How to cancel a cleaner app subscription (Cleanup, Cleaner Guru and others)

How to cancel a cleaner app subscription

1. iPhone: open Subscriptions. Settings > your name > Subscriptions. The cleaner appears under Active.
2. iPhone: cancel. Tap the cleaner, then Cancel Subscription (or Cancel Free Trial) and confirm. If there is no Cancel button, it is already cancelled.
3. Android: open Subscriptions. In the Play Store, tap your profile picture > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions.
4. Android: cancel. Pick the cleaner, tap Cancel subscription and follow the prompts.
5. Check the email. Apple and Google send a confirmation. Keep it in case you are charged again.

Does uninstalling a cleaner app cancel the subscription?

No. Google's help page says it plainly: "When you uninstall the app, your subscription won't cancel." The same is true on iPhone, because Apple and Google bill the subscription, not the app. In the 40,376 public reviews we read, "can't cancel or still charged after uninstalling" was the largest billing complaint, 30% of them.

Can I get a refund?

• iPhone: sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com, choose Request a refund, pick a reason and the charge, and submit. Apple says to expect an update in 24 to 48 hours.
• Android: Google says it doesn't refund most Play purchases, but within 48 hours of the charge you may be able to get one through Google Play's refund request. After 48 hours, contact the app's developer through its Play Store page.
• Bank or card: if neither works and you think the charge was not authorised, contact your card issuer.

Why was I charged after a free trial?

Most cleaner trials last 3 or 7 days and turn into a weekly plan unless cancelled at least a day before they end. On the US App Store on 25 Oct 2026, Cleanup listed a 7-day trial and weekly plans from $5.95 to $11.99. Cancelling during the trial usually lets you keep using it until the trial ends, so cancel straight after you start it.

Are subscription traps legal?

Rules are tightening but not settled. In the US, the FTC's 2024 click-to-cancel rule was struck down; in March 2026 the FTC opened new rulemaking on negative option offers, citing difficult cancellation. In the EU, the planned Digital Fairness Act aims to address hard-to-cancel digital subscriptions, with a proposal expected in late 2026. Either way, cancelling through the App Store or Google Play is the quickest fix.

What can I use instead?

• Free: Files by Google and Google Photos on Android; the Duplicates album on iPhone.
• Photo cleaner apps without a subscription, including lifetime options.
• GalleryJury, coming soon to Android: 50 free photos to try, then $5 for 5,000 photos. Pay once, nothing renews. No subscription, so there is nothing to cancel.