Most subscription and billing issues come down to a few common patterns: duplicate charges, paywalls after payment, unexpected price changes, or charges after cancellation. Find the situation that matches yours below and follow the steps.
📌 Before you start: most subscription problems are caused by being signed into a different account than the one holding your subscription, or by confusion about where you originally subscribed (Apple, Google, or Stripe). To check your billing platform:
Mobile app: open the Beside mobile app, go to Settings, then Manage Your Plan
Web app: go to app.beside.com/settings/billing, or click Plan & Billing in the left sidebar
Two charges or two active subscriptions
If you see two charges on the same day or two active Beside subscriptions, one of these situations is likely what happened.
⚠️ Important:
Apple/Google does not allow Beside to cancel, change, or refund App Store / Google Play subscriptions. If you can't find Beside in your store subscriptions, check that you're using the same Apple ID / Google account you used when you first subscribed.
Beside cannot issue refunds for Apple or Google Play subscriptions. Those must be requested directly from Apple or Google.
You switched from App Store to web billing
If you used the Switch to Web Billing option and completed the web checkout but did not cancel your original Apple or Google subscription, you are now being billed by both.
Cancel your App Store or Google Play subscription (we cannot do this for you).
Request a refund for the duplicate charge from Apple or Google.
You resubscribed after a billing issue
If your previous subscription was cancelled because of a failed payment and you resubscribed, especially to a different cycle (monthly instead of yearly or vice versa), Apple or Google may have automatically reactivated the old plan at the same time. The result is two charges on the same day.
Identify which subscription you want to keep.
Cancel the other via your Apple or Google account.
Request a refund from Apple or Google for the duplicate charge.
You have a legacy plan and a new plan at the same time
If you were on an older plan and later subscribed to a newer one (for example, an Apple 👤 Starter purchase from a previous year and a current 👥 Business subscription), the store may treat them as separate subscriptions and keep both active.
Decide which plan you want to keep.
Cancel the other from the store where it lives (Apple, Google, or app.beside.com/settings/billing for Stripe).
If you have already been charged for the duplicate, request a refund from that store.
You paid but still see a paywall
If your subscription went through but the app still blocks you, try these steps in order.
In the Beside mobile app, go to Settings, then Manage Your Plan, then tap Restore Purchase. This re-syncs your subscription and fixes most of these cases, especially after switching devices or reinstalling the app.
Confirm you are signed in with the same log in method you used when you subscribed. If you are using a different one, the subscription will not be recognized.
Check if you have a second Beside account. If you logged back in with different credentials (for example Apple ID versus phone number), you may have accidentally created a second account without your subscription.
If none of the above works, contact us with a screenshot of your Apple, Google, or Stripe receipt and we will investigate.
You were charged after canceling
If you see a charge after you thought you cancelled, one of these is likely what happened.
You were charged for the current cycle
Canceling stops the next renewal. You keep access until the end of the cycle you already paid for, so a charge dated before your cancellation is the cycle you were already in.
You deleted your Beside account but did not cancel the subscription
Deleting your Beside account does not cancel your subscription. Apple, Google, and Stripe subscriptions are separate from your Beside account and must be cancelled on their own.
Your cancellation did not go through
Open your Apple or Google subscription settings (or go to app.beside.com/settings/billing for Stripe subscriptions) and verify that the subscription is marked as cancelled or set to not renew. If it is still active, cancel it now.
Your payment failed (card expired, declined, or insufficient funds)
If your card on file expired or a renewal payment was declined, this is what happens to your subscription and your phone number.
What happens when payment fails
Apple, Google, and Stripe retry the charge automatically for several days after the first failure. During that retry window, your subscription stays active and nothing changes for you.
If those retries also fail, your subscription is marked past-due. Beside then gives you a short grace period of a few days to update your payment method before any account action is taken. During the grace period, your phone number is still yours and the app continues to work.
If the grace period passes without successful payment, your subscription is treated as cancelled: your phone number is released from your account and the app becomes restricted (you can still receive calls and texts, but not make or send them).
💡 Update your payment method early. The simplest way to avoid losing your number is to update your card before the retry window ends. You'll typically get an email from Apple, Google, or Stripe when the first charge fails. That's the moment to act, not later.
How to update your payment method
Apple subscriptions: open your iPhone Settings, tap your Apple ID, then Payment & Shipping, and update your card.
Google Play subscriptions: open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Payments and subscriptions, then Payment methods.
Stripe (web) subscriptions: go to app.beside.com/settings/billing (or click Plan & Billing in the left sidebar) and update your card from there.
Can I recover my number if the payment was already cancelled?
It depends on how much time has passed since your number was released:
Within the grace period (a few days after Apple, Google, or Stripe stop retrying): update your payment method to restore the subscription. Your number stays with you. Nothing is lost.
Past the grace period but within ~15 days of the number being released: the number is held for about 15 days before it can be reassigned to another user. If you reactivate your subscription during that window, contact our support team right away. In some cases we can restore the number to your account, but this is not guaranteed.
More than 15 days after the number was released: the number has likely been reassigned to another user and cannot be recovered. You can subscribe again, but you'll be assigned a new Beside number.
Your subscription disappeared after switching phones or reinstalling
This is usually a sync issue between your Apple or Google account and Beside.
Make sure you are signed into Beside with the same credentials (Apple ID, Google account, phone number, or email) you used when you subscribed.
In the Beside mobile app, go to Settings, then Manage Your Plan, then tap Restore Purchase.
If Restore Purchase does not work after a few tries, contact us with your email and a screenshot of your Apple or Google receipt.
FAQ
Can I switch from Apple billing to Google Play billing, or vice versa?
Can I switch from Apple billing to Google Play billing, or vice versa?
Subscriptions cannot be transferred directly between Apple and Google. To switch, cancel your current subscription on the original store, wait for it to expire, then subscribe again on the other store.
Beside blocks you from subscribing on a second store while you already have an active subscription on the first, to prevent duplicate charges.
Will I get my current price back if I cancel and resubscribe later?
Will I get my current price back if I cancel and resubscribe later?
No. Resubscribing is treated as a new subscription at whatever rate is current at that moment, not the price you're paying today. The only way to keep your current price is to stay continuously subscribed without canceling.