The Complete Guide to Canceling Snapchat Plus

Snapchat Plus delivers premium capabilities to enhance the iconic messaging app experience. But optimal enjoyment of those elevated features comes at a cost – literally to the tune of $3.99 per month.

So what should you do if you ultimately decide Snapchat Plus no longer warrants draining your wallet? This comprehensive tech guide has everything you need to know to properly cancel your subscription.

Snapchat vs Snapchat Plus: What‘s the Difference?

Before jumping into cancellation logistics, let‘s recap exactly what you get when you upgrade from free Snapchat to paid Snapchat Plus.

Snapchat

The base Snapchat app is entirely free and provides the core messaging, photo sharing, stories, filters, lenses, and video chat features over 190 million daily active users have come to know and love.

Key offerings of free Snapchat include:

• Sending temporary photos and videos (snaps)
• Creating stories visible to all friends
• Video chatting with friends
• Accessing lenses and filters for photos/videos
• Viewing public stories from celebrity, brand, and community accounts

Snapchat Plus

For $3.99/month after a 7-day free trial, Snapchat Plus unlocks exclusive functionality on top of everything included in free Snapchat:

Based on public app store reviews, the ability to customize notifications and see close friends‘ whereabouts in the past day via Ghost Trails seem to resonate most with Snapchat Plus subscribers.

But are those bonus features worth the $48 annual fee? Over 10 million users as of 2022 deemed it enticing enough to upgrade. Although as we‘ll explore later, some eventually reconsider that decision down the road.

Cutting off Snapchat Plus: What Happens When You Cancel

If upon further reflection (or credit card bill examination) you conclude the bonus Snapchat Plus features no longer merit the ongoing subscription expense, you have every right to cancel. Here is an overview of what to expect when severing ties with Snapchat Plus:

Immediately

• Revert to standard Snapchat icon
• Lose access to subscriber-only filters and lenses
• No longer able to set custom story expiration timer
• Friend Solar System visualization disappears
• Bitmoji backgrounds removed from chat screens

At End of Current Bill Cycle

• Adverts return mid-app usage
• Custom notification sounds turn off
• Ghost Trails showing recent friend movements no longer visible

The ability to see precise friend locations on Snap Map granted by Ghost Trails seems to be the #1 asset subscribers are hesitant to lose based on social media polls.

But as covered later, you can always reactivate Snapchat Plus down the road should you experience FOMO. First though, let‘s walk through how to actually cancel your subscription.

Step-by-Step Guide to Canceling Snapchat Plus

The process of canceling Snapchat Plus takes just a few taps, but does vary slightly depending on if you are on iOS or Android.

Canceling Snapchat Plus on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app then tap your Apple ID banner
2. Select Subscriptions
3. Under Active subscriptions, select Snapchat Plus
4. Tap Cancel Subscription
5. Confirm cancellation when prompted

And done! You have successfully canceled Snapchat Plus on your iPhone.

You‘ll still have access to all subscriber-only features until the current billing period expires. At that point, your Snapchat app reverts to the free version.

Canceling Snapchat Plus on Android

1. Launch Google Play Store app
2. Tap Menu > Subscriptions
3. Under Active, tap Snapchat Plus
4. Tap Cancel subscription
5. Confirm cancellation

Similar to iPhone, you can continue enjoying ad-free Snapchat Plus until your current billing cycle ends after canceling.

Cancel During Free Trial to Avoid Charges

It‘s important to note that canceling during the initial 7-day free trial period ensures you won‘t get charged at all. However, terminate the service after getting billed on day 8 means you won‘t see any refund for the remaining days that month.

The ability to avoid unwanted charges is why properly canceling subscriptions is such a critical skill in the digital age.

Key Motivations for Canceling Snapchat Plus

When analyzing public app store reviews, a few motivations for discontinuing Snapchat Plus emerge repeatedly:

1. Removing Accidental Purchases

Some subscribers indicate children accessed parental devices and unintentionally purchased subscriptions without consent. Canceling stops further billing for unused services.

2. Eliminating Recurring Charges

Dormant subscriptions can easily escape attention, resulting in surprise recurring fees. Canceling all unused subscriptions provides cost savings quickly.

3. Tightening Budgets

During difficult financial periods, users cut back on non-essential subscription expenses across entertainment, news, dating apps and other services.

In fact, a 2022 survey showed 65% of consumers reduced subscriptions due to inflation and economic concerns:

With the average subscriber paying for 4 online subscriptions, quickly pruning unused services can yield substantial savings.

4. Loss of Interest

While new user onboarding remains strong, some longer-term subscribers lose interest in Snapchat Plus over time as the novelty of exclusive features fades. Canceling removes the financial burden for something no longer delivering additional value.

5. Protecting Privacy

A small but growing segment of users express privacy reservations about Snapchat Plus location tracking capabilities. Canceling subscription immediately eliminates app access to background location data.

Now that we‘ve covered why people cancel, next we‘ll explore best practices all users should adopt to securely manage data and financial exposure from subscriptions.

Expert Tips for Managing Snapchat Plus

As a security analyst and app privacy researcher, I have a few recommendations for properly governing Snapchat Plus access controls:

Adjust Location Settings

If cancelling Snapchat Plus due to data privacy concerns, also manually disable location access to baseline Snapchat by going to Device Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Snapchat.

Remove Payment Methods

Even with subscriptions canceled, your credit card or other payment profile may remain stored with your app store account for convenience. But this opens the door to potential fraudulent activity by external parties.

I advise removing all payment information from both Apple App Store and Google Play app store accounts if no active subscriptions remain.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Adding an extra login verification step ups security, especially valuable for accounts linked to financial data.

Both Apple and Google make it easy to activate two-factor authentication, requiring both your password and a temporary code generated on a trusted device when accessing the app stores.

Evaluate Alternative Apps

If canceling due to disenchantment with Snapchat itself, explore alternative messaging apps with similar functionality like WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to see if they better suit your needs.

Evaluating multiple software tools in a given category enables finding the best fit for your preferences.

Now that we‘ve covered cancellation best practices, next let‘s discuss what happens if you have a change of heart down the road.

Reactivating Snapchat Plus After Cancellation

A key benefit of subscription-based pricing models is the ability to start and stop service fluidly based on your evolving needs.

If a few months post-cancellation you find yourself missing key Snapchat Plus perks like custom Friend Emojis or the ability to pin multiple Best Friends, all hope is not lost!

Reactivating Snapchat Plus requires just a few quick steps:

On iPhone

1. Go to App Store > Tap your profile icon
2. Select "Subscriptions"
3. Under "Expired", tap Snapchat Plus
4. Tap "Resubscribe"

On Android

1. Open Play Store > Menu > Subscriptions
2. Under "Expired", tap Snapchat Plus
3. Tap "Renew" to reactivate

And that‘s it! You‘ll regain access to all the same Snapchat Plus features as before.

The only exception is if Snapchat introduces an entirely new paid tier in the future, which they have hinted at based on app developer job postings. But short of that, you can resume your subscription just as you left it.

Avoid Unexpected Access Interruptions

One thing long time subscribers should note is that canceled subscriptions do NOT automatically renew, even if you were originally paying annually.

This means when your billing term finishes, you‘ll lose all Snapchat Plus access until manually reinstating the subscription yourself.

To prevent unexpected interruption losing your bonus Snapchat Superpowers, I recommend enabling auto-renewal which bills you continuously without further action:

iPhone

1. Open Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions > Snapchat Plus
2. Slide the auto-renewal toggle to ON

Android

1. Open Play Store > Menu > Subscriptions > Snapchat Plus
2. Slide auto-renewal to ON

And that‘s it! Now you can cancel or resume subscription anytime knowing exactly what to expect access-wise.

Let‘s wrap things up with a recap of key takeaways.

Recap and Key Takeaways

Canceling Snapchat Plus is quick and straightforward, but it‘s smart to know implications beforehand:

• Immediately lose subscriber-only features like custom icons and Bitmoji backgrounds
• Standard Snapchat functionality remains intact long term
• Access continues until end of current billing cycle
• Can reactivate subscription anytime through mobile app store
• Enable auto-renewal to avoid unexpected access interruptions
• Consider privacy best practices like disabling location access

While Snapchat Plus unlocks coveted premium features fans enjoy, its cost may eventually outweigh perceived benefits for some users.

Fortunately modern subscription systems make it easy to cancel or reactivate anytime as needs evolve.

I hope this comprehensive guide covered everything you need to know about canceling Snapchat Plus like a pro! Let me know if any other questions come up.