Unfortunately, you can’t manually delete expired subscriptions on your iPhone. Instead, they’re deleted automatically after one year from expiration. If you don’t want to wait, you can sign out of your Apple ID and create a new one.
Hi, I’m Devansh. I once tried to delete my expired subscriptions to keep my iPhone organized but found out I couldn’t. So, I’ll share alternative ways for hiding expired subscriptions in this article.
If you want to delete expired subscriptions on your iPhone but can’t find a button, read on for alternatives!
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The Best Way to Hide Expired Subscriptions
As noted above, your subscriptions are deleted automatically a year after expiring. But since your subscriptions are tied to your Apple ID, you’ll have a clean slate if you switch to a new one. To do this, open Settings, tap your Apple ID name, scroll down, and tap Sign Out.
Once done, open Settings again and tap Sign in to your iPhone. From there, you can create a new Apple ID. The downside is losing access to other data associated with your original account.
If you want to hide your expired subscriptions temporarily (for a day), setting up an App Limit to the App Store is worth considering. Once set up, other people can’t view your expired subscriptions.
Open Settings, go to Screen Time, and App Limits. Tap Add Limit, choose the App Store, and set a 1-min limit. You can’t do the same for the Settings app, but it shows your expired subscriptions. So, that’s something to keep in mind.
These options aren’t viable for everyone but could be helpful in some instances.
Do You Want to Hide Purchases?
If you want to hide purchases instead of subscriptions, you can do that. Open the App Store, tap the account button, and tap Purchased. From the list of apps, you can swipe left on any one and tap Hide.
To unhide your purchases, open the App Store, tap the account button, tap your Apple ID name, and tap Hidden Purchases. Find the purchase you want in the list, and tap Unhide beside it.
FAQs
Here are two common questions about deleting expired subscriptions on your iPhone.
How to Get Refunds for Subscriptions?
Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in. Under I would like to…, select Request a refund. Under Tell us more…, select the most appropriate option, like I did not mean to sign up for a subscription(s). Tap or click Next.
Based on your options, you’ll see a list of eligible purchases. Select the subscription you want a refund for, tap or click Submit, and follow further instructions to complete the request. Check this Support page to learn more.
Are Expired Subscriptions Deleted if iPhone is Reset to Factory Settings?
No. Your expired subscriptions are tied to your Apple ID, not your iPhone’s local storage. So, resetting your iPhone to factory settings won’t remove them. Instead, you can switch to a new Apple ID.
Conclusion
Your expired subscriptions are deleted automatically after one year; there’s no option to delete them manually before that period. However, if you want to hide them, you can switch to a new Apple ID or set an App Limit for the App Store.
I get your frustration with this limitation since I tried this myself once. On the bright side, you have the option to hide your purchases. Hopefully, Apple will soon add the option to hide your subscriptions — how about letting them know about it?
Do you have further questions about deleting expired subscriptions on your iPhone? Let me know in the comments!
