Before You Try Any Fixes: Understanding the ShortMax App

Knowing who runs ShortMax, a streaming app for vertical short dramas, makes account issues simpler to solve. Over on the App Store the seller shows up as SHORTTV LIMITED, a company with reel shorts its registration in Hong Kong, and Google Play records the same legal entity under the developer name SHORTMAX LIMITED. The app’s launch came in September 2023, when it went up on Google Play on September 3 and on the App Store on September 11 of that year. The store listing advertises more than 50,000 dramas in 19 languages, which is a figure from the company itself rather than a count from an outside source. You are hardly alone with a billing issue, given that the Android version alone lists over 100 million installs. ShortMax’s terms of service fall under Hong Kong law. People spell the name as “shortmax”, “short max” or “shortmax app”, and all three searches end at the same product discussed here.

Unable to Log In to ShortMax?

Most of the time, shortmax login trouble begins when you log in through another method than the one you used the first time. Under ShortMax’s terms, you can log in with Facebook, Google or Apple, or with a phone number or email address already linked to your ShortMax account. If you later press a different button, you may wind up in a separate and empty account, which is why a purchase can appear to disappear. Picking one sign-in method and sticking with it on every device is the safest routine. Don’t rely on a guest mode to keep your coins or pass safe, because whether the app offers one is not confirmed. Work through the steps below to rule out that simple mix-up before concluding your coins are gone.

1. Begin with the sign-in button you chose when you first paid.
2. Go through the other methods one at a time and look for your purchases.
3. Use the address or number bound to the account for an email or phone login.
4. Update the app and reboot your phone.
5. If nothing works, contact support with your UID and receipt, as described below.

How the ShortMax Subscription Works

In the US App Store, the headline shortmax subscription goes by Weekly Pass Pro. In September 2026 the pass is listed at about $19.99 a week, a lower tier sits at about $9.99 a week, and one-time purchases range from about $3.49 to $24.99. It was not possible to confirm monthly or yearly plans, because the US store lists only weekly passes. Since pricing differs by country, platform and promotion, those figures work best as a rough reference. Under the terms, a subscription is renewed automatically 24 hours before it expires, at the same price as before. Users get tripped up by that timing, because cancelling on the final day may already be too late. Episodes outside the pass are opened with coins; App Store reviewers report that some require up to 60 coins, with little cost information shown beforehand. Rather than assuming every episode costs the same, check the price on the unlock screen each time.

Billed After the Trial?

In this category, one common complaint is an unexpected charge after what felt like a free period. Its “free trial” and “24 hours free” wording confused people, as ShortMax’s own replies on Google Play admit. As both Apple and Google explain in their help pages, uninstalling the app does not stop billing. Until it is cancelled, a weekly pass activated from an offer keeps renewing, in practice. Begin by finding out who actually charged you, since that determines where you cancel and where you ask for money back. A clean timeline makes every later step faster, so gather the evidence first.

1. Search your inbox for an Apple or Google Play receipt.
2. If you find one, cancel and request refunds through that store.
3. If there is none, screenshot the merchant name on your card statement.
4. Use the steps below to cancel the renewal right away.
5. After that, use the matching route to request a refund.

Cancelling ShortMax on iPhone

If you subscribed via the App Store, Apple handles the billing, so the cancel control is found in your iPhone settings. While ShortMax’s terms also mention an “About Subscription” option inside the app, Apple’s settings remain the most reliable place to switch off an App Store renewal. Deleting the app from your home screen cancels nothing, and Apple says so plainly. Your pass renews 24 hours before it expires, so aim to cancel at least a day before the renewal date. The process takes less than a minute. To have proof of the date, capture the confirmation screen.

1. Go to Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Select Subscriptions.
3. Find ShortMax in the list and select it.
4. Hit Cancel and confirm.
5. If ShortMax is not there, you may have paid under another Apple ID or on Android.

Stopping ShortMax on Android

A pass bought through Google Play on Android is managed from the Play Store, not from ShortMax itself. The Google help page is clear that removing an app does not cancel its subscription. Google Play is where store-billed renewals are reliably switched off, although the in-app “About Subscription” option mentioned in ShortMax’s terms is another route. The subscription may not appear in the list unless you are using the same Google account that paid, so confirm that first. Keep a screenshot alongside your receipt, taken once it shows as cancelled. A payment made anywhere other than Google Play will not show there, and support becomes your route.

1. Launch the Google Play Store.
2. Tap your account menu and choose Subscriptions.
3. Select ShortMax.
4. Tap Cancel, then complete the prompts.

Refunds: The ShortMax Terms on Refunds

The ShortMax terms take a hard line on money back. The company writes that refunds are “not entertained unless the paid product/service is unusable for the reason of ShortMax”. Taken at face value, that leaves little room for a refund just because you forgot to cancel. However, Apple and Google have their own refund processes covering store purchases, which run separately from the app’s terms. Apple’s Report a Problem page is the place to request a refund for an iPhone purchase, and Apple usually answers within 24 to 48 hours. For Android purchases, Google says that within 48 hours of purchase you might be able to get a refund directly from Google Play. Once that window has passed, Google sends you to the developer, so you will need to email ShortMax customer service. Refunds are not guaranteed, so summarize what happened briefly and attach your receipt.

Contacting ShortMax Customer Service

Email is the main channel for ShortMax customer service. Use the service email listed in ShortMax’s terms of service, which are published on the official ShortMax website. Addresses shared on question-and-answer sites deserve caution: at least one circulating address uses a misspelled domain and could not be verified. Your UID, the account ID that lets staff find you, is what the developer asks users to include in replies to Google Play reviews. For cancellation problems, the same replies recommend the subject line “Cancel Subscription – Urgent”. You can follow the Apple or Google refund route at the same time if the charge came through a store and replies are slow. Add the items below, because a complete first message saves time.

1. Your UID along with the sign-in method you use.
2. The date, amount and store of the charge, with a receipt screenshot.
3. Whether you have already cancelled, with a screenshot of that screen.
4. One clear request: cancel, refund, restore your coins or fix a login.

Where to Handle Each ShortMax Task

Trying to fix a problem in the wrong place accounts for much of the frustration. Your account, your coins and your viewing are handled by the app, while the money for store purchases is handled by the stores. Support by email covers whatever the app and the stores cannot settle on their own. Before you start tapping through menus, treat the table below as a quick map. The table reflects the terms and store help pages as of September 2026, and menus can change with updates. Cancel first, ask questions second if you are unsure.