New iOS feature prompts you to cancel subscriptions when uninstalling apps

There are operating system updates that feel tacked on or otherwise not particularly useful. Then there are those that genuinely alter the way you interact with a device. This new addition by way of iOS 13’s second beta falls firmly into the latter, prompting users to cancel a subscription upon uninstalling an app.

Spotted by MacStories’ Federico Viticci, the new offering is — if not a game changer, definitely a money saver. The App Store monetization paradigm long ago shifted from upfront payments to subscription services, many of which are no doubt banking that many users will simply forget the reoccurring payments they signed up for way back when.

Never seen this alert before – Apple now tells you if an app you're deleting has a subscription still active. Good move.

(Taken on iOS 13 beta 2.) pic.twitter.com/WU57nS8Ziv

— Federico Viticci (@viticci) June 18, 2019

The feature, which notes the next automatic renewal date and offers a link to “manage [the] subscription,” will no doubt be a disappointment to those developers. But no one should be paying for services they’re not actively using. Of course, you can always hit “keep,” if you’re using the app on another device, plan to reinstall or simply like giving money away in monthly installments to poor, starving app developers.

iOS 13 got its big onstage debut at WWDC earlier this month. The headline updates include dark mode and new privacy features, but this small addition could prove among the most useful.