How to Cancel Your Music Streaming Subscription (Without Losing Your Playlists)
Key takeaway:
Before canceling Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, or any other subscription, use Free Your Music to transfer your playlists so you don’t lose years of music. Cancel with confidence, and keep your library.
With every update, music streaming platforms pile on new features that most users never touch. You might be ready to try something else, but the real reason people stay locked into one app? It’s not loyalty. It’s the fear of losing their music.
Before you even hover over that cancel button, transfer your playlists with Free Your Music. It’s fast, accurate, and trusted by over 5 million users. Your library, saved in minutes.
Start your transfer now.
Why Cancel Your Music Streaming Subscription?
There are plenty of reasons to cancel Spotify Premium, end your Tidal membership, or delete your Pandora account:
- Price hikes without meaningful upgrades
- Better sound quality or features elsewhere
- Limited free tiers that don’t cut it
- Switching to a family or student plan
- Interface changes that make using the app worse
- Subscription fatigue one less charge on your monthly bill
Whatever your reason, this guide shows you how to cancel Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and more without losing access to your playlists.
What to Do Before Canceling
1. Check Who’s Billing You
If you subscribed through Apple, Google Play, or your phone provider, you’ll need to cancel through them, not through the app.
How to check:
- Apple: Settings > Your Name > Subscriptions
- Google Play: Google Play Store > Profile > Payments & Subscriptions
- Carrier billing: Check your provider’s billing dashboard or support
If you're unsure, your bank statement will usually name the platform charging you.
2. Transfer Your Playlists
Cancelling first is how you lose everything. Use Free Your Music to transfer your playlists before you cancel so your favorite tracks, albums, and folders go with you, no rebuilding, no regrets.
3. Troubleshooting Common Cancellation Issues
Can’t find the cancel button?
- Try using a desktop browser
- Search the service’s Help Center, locations change in UX or UI updates.
- Check if your billing is handled externally (Apple, Google, carrier)
Already billed but meant to cancel?
- Most services won’t refund mid-cycle
- Apple allows refund requests within 24 hours , it’s worth trying
Locked out of your account?
Reset your password before attempting to cancel.
What Happens After You Cancel?
Most people assume they can still access their account until the end of the billing cycle, or that their playlists will be saved for future use. That’s not always true.
Here’s what actually happens, by platform:
| Service | Can You Use It After Canceling? | Will Playlists Be Deleted? |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Yes, until end of billing | No, downgraded to Free tier |
| Apple Music | No, access ends immediately | Yes, after 30 days |
| Tidal | Yes | No, but offline downloads disappear |
| Deezer | No, ends immediately | Yes, playlists are lost |
| Pandora | Yes | No, reverts to Free tier |
| Napster | No, ends immediately | Yes |
📝 Reminder: Transfer your playlists before canceling, not after. Once your account closes, some services wipe everything.
How to Cancel Your Music Subscription
Already transferred your music? Great. Here’s how to cancel your plan:
Cancel Apple Music
On iPhone/iPad:
- Go to Settings > Your Name > Subscriptions
- Select Apple Music > Tap Cancel Subscription
On Mac:
- Open App Store > View Info > Manage Subscriptions
- Cancel Apple Music
On Windows/iTunes:
- Open iTunes
- Account > View My Account > Subscriptions > Manage > Cancel
Apple Support cancellation link
Cancel Spotify
On browser:
- Log in at spotify.com
- Account > Manage Plan > Cancel Premium
Billed via Apple or Google Play?
Use their respective cancellation methods.
Spotify cancellation guide.
Cancel Tidal
On browser:
- Log in at tidal.com
- Account Settings > Subscription > Cancel
Tidal does not allow cancellations via the mobile app.
Tidal cancellation steps)
Cancel Deezer
On browser:
- Log in at deezer.com
- Settings > Manage My Subscription > Cancel
On mobile:
- App > Settings > Account Management > Cancel My Subscription
Deezer support page
Cancel SoundCloud Go
On browser only:
- Go to soundcloud.com/settings/subscriptions
- Click Cancel Subscription
If billed through Apple or Google Play, cancel there instead. Deleting your account does not cancel the subscription.
Keep Your Music When You Switch
Canceling doesn’t have to mean starting over. With Free Your Music, you can move your entire music library to a new platform in minutes.
No stress. No data loss. Just music, wherever you want it.
Start transferring your playlists now
