Instories Reviews 7

US Consumers beware of this app/operating company..

(1) They hide their (poorly written) TOS that is NOT visible in the Apple App Store. Stating you agree to them by downloading the app. Hint no I don't consent to something I was not presented with, as you did not display these in the purchase process.

(2) Offers a 3 day free trail. BEFORE the 3 days are up it auto bills you 119 USD plus tax - before you can cancel within the trail period.

(3) Uses the download for the regular iPhone app, then offers the 3 day "pro" trail so you can actually see the features. This is what charges users unsuspectingly with 1 year auto subscriptions at high cost. Anti-consumer and the process is built to mislead (especially as the app is available for 13 year olds up).

(4) I have reported to Apple as my credit card alerted me within hours of the charge (and I reported WITHIN the 3 days free trail) if they don't sanction the developer and get my money returned, my credit card company will step in with a charge back.

We never accessed the application including during the trail so our hope is Apple step in with this developer.

I am writing this review to warn others to be very careful if using the 3 day trail on how they operate.

The company is Ylee Studio Ltd, based in Limassol Cyprus behind this application. Interestingly, their TOS consent to NY State Law jurisdiction (screenshooted/wayback machine) which is helpful for any US customers finding the same issue. NY State has General Business Law §527-A covering these types of subscriptions giving protection. For any US consumers with issues you will find that very helpful especially if you are disputing via Apple.

I have also asked Apple to review the charging before free trails are up (time stamped receipts) as this is NOT in compliance with Apple's subscription guidelines to my knowledge.

In addition, under my state in the US where I reside I have additional protections for purchases such as this thankfully effective 1 January 2026 which this app charging during the free trial process contravenes.

I signed up mainly for the video generation feature and paid for a subscription expecting a reasonable amount of use. After I ran out of video edits/generations, I paid even more money because I was led to believe I would get greater or possibly unrestricted access. That was not the case.

What I find especially misleading is that the limits were not made clear upfront. I also assumed that my allowance would refresh at the start of the new month, but that did not happen either. If there are strict usage caps, they should be clearly explained before people pay.

To make matters worse, a lot of the videos I did manage to generate were not usable because they were inaccurate or did not follow the prompt properly. So not only did I hit limits quickly, but much of what I paid for was not fit for the purpose I subscribed for.

At this point, I feel I have paid a significant amount of money without being able to properly use the feature I signed up for. I have cancelled my subscription, although frustratingly it will not take effect until next year.

Ideally, I would like a refund because I paid specifically to use the video generation tools and have not received the level of service or access that was implied.

I also think the advertising and subscription information should be much clearer, as the current setup feels misleading and encourages users to spend more without properly understanding the limitations.

Very disappointing experience. I would not recommend this unless the company becomes much more transparent about what is actually included.If you want,

Fraud! Terrible app. Not only does it suck at editing , but they will rape your bank account without permission and are not available to fix it after they steal your money. Apple should ban them. This is the worst experience with any app I’ve ever had. They stole 200$ from my account and I had to shut down my bank account completely to keep them from continuing to charge my account. Fraud!

Signed up last week for a free trial and the option to select annual or monthly was mandatory to check one although the Use Free Trial button was highlighted they Instantly tried twice to charge me $119.99 two times and my bank flagged it as fraud and blocked the charge.

Finding out how to cancel with them was very time consuming. Eventually, I had to go online and see how others were able to cancel. I was able to finally find their support page and of course they told me they don’t cancel remotely and sent me around the mulberry bush to cancel. I just let my bank handle them! Dishonest and scammers.

WARNING. Clicked IG ad. Ylee Studio LTD built InStories as a rip off app. NO REFUND POLICY. Auto charged $120 for a full year. Developer refused to adjust to monthly. Only templates. Bad app experience. Look for other social posting tools. Horrible user and customer service experience. On Apple store