WASHINGTON, July 10 — A federal rule requiring that cancelling a subscription be at least as simple as signing up took effect this week, the Federal Trade Commission confirmed, setting a national standard that reaches directly into the cancellation screens of fitness and health applications.
The measure, formally the commission’s rule on recurring subscriptions and other negative-option programs and known in shorthand as the “click-to-cancel” rule, obligates any business that enrolls customers in an automatically renewing plan to provide a cancellation path through the same medium the customer used to sign up. A consumer who subscribed with a few taps inside an app cannot be forced to call a phone line, sit through a retention specialist, or navigate a maze of confirmation screens to get out.
“The premise is simple: it should not be harder to cancel than it was to sign up,” an FTC official said in a statement to Consumer Tech Wire. “Companies that bury the exit behind friction and repeated up-sell prompts are on notice that the commission views those designs as unfair practices.”
What the rule requires
Under the rule, a covered business must obtain a consumer’s express informed consent before charging, disclose material terms clearly before enrollment, and offer a cancellation mechanism that is at least as easy to use as the sign-up mechanism. For app-based services, that generally means an in-app cancellation control reachable in roughly the same number of steps as the original purchase.
The FTC has said businesses may present a retention offer or ask why a customer is leaving, but only if the customer can decline and complete the cancellation immediately. Cancellation cannot be conditioned on hearing out the offer.
Where health and fitness apps are exposed
The health and fitness category has leaned heavily on subscription mechanics over the past two years, and several of its most common cancellation patterns sit squarely in the rule’s path. Apps that route web subscribers to a phone-only cancellation line, or that stack multiple “Are you sure?” screens and discount offers before surfacing a confirm button, are the clearest candidates for review.
The category’s pricing pressure has intensified the stakes. MyFitnessPal drew a wave of one-star reviews in May after moving photo logging, recipe import and per-meal macro breakdowns behind its premium tier, a shift that pushed some subscribers toward cancellation. Consumer advocates have argued for years that friction-heavy exit flows are designed to convert that intent into another billing cycle.
“For years the cancellation flow was where these apps quietly won back the customer they had already lost,” said a consumer-protection advocate who has petitioned the commission on subscription practices. “This rule takes that lever away, and the health-app space is where a lot of people have been trapped.”
Enforcement and next steps
The commission can seek civil penalties and consumer refunds for violations. FTC guidance directs consumers who cannot find a straightforward cancellation option to document the steps and file a report at the agency’s complaint portal.
Consumers weighing a switch after a price increase can review Consumer Tech Wire’s guide to choosing a calorie counter, which now factors cancellation friction into its scoring.
Helena Rosenberg-Vance reported from Washington.