Unexpected charges after using Nebula app – is there a way to verify billing?

For any in-app purchase that is managed by Apple, you will see that here:

View your purchase history for the App Store and other Apple media services - Apple Support

What is more likely is that you were directed to their website from a Social Media post or Website advertisement. That person was paid to refer you to the site. On the site they have an option for a free reading that is actually a free trial that will become a subscription. You are going to be charged whether you choose to download the app or not and that makes no difference.

For any website subscription, you need to deal with the company directly on their website or dispute the charge with the bank that was charged, as Apple is not involved at all. It is not unusual for a website to offer a subscription that they manage themselves without involving Apple and also have an app that can be downloaded. This is true for Netflix, Walmart, Amazon, YouTube and and literally hundreds of others.

You can still report the app as a scam to Apple, but it will not stop the charges that are occurring on their website. You can also write a review for the app in the App Store, but users are not searching the App Store for the Nebula app, they have come across it from the referral to the website where they have already been tricked.

I think some apps might be using external payment providers even though they probably shouldn’t. It makes it really confusing to manage subscriptions.

Thanks for posting this — I was about to try that app and now I’m rethinking it. Subscriptions should always be transparent and easy to manage.

You’re not alone. I thought I missed something during the checkout, but there was no clear info about additional charges. I flagged it in the App Store just to be safe.

I understand that external sites can lead to subscriptions outside Apple’s system, but in this case, I actually downloaded the Nebula app from the App Store directly, not from a referral link. The charge happened after I used the app and paid inside it — but I never saw any mention of a recurring subscription.

What’s confusing is that the subscription isn’t visible anywhere in my Apple ID, and inside the app itself, the “My Plan” section just loads endlessly. There’s literally no way to view or cancel anything. If the app is processing recurring payments and hiding subscription management inside the UI, is that even allowed under App Store guidelines?

Is there a proper way to report this kind of issue to Apple if the subscription is buried or unclear within the app?

anar156 wrote:

the app is processing recurring payments and hiding subscription management inside the UI, is that even allowed under App Store guidelines?

Yes, thanks to the courts forcing Apple to allow developers to offer links in the app so they can manage the subscriptions themselves. This was never the case before until Apple was sued for not allowing them that option and lost.

Follow the steps in my previous post to use the reportaproblem link and let Apple know. They can pull an app if they get enough reports of fraudulent behavior. Since most are scammed on their website through the referral link on Social Media, they may not have actually had many reports of fraudulent behavior in the app itself like you have experienced.

You sure can:

1. Sign in to reportaproblem.apple.com.
2. Tap or click "I'd like to," then choose "Report as Scam", or anything you feel is appropriate.

Yes, this happened to me too. I also got charged after that $1 offer, and I couldn’t find anything under Subscriptions in my Apple ID either. I ended up contacting my bank just in case.