Subscriptions have taken over Apple’s App Store. It’s probably the easiest way to make money off iPhone users. Even award-winning apps sometimes won’t let you use features unless you sign up for a free trial with an auto-renewing subscription. Once you sign up for the trial, it’s easy to forget to cancel, and those fees can quickly add up. Luckily, there are easy ways to avoid paying for unwanted App Store subscriptions.

When you sign up for a free trial of an app, you can go directly to the App Store and cancel the subscription. In most cases, you can use the app until the free trial ends; the subscription does not automatically renew. Apple's own subscriptions, such as iCloud or Apple Music, are an exception: the free trial ends immediately when you cancel it.

Luckily, you can check in advance whether the trial period will end immediately or whether it will work until the period ends. Tap on Subscriptions, select the subscription you want to cancel and tap on Cancel Subscription. You will now see a pop-up telling you when the subscription will expire. If this date coincides with the end of the free trial period, tap on Confirm to cancel the subscription.

If you’re still forgetting to cancel free trials, you can set up automatic reminders to help you with the task, thanks to a great shortcut from Matthew Cassinelli. You’ll need to install Apple’s Shortcuts app, then download Cassinelli’s Check My App Subscriptions shortcut.