How to cancel a ReelShort, DramaBox or ShortMax subscription (and other short drama apps)
We make TotalShort, a short drama app: we say so wherever it matters. Facts about other apps come from their official App Store and Google Play pages and may change.
In short: if you subscribed inside the app, you don't cancel in the short drama app itself but with the store that bills you. On iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → pick the subscription → Cancel Subscription. On Android: Google Play → Subscriptions → pick the subscription → Cancel subscription. Deleting the app is not enough: the subscription keeps renewing. After you cancel, you stay subscribed until the end of the period you've already paid for. Refunds are requested from Apple or Google Play, not from the app. This applies to ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax, NetShort, DramaWave and to TotalShort, the app we make.
First things first: who actually bills you
Short drama apps such as ReelShort, DramaBox and ShortMax sell coins and auto-renewing subscriptions. When you pay inside the app on an iPhone or an Android phone, though, the payment doesn't go straight to the app: it goes through Apple or Google Play. That's why the subscription is managed, and cancelled, in the store's settings.
If you want to know more about how these apps work, including coins and subscriptions, see our guides to ReelShort, DramaBox and ShortMax.
How to cancel on iPhone
These are the steps from Apple's official support article, "Cancel a subscription from Apple" [1]:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Tap your name at the top.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Choose the short drama app's subscription (ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax or another).
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
If there's no Cancel button, or you see an expiration date in red, the subscription is already cancelled: it won't renew and stays active only until that date [1].
How to cancel on Android
These are the steps from Google's official help article, "Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play" [2]:
- Open the Google Play app.
- Open your profile menu and go to Subscriptions.
- Choose the short drama app's subscription.
- Tap Cancel subscription.
- Follow the instructions until you've confirmed.
Make sure you're signed in with the Google account you subscribed with. If you have several accounts on the phone, the subscription only shows up under the one that paid for it.
Four things worth knowing
Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription
This is the most common mistake. Removing ReelShort, DramaBox or ShortMax from your phone deletes the app, but the subscription stays active in the store and keeps renewing. Google says so explicitly in its help article [2]. Cancel first; then, if you like, uninstall.
You keep access until the end of the paid period
Cancelling doesn't cut you off immediately: it stops the next renewal. If you paid for a week, you can keep watching until that week ends; after that the subscription expires and you won't be charged again.
A red expiration date means it's already cancelled
On iPhone, if the Subscriptions screen shows a date in red instead of the Cancel Subscription button, you've already cancelled. There's nothing else to do [1].
Refunds come from the store, not the app
In-app purchases are collected by the store, so the store decides on refunds. On iPhone you request one at reportaproblem.apple.com; on Android you go through Google Play, following its help center. A short drama app's support team can usually only point you there.
Where each app's subscription is managed
This table covers subscriptions started inside the app. If you paid somewhere else, for example on a website, you manage the subscription wherever you paid; your receipt will tell you where.
| App | On iPhone | On Android |
|---|---|---|
| ReelShort | App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions | Google Play → Subscriptions |
| DramaBox | App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions | Google Play → Subscriptions |
| ShortMax | App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions | Google Play → Subscriptions |
| NetShort | App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions | Google Play → Subscriptions |
| DramaWave | App Store: Settings → your name → Subscriptions | Google Play → Subscriptions |
| TotalShort | App Store (the app takes you there from My stuff → Subscription) | Google Play (the app takes you there from My stuff → Subscription) |
Coins you've already bought are separate from the subscription: cancelling stops renewals and doesn't affect one-off purchases you've already made.
How to avoid unwanted renewals
A few simple habits prevent surprise charges:
- Check the billing period before you confirm. Many of these subscriptions are short (ReelShort, for instance, describes a weekly plan), so they renew often and charges add up quickly.
- Look out for free trials. If a subscription starts with a trial, note the end date: once it runs out, it becomes paid unless you cancel.
- Cancel right away if you only need it for one series. You can cancel straight after subscribing: you keep watching until the paid period ends and there's nothing to forget.
- Check your Subscriptions list now and then on iPhone or Google Play: you'll see at a glance what renews and when.
- Consider the free options. Free episodes, ads and daily bonuses let you keep watching without a subscription; we cover them in free short dramas.
What about a TotalShort subscription?
We make TotalShort, an app of Italian short dramas, so here's the transparent version: our VIP subscription is also paid through Apple or Google and cancelled in the store's settings, just like the ones above. To save you the search, the app takes you straight to the right page from My stuff → Subscription.
VIP costs €5.99 a week or €59.99 a year, renews automatically until you cancel, and has no free trial that turns into a charge. Without a subscription, the first 8 episodes of every series are free, then there's 1 free episode per series per day; the rest are unlocked with coins, and every unlock asks for confirmation. The app is coming soon to the App Store and Google Play; in the meantime you can watch in your browser from the catalog. If you have questions, see our support page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cancel my ShortMax subscription?
If you subscribed in the app, you cancel ShortMax through the store, not the app. On iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → ShortMax → Cancel Subscription. On Android: Google Play → Subscriptions → ShortMax → Cancel subscription, then follow the instructions. You stay subscribed until the end of the period you've already paid for, and nothing more is charged after that.
How do I turn off a ReelShort or DramaBox subscription?
The same way: through Apple or Google Play settings. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose ReelShort or DramaBox and tap Cancel Subscription. On Android, open Google Play, go to Subscriptions, choose the app and tap Cancel subscription. If you use more than one account, make sure you're in the one you paid with.
Does deleting the app cancel my subscription?
No. Uninstalling removes the app from your phone, but the subscription stays active in the store and keeps renewing. Google spells this out in its official help article, and the same applies on iPhone. Cancel the subscription in your store settings first; only then uninstall the app if you want to.
I cancelled but I can still watch. Is that normal?
Yes. Cancelling stops the renewal, not your access: the subscription stays active until the end of the period you've already paid for. On iPhone you can tell from the red expiration date on the Subscriptions screen. Once that date passes, the subscription expires and no further charges are made.
Why can't I find the app in my subscriptions list?
There are two usual reasons. You may be signed in with a different account from the one that paid (another Apple ID or Google account), or the subscription was started outside the store, for example on a website. In that case you manage it wherever you paid, as shown on your receipt. If on iPhone there's no Cancel button and you see a red date, it's already cancelled.
How do I get a refund for a short drama app subscription?
In-app purchases are handled by the store that charged you. On iPhone, request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com; on Android, go through Google Play and its help center. The short drama app usually can't refund you directly. Apple or Google make the decision under their own policies.
Will cancelling delete the coins I bought?
Cancelling only stops subscription renewals; it doesn't touch one-off coin purchases you've already made. What happens to coins after that depends on each app's rules, which you'll find in its terms of use. On TotalShort, for example, purchased coins never expire.
If you'd like to watch Italian short dramas without a subscription, start with the free episodes on the TotalShort home page.
Sources
- Apple, "Cancel a subscription from Apple": https://support.apple.com/en-us/118428
- Google Play, "Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play": https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7018481?hl=en
Get the app
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Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
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