Note that I have no payment methods except Apple ID from which I've used currency from a gift card. No credit or debit card info is set up to my Apple ID. My storage plan (50 GB) is still active passed its due date which was 05/01/21. I would like to know why is it still active even when I don't have any money in my balance.
iPhone XS Max, iOS 14
Update:
So I actually went through my emails and iTunes and iCloud had sent me emails saying:
iTunes "On 05/01/2021 you are scheduled to be charged $0.99 for your 50 GB iCloud storage plan, but there is a problem with your payment information. Please update your payment information as soon as possible. If we cannot successfully charge your account, it will be downgraded to the free 5 GB plan and your service may be affected." Followed by instructions on how to update billing payment.
iCloud "On 05/01/21, we attempted to charge you for your 50 GB iCloud storage plan, but there is a problem with your payment information. Your account will be downgraded to the free 5 GB storage plan if we cannot successfully renew your subscription." Followed by instructions on how to update billing payment.
The iTunes email came before the iCloud one.
Obviously I still have the 50GB plan in my iCloud storage, this tells me that I may actually be in a grace period, and that apple has not downgraded it yet because they are still figuring out if the charge was successful or not. In a sense, Camelot was right on one point. No where on the email states that my account will be terminated or locked upon an unsuccessful charge nor does it state that I have been charged to the point where an unpaid balance would occur.
I can only hope they get the gist that I cannot successfully pay and just revert me back to the 5GB plan. I'll just believe that apple does not charge and set an unpaid balance AND revert the plan to a 5GB one at the same time. Hopefully.
If you don't pay, you are doing the equivalent of downgrading. This is what Apple says:
Click on the link to read how to "Downgrade or cancel your iCloud storage plan" on an iOS device, a Mac, or a PC. --> https://support.apple.com/HT207594
"What happens when you decrease your storage plan
When you downgrade your iCloud storage plan, the storage decrease takes effect after your current monthly or annual subscription ends.
If you downgrade or cancel your plan and your stored iCloud content exceeds your available storage, new photos and videos don’t upload to iCloud Photos, files don't upload in iCloud Drive, Messages in iCloud don't update, and your iOS devices don't back up. Learn how to manage your storage by deleting the information that you don't need anymore.
If you downgrade to the free iCloud Storage plan, you'll have 5GB of storage."
Another contributor to this site said:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252568292?answerId=254839872022#254839872022 - "When people cancel a subscription, they get an email saying they have 30 days to transfer their data for safe keeping, after which data will be purged to fit within 5GB."
If I were you, I would actively cancel the subscription. As mentioned in the iCloud terms of use, delinquency on an active (I.e. un-canceled subscription) leaves Apple with the right to delete your content, or terminate the account completely.
It is never a good idea to just not pay for something you voluntarily signed up for, promising to pay a regular fee. Always best to formally cancel any such agreement rather than have it listed on the providers books as a delinquent account. Note too that if your AppleID is delinquent with monies owed to Apple, Apple can stop it being used for any and all other purchases as well. You entered into a contract for iCloud storage. Simply not paying for it is not the same as actively cancelling that contract. A delinquent account with Apple is not the same as a cancelled service with Apple.
It may be they have given you a grace period rather than immediately cutting off your subscription.
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/icloud/en/terms.html
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TIMELY PAYMENT OF ALL FEES AND FOR PROVIDING APPLE WITH VALID CREDIT CARD OR PAYMENT ACCOUNT DETAILS FOR PAYMENT OF ALL FEES. If Apple is unable to successfully charge your credit card or payment account for fees due, Apple reserves the right to revoke or restrict access to your stored Content, delete your stored Content, or terminate your Account. If you want to designate a different credit card or payment account or if there is a change in your credit card or payment account status, you must change your information online in the Account Information section of iCloud; this may temporarily disrupt your access to the Services while Apple verifies your new payment information. We may contact you via email regarding your account, for reasons including, without limitation, reaching or exceeding your storage limit.
> Another contributor to this site said:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252568292?answerId=254839872022#254839872022 - "When people cancel a subscription, they get an email saying they have 30 days to transfer their data for safe keeping, after which data will be purged to fit within 5GB."
Except this does not happen. Apple do not purge the data. They have no idea which photos, messages, backups, etc. are 'important' enough to keep in the 5GB vs. able to be deleted. For all intents and purposes the iCloud Storage just becomes locked and no new data can be added until you delete sufficient data yourself.
In addition to any grace period, your data is not immediately deleted - if your account is locked then you won't be able to sync new data to iCloud, essentially freezing your data in place until you renew/resume the subscription fees.
zion2525 wrote:
But after failed payments for the renewal (because my lack of funds), it should cancel/downgrade eventually right?
Yes, ultimately it will downgrade to the free plan with 5GB of storage. If you're currently using more than 5GB then no more data will be saved and iCloud-synced data (including email, documents, calendars, messages, photos, keychain, clipboards, etc.) will cease to sync (you can still get messages, take photos, etc., but they won't be synced across devices).
I provided that link 12 hours ago. Read the previous posts.
Apple does say:
- "If a purchase can't be charged to any of your payment methods, your account has a negative balance. You can't buy more items or update your apps until you update your payment method."From: How apps, content, and subscriptions from Apple are billed - https://support.apple.com/HT201359
So presumably a negative balance should show if Apple has tried to charge for the subscription and not been able to find a way to be paid.
This is starting the drift from the original question which I think earlier posts addressed.
See -> Downgrade or cancel your iCloud storage plan - Apple Support
I’m just saying when you stop paying for a contract (with anyone, for anything), the service provider doesn’t just “cancel” the contract and move on. They keep charging and mark the account as “delinquent”, meaning you owe them money you did not pay. That’s not a good thing for you. Ultimately, it will always come back to negatively affect you, in some manner.
So I have to purchase/renew a subscription and then cancel? What will happen leave it as is? I'm 300MB/50GB in my iCloud space and I'm still able to save data into iCloud so I'm not sure what is going on.
*shrug* I have never had issues with iCloud Storage so I just report what Apple itself says and add what others claim. I don't say those other claims are true, or not. I know that what you say is all one can glean from Apple's documents but there are often other aspects to things that Apple simply omits from their documents and don't say one way or another.
If you have had direct personal experience with keeping things in storage for more than 30 days after an account being downgraded then please state so. Otherwise I just assume your are paraphrasing the same document to which I referred to earlier.
I'll just wait until this grace period ends for it to be eventually cancelled automatically. I don't have the money right now and I don't think I would be able to have it before this grace period ends. IF it doesn't cancel or revert back to the 5GB plan after the grace period, and who knows, might lock my iTunes/Apple ID as a whole, will I be able to pay for it even after the grace period?
TLDR: Unable to pay during and after the grace period, will it cancel automatically?
How may I actively cancel the subscription? I was successfully charged the first time I purchased but after the failed payment upon the renewal, no money was taken out of my balance leaving me with a negative balance.
I've tried to downgrade it but nothing has happened. I'm not even sure if what I'm seeing is suppose to be there considering I'm downgrading a plan that wasn't payed for in the first place. (Sorry for the lengthy post)
The renewal date is passed in the first image, though it is still under current active iCloud Storage.
In the second image, "5GB Free Plan" is under "iCloud storage" when I tried to downgrade. There is nothing under "Downgrade" as there should be. I do not know why that is but I'm able to tap on the 5GB plan and press done but that changes nothing. (again sorry for the lengthy post)
Grace period? When will the subscription end?
What will happen if I don't have enough money in my apple ID upon the next auto renewal for iCloud storage plan?
