free trial offers to returning subscribers