How to cancel a PictureThis free trial (iPhone and Android), and what to do if you've already been charged

PictureThis is a genuinely good plant identifier. At the time of writing, its US App Store listing showed 1.1 million ratings and an Editors' Choice badge (App Store listing). The question this guide answers is narrower: how to stop a free trial turning into a paid subscription, and what to do if it already has.

The short version

• A PictureThis trial renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the trial ends. That's in PictureThis's own terms (Google Play subscription terms) and in its App Store description ("Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period").
• Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription. PictureThis's terms say so directly: "When you delete your account on the app or uninstall the app from your device, your subscription won't cancel."
• You cancel through Apple (if you subscribed on an iPhone, iPad or Mac) or Google Play (if you subscribed on Android), not inside PictureThis.
• If you've already been charged, refunds go through Apple or Google, and they're not guaranteed.

What a PictureThis trial costs after it ends

At the time of writing (October 20, 2026), the US App Store listing showed "PictureThis Pro" at $39.99 (several times), plus $7.99 and $3.99 options and a $49.99 Family Plan (App Store, In-App Purchases list, read 2026-10-20). The listing doesn't label the billing period next to those prices, so we can't tell you which one is yearly or monthly. Your own subscription screen (steps below) shows the exact plan and price you're on.

Trial length: the App Store listing doesn't state one; it only mentions "any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered". In the store reviews we analysed for our own research, people most often mentioned a 7-day trial, but offers can differ. Check the exact end date on your own subscription screen. That's the date that counts.

How to cancel on iPhone or iPad

These are Apple's own steps (Apple Support: Cancel a subscription from Apple):

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap Subscriptions.
3. Tap PictureThis.
4. Tap Cancel Subscription (you may need to scroll down), then confirm. During a free trial, How-To Geek reports the button reads Cancel Free Trial (How-To Geek).

How to tell it worked: Apple says that if there's no Cancel button, or you see an expiration message in red text, the subscription is already cancelled.

When to do it: Apple's own advice is to cancel a trial "at least 24 hours before the trial ends." If you're sure you don't want to pay, cancelling early is the safest choice. How-To Geek reports that for third-party App Store apps you usually keep access until the trial's scheduled end even after cancelling (How-To Geek). Before you confirm, read the text on the cancel screen: it says when your access ends.

How to cancel on a Mac

From Apple's support page:

1. Open the App Store app and click your name at the bottom of the sidebar (or sign in).
2. Click your name again on the page that appears, signing in if asked.
3. Click Subscriptions.
4. Click PictureThis, then Cancel Subscription.

How to cancel on Android (Google Play)

From Google's own help page (Google Play Help: Cancel, pause, or change a subscription):

1. On your Android device, go to subscriptions in Google Play (Google's help page links straight to it: play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions).
2. Select PictureThis.
3. Tap Cancel subscription.
4. Follow the instructions.

Make sure you're signed into the Google account you subscribed with. Google notes that if you can't find a subscription, "it may be on a different account." Google also repeats the key warning: "When you uninstall the app, your subscription won't cancel."

After cancelling on Google Play, you keep access for the time you've already paid for, and you won't be charged again.

Can't find the subscription?

Apple suggests searching your email for "receipt from Apple" or "invoice from Apple". The receipt shows which Apple Account was charged. If it's a family member's account, they have to cancel it. If there's no Apple receipt at all, check your bank statement to see which company actually billed you (Apple Support).

On Android, check each Google account you use on the device.

Already charged? How to ask for a refund

Be realistic here. PictureThis's own Google Play terms say: "Except when required by law, there are no refunds on paid subscriptions once the charge has gone through for the billing period." So refunds aren't automatic. But the stores do review requests, and the process is free to try.

If you paid through Apple (Apple Support: Request a refund):

1. Sign in to reportaproblem.apple.com.
2. Tap "I'd like to," then choose "Request a refund."
3. Choose your reason, then Next.
4. Choose the PictureThis subscription, then Submit.

Apple says to expect an update in 24 to 48 hours. If the charge is still pending, you have to wait for the email receipt before you can request a refund. Eligibility varies by country, and consumer-law rights still apply where they exist.

If you paid through Google Play (Google Play refund policies):

• Google says contacting the app developer directly "is often the quickest way" to resolve a purchase issue. PictureThis lists [email protected] in its terms.
• Within 48 hours of a charge, you may be able to get a refund from Google directly through its refund request flow. After 48 hours, Google says to contact the developer, who can refund according to its own policies and applicable law (Google Play: apps & subscriptions refund policy). Google says a decision usually takes one day and can take up to four (Request a refund on Google Play).
• If you're in the EEA or UK, there are extra refund rules on the same page.

Tips that help any refund request: be brief and factual (the date you started the trial, the date you were charged, that you meant to cancel), and cancel the subscription first so it can't renew again.

Why this happens to so many people

In the plant app reviews we analysed for our own research, the biggest complaint was "trial trap / unexpected charge / can't cancel": 658 of 2,072 negative reviews (32%) across seven plant apps; 119 of those were about PictureThis. The pattern is common to the whole category: a trial that starts during onboarding, auto-renewal, and a cancel button that lives in your phone's settings rather than in the app. A Change.org petition about PictureThis's trial dates back to 2019 (Change.org; 88 supporters).

If you liked PictureThis's identification, paying for it may well be worth it to you. Plenty of reviewers are happy subscribers. Just make sure you're paying because you chose to, not because a trial ran out.

Free ways to identify a plant

If identification is all you need, there are free options that don't involve a trial at all:

• PlantNet: at the time of writing, its App Store listing showed no in-app purchases; it's for identification, not care reminders.
• Flora Incognita: its FAQ says it's "completely free of charge and advertising"; it's strongest on wild plants (FAQ).

Where we fit (and an honest caveat)

I'm building Leafkept, a care-first plant app for iPhone and iPad (Android later) that's meant to be the opposite of a trial trap. It isn't out yet.

• No free trial, ever, and no "preview" of paid features that turns into a charge.
• A real free tier: reminders and plant care stay free, and features never move from free to paid.
• Plant ID is a free extra, not the main event.
• If you want more, Plus is $24.99/year, with the price locked for as long as you stay subscribed, or $39.99 one-time for lifetime.
• Your plant data stays on your phone.