I keep running into apps that make it hard to cancel, turn off subscriptions, or reject tracking, and I’m trying to compare the worst dark pattern examples people have seen. I need help finding specific apps and deceptive UX tactics so I can avoid them and make better choices. Keywords: dark patterns in apps, deceptive app design, hard-to-cancel subscriptions, privacy opt-out tricks.
Worst ones I’ve seen:
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Amazon Prime
Hard to cancel. You click through multiple screens. They use guilt text and bright buttons to keep you in. The FTC sued Amazon over this in 2023 over the Prime cancellation flow, called “Iliad.” That tells you a lot. -
Adobe
Subscription trap. People complain about the early termination fee and confusing plan wording. “Annual plan, paid monthly” catches a lot of users. You think monthly, then get hit with a fee. Sneaky as hell. -
LinkedIn Premium
The trial flow is smooth. Cancel flow is buried. You have to dig through account settings and billing. Easy to start, annoying to stop. Classic dark pattern. -
Facebook and Instagram
Tracking and privacy settings are spread across too many menus. Opting out takes work. Accepting stuff is one tap. Rejecting takes a hunt. Same issue with Google in some areas too. -
The New York Times
Seen people get stuck in the cancel flow. Sign up online, then some users had to call or chat to cancel certain plans. That kind of friction is a red flag.
If you want examples to compare, look for these patterns:
- More steps to cancel than sign up.
- Pre-checked boxes.
- Shame language like “No thanks, I hate saving money.”
- Gray reject button, bright accept button.
- Trial terms hidden in small text.
If you’re building a list, I’d start with Amazon, Adobe, Uber One, SiriusXM, and gym apps. Those come up a lot in complaints. Some are worse on mobile too, so test both app and website.
If you want a couple that belong on the wall of shame besides the ones @voyageurdubois listed, I’d add:
- SiriusXM: absurd cancel friction for years. Phone or chat hoops, retention scripts, “special offers” every step.
- Uber One: not always impossible, but the timing tricks around renewal and app-vs-web billing are gross.
- Roku and some streaming add-ons through third-party billing: people forget who they even subscribed through, which is kind of the dark pattern in itself.
- Temu/Shein style apps: less about cancellation, more about manipulative urgency, countdowns, fake scarcity, spin wheels, and nagging notifications.
- Ticketmaster: drip pricing is the real villain. Not a cancel trap, but absolutely a dark pattern.
Tiny disagreement with @voyageurdubois on LinkedIn Premium being top-tier evil. Annoying, yes. But to me the truly evil ones are the apps that create account confusion on purpose, or make you contact support just to leave. That’s a diff level.
If you’re building a comparison list, I’d sort them by:
- Can cancel in-app or not
- Number of screens
- Surprise fees
- Visual trickery
- Whether they “save” your choice on tracking or ask again later
Honestly, the privacy banner stuff on news apps is sometimes worse than subscription flows. “Reject all” hidden behind 3 clicks is such a scam lol.
My personal “worst offenders” list is slightly different from @voyageurdubois and the SiriusXM/Uber One picks.
Top tier nasty for me:
- Amazon Prime channels: not always obvious whether you subscribed through Prime, the standalone app, or Apple/Google billing. That billing maze is the trap.
- Adobe: less flashy than shopping apps, but the early termination fee setup has caught a ridiculous number of people.
- The New York Times and some newspaper apps: not impossible to cancel, but they love burying plan differences, promo expiry, and account settings in weird places.
- Experian/Credit monitoring apps: classic “protect yourself now” fear-based upsell, then awkward downgrade paths.
- Dating apps like Tinder or Bumble: dark patterns are often less about canceling and more about pressure loops, streak psychology, and paywalled visibility.
I actually think fake scarcity is bad, but “must contact support to cancel” is still the king of evil. That’s where intent feels obvious.
If you’re comparing apps, I’d add a few scoring buckets beyond what was already mentioned:
- Billing-source confusion
- Guilt language on exit screens
- Forced retention offers before final cancel
- Whether deletion also cancels, or sneakily doesn’t
Pros for a comparison list like this:
- Makes patterns easier to spot
- Useful for naming repeat offenders
- Helps separate annoying UX from truly deceptive UX
Cons:
- A lot depends on region and whether Apple/Google handles billing
- Some apps change flows constantly
- “Worst app” can be different from “worst pattern”
Honestly, my vote for most evil overall is Adobe for money and account design, and major news apps for privacy consent banners.