Does deleting ReelShort or my account stop the charges?

No. Deleting the app leaves the subscription running, whether Apple, Google or the app itself bills you. Deleting your account can make things worse, because you lose the VIP page where auto-renew is switched off, and DramaBox reviewers say charges continued after they deleted theirs. Cancel first, screenshot the confirmation, and check that nothing arrives on the next billing date. Delete the account only after that.

What is the SHORTMAX INNOVATIONS charge on my card?

Reviewers describe it as ShortMax's subscription, reported at $19.99 a week and billed straight to the card rather than through Google Play or Apple. That's why it often isn't in your store subscriptions. Turn off auto-renew in the ShortMax app's subscription settings, email shorttv.service@shorttv.live with your UID and the charge dates, and ask your card issuer to block the merchant if charges continue.

Will I lose the episodes I unlocked if I cancel VIP?

Possibly, so finish what you're watching first. DramaBox reviewers say episodes unlocked during a paid week locked again when the week ended, and a DramaWave reviewer couldn't go back to series they had unlocked after they stopped paying. Coins can go too: My Drama reviewers say coins vanished when they cancelled. Spend coins and watch saved episodes before your end date.

Can I get a refund after I cancel?

Cancelling only stops future charges. For App Store or Google Play purchases, ask Apple or Google for a refund. For direct billing, the apps' own terms are strict: ReelShort's call subscription payments final and non-refundable, ShortMax refunds only when the service is unusable for ShortMax's own reasons, and GoodShort gives no partial refunds. If you were charged after a documented cancellation, dispute it with your card issuer or PayPal.

How to Cancel ReelShort, DramaBox or ShortMax

You watched a few episodes of a short drama, paid for a week of VIP to see how it ended, and the charges kept coming. Now you're looking for the cancel button, and it isn't where the app said it would be.

Here is the quick answer on how to cancel ReelShort subscription charges, and the same goes for DramaBox, ShortMax, GoodShort and DramaWave. First check your iPhone or Google Play subscriptions. If the plan is listed, cancel it there. If it isn't, the app bills you directly, so turn off auto-renew in the app's VIP or subscription page or on its website, then check PayPal and your card. Deleting the app stops nothing.

This guide is part of our breakdown of what short-drama apps really cost. For AI video and photo tools, the general guide to cancelling any AI app subscription goes deeper on web checkouts.

Why are short-drama subscriptions so hard to cancel?

In September 2026 we read more than 2,200 one- and two-star reviews of ten short-drama apps. Across ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax, GoodShort and FlexTV, 30% of the 994 low-star store reviews mention a billing problem, and billing makes up most of the Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau complaints we read.

ShortMax is the extreme case. About three in four of its low-star Google Play reviews describe a subscription trap, and many say outright they were still charged after cancelling. The BBB rates Shortmax Innovations F, with 148 complaints on file.
ReelShort reviewers describe weekly charges continuing after a cancellation email, and a move to web checkout that keeps plans out of Apple and Google settings. One App Store reviewer wrote: "It shows that it's expired but yet I keep getting billed every freaking week."
DramaBox reviewers say the cancel button is hard to find. One on the App Store wrote, "These guys have done everything possible to hide the cancellation button."
DramaWave had the highest billing share among the newer apps we read, about a third of its low-star reviews, with charges landing directly on cards or GCash.

Experiences vary, and plenty of people cancel without trouble. The root cause is usually the same: the plan is billed somewhere other than where you'd look. App stores take a commission on in-app purchases, so apps have a reason to steer you toward a web or card checkout, which takes your plan out of the store's list.

How to cancel ReelShort subscription plans on iPhone and Android

On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Choose ReelShort and tap Cancel Subscription. According to Apple's subscription help, if there's no Cancel button and you see an expiration date in red, it's already cancelled.

On Android, open the Google Play Store, go to Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions, select ReelShort and tap Cancel subscription. From a computer, the same list is on play.google.com: pick Manage, then Cancel subscription. Google Play's cancellation help notes that uninstalling won't cancel, and that you keep access for the time you've already paid.

If ReelShort isn't in either list, it's billed directly. ReelShort's terms of use say you can cancel at any time by logging in to your app account, going to the VIP page and following the Subscription Management instructions. The same terms say to submit the cancellation no later than the day before your billing date. Reviewers also say tapping a pop-up can start a $199.99 yearly plan, so check the VIP page for more than one active plan.

What if it isn't in your App Store or Google Play subscriptions?

Then the app charged your card, PayPal or wallet directly, and Apple and Google can't cancel it for you. ShortMax reviewers put it plainly: "They say I have to cancel through Google Play, but there is no subscription listed." Work through this list:

Identify the biller. Apple's charges appear as apple.com/bill, and Google Play's start with GOOGLE and an asterisk. Anything else came from the app's company or its payment service, and the name may not match the app: ShortMax reviewers see SHORTMAX INNOVATIONS.
Turn off auto-renew in the app. Sign in to the account that paid and look for VIP, Membership, Subscription or Auto-renew. Screenshot the setting once it's off.
Cancel on the website. Plans bought through a web page, often opened from a social media ad, are managed on that site. My Drama reviewers describe web checkouts reached from Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok ads.
Cancel in PayPal. Go to Settings, then Payments, open your automatic payments or saved businesses, select the merchant and cancel. One App Store reviewer cancelled My Drama on its website and was "still getting billed via PayPal."
Write to support with your account ID, receipt and the date you cancelled, and ask them to confirm auto-renew is off.

That's how to cancel ReelShort subscription billing, or any short-drama plan, when the store can't help.

How do you cancel DramaBox, ShortMax, GoodShort or DramaWave?

Store billing works as above for all four. For direct billing, here is what each company's documents and reviewers say, as of September 2026.

ShortMax and the SHORTMAX INNOVATIONS charge

If you're looking up a SHORTMAX INNOVATIONS 19.99 charge, reviewers identify it as ShortMax's weekly subscription, sometimes charged twice in one day. About 28% of ShortMax's low-star Google Play reviews say the plan was billed directly instead of through Google Play.

ShortMax's terms of service, from SHORTTV LIMITED, say subscriptions auto-renew 24 hours before they expire, that you can cancel auto-renewal any time before the renewal goes through, and that the "About Subscription" section in the app explains how. So here is how to cancel ShortMax subscription billing outside the store: open that section, turn off auto-renew well before the 24-hour window, and screenshot it. Write down your UID first, because reviewers say support often replies that it can't find theirs.

DramaBox

We couldn't find official cancellation steps from DramaBox, so for how to cancel DramaBox subscription plans, follow where you paid: Apple and Google first, then the app's membership settings while signed in, then PayPal and your card statement. Reviewers say charges continued after cancelling or deleting the account, that support replies came from an AI bot, and that support said it doesn't process refunds directly.

GoodShort

GoodShort's user agreement is clearer than most. If you subscribed through a third party such as an app store, switch off "Auto-renew" in that account's settings. If you subscribed through GoodShort's website, go to your subscription page on goodshort.com and switch off "Renew". Either way, cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal period starts. So how to cancel GoodShort subscription plans depends entirely on where you bought them. Reviewers warn of a one-time unlock that turned into a recurring charge.

DramaWave

We couldn't verify official steps here either. Reviewers say DramaWave charges often land on a card or GCash, outside App Store and Google Play subscriptions, and that auto-renew sometimes switched itself back on. For how to cancel DramaWave subscription charges billed that way, turn off auto-renew in the app while signed in, screenshot it, check again the next day, and ask your card issuer or wallet to block the merchant if another charge arrives.

What if you subscribed as a guest?

Several short-drama apps let you watch and pay without signing in, which ties your plan to an account ID stored on one phone. Reviewers describe what goes wrong:

ShortMax viewers who signed in later got a different UID, and a paid pass landed on the wrong one.
NetShort viewers say subscriptions bought as a guest didn't appear in Google Play.
ReelShort reviewers say the app created several accounts and billed each one.
DramaWave viewers who changed phones couldn't recover the account holding their VIP.

Before you pay, or before you cancel, link the guest account to Google, Apple or email in the app's settings, and screenshot your account ID, VIP status and renewal date. If the guest account is already lost, you can still stop the money: cancel in the store or PayPal, and send support your receipt, charge dates and any ID you can find.

How do you stop the charges if cancelling doesn't work?

Go in this order, and keep proof at every step:

Screenshots of the cancel confirmation, the auto-renew setting, the receipt and the statement charge, all dated.
A written complaint to support. Include your account ID, the charge dates and amounts, and the date you cancelled. Ask for a refund of every charge after that date.
A store refund request for App Store or Google Play charges. Our guide to getting a refund on an app subscription walks through Apple's and Google's forms.
PayPal and card controls. Cancel the automatic payment in PayPal. Ask your bank to block the merchant or reissue the card. That stops the next attempt, but it doesn't cancel the agreement.
A dispute with your card issuer or PayPal if charges continue after a documented cancellation. Don't wait, because banks set deadlines.
A public complaint. The BBB lists Shortmax Innovations and Crazy Maple Studio, the company named in ReelShort's terms. It won't reverse a charge, but it creates a record.

Does watching short dramas on Cinely need a subscription?

No. Cinely's Watch feed plays AI short drama series made by creators, on the web, iOS and Android with one account, and there is no watching subscription to cancel.

An episode is locked only when three things are all true: the creator turned monetization on, set an unlock price above zero, and the episode comes after the series' free-episode count. A series the creator hasn't monetized is entirely free. A monetized series can be locked from episode 1, because the free-episode count starts at zero unless the creator raises it. Locked episodes unlock one at a time for the creator's price in credits, shown on the button. Progress is saved to your account, so Continue watching works on any signed-in device. Our tour of the Cinely Watch feed shows how it's laid out.

The website shows no ads. The mobile app shows ads to free users. If ads are what pushed you toward VIP elsewhere, our look at short drama apps without ads compares what's really free.

The honest part: Cinely does sell a subscription. Cinely Premium, the plan for making films, renews automatically like any other plan, and it also turns off the app's ads. You can cancel anytime. App Store and Google Play plans are cancelled in Apple or Google settings, web plans from the subscription card on the website, where you keep Premium until the end of the paid period. Deleting the app doesn't cancel it.

Cancel where you paid, keep your screenshots, and check your statement after the next renewal date. Then, if you still want a nightly episode, read how to watch AI short dramas online for free or browse series on Cinely Watch, where every locked episode shows its price up front.