What to Do if You Can’t Download Apps on iPhone

apps not working on ios 18.1.1

Whether you’re into gaming or productivity, the iPhone App Store is your go-to place for apps like Facebook, Pokémon Masters, Uber, TikTok, Netflix, Snapchat, and more. However, it can be a pain when you try to download or update an app, only for it to get stuck in the process. Problems like poor internet, low storage, App Store bugs, incorrect settings, or restrictions on your iPhone could be to blame. You could always try restarting your device, but when that doesn’t work, there are other solutions you can try.

What Do I Do if I Can’t Download Apps on iPhone

1. Download Apps Using Wi-Fi

To download any app smoothly from the App Store, you need a good high-speed internet connection. If you’re using cellular data, switch to Wi-Fi, as your iPhone might not download apps over cellular.

If the app takes too long to download, check your network. Refresh your internet connection by toggling airplane mode on and off, or connect your iPhone to a stronger Wi-Fi signal. If you’re having connection issues, check out our article on dealing with Wi-Fi problems in iOS 18/18.2.1 for helpful solutions.

2. Check Storage Space in Your iPhone

Your storage space might be getting full, making it impossible for the App Store to download new apps. This is often the main reason your iPhone stops downloading apps. Check your iPhone’s storage usage to see which apps are taking up the most space. Once you know, you can decide whether to delete some apps or try a different approach to fix the issue.

Time needed: 1 minute

  1. Go to Settings > General.
    go-to-settings-General

  2. Tap iPhone Storage.
    iphone storage

  3. At the top, you’ll see a bar showing the used and available storage.
    Checking iPhone Storage Space

  4. If storage is nearly full, free up space by following the provided recommendations and deleting photos, videos, documents, or unused apps.

3. Check Screen Time App Limits

With Screen Time, you can set App Limits that restrict your usage of certain apps to a specific amount of time. Check if you’ve accidentally set an App Limit that’s stopping you from downloading apps by following these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time.
    go-to-screen-time
  2. Tap App Limits. If an App Limit is set for the App Store, swipe left on it.
    Unkown App Limits Might be Why Some Apps are not Working on your iPhone
  3. Tap Delete. Confirm by tapping Delete Limit.

4. Sign Out and Sign Back Into the App Store

When the connection between your iPhone and the App Store gets disrupted, you can often fix it by signing out and then signing back in.

  1. Open the App Store and tap your profile icon on the top right corner of the screen. Tap Sign Out.
    App-Store-Profile-ID Sign out of App Store
  2. Once it’s done, tap Sign in With Your Apple Account > Continue.
    Sign In from the App Store

5. Update iOS

If you’re using an older version of iOS, you might find it impossible to download new apps designed for the latest iOS version.

I suggest you keep your iPhone updated to the latest iOS version. Apple includes important security updates and bug fixes in these updates, which can make a big difference.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap General.
    navigate-to-settings-general
  2. Tap Software Update > Update Now if an update is available.
    go-to-software-update-and-tap-update-now

6. Check Apple System Status

Visit the Apple System Status page to ensure the App Store is functioning properly. If you see a green light next to the App Store, move on to the other troubleshooting steps. If not, click the link next to it to explore the solutions provided by Apple.

7. Enable Automatically Date & Time

Incorrect date and time settings might prevent you from downloading apps.

  1. Go to Settings > General.navigate-to-settings-general
  2. Tap on Date & Time. Turn on the Set Automatically toggle.
    date time Set automatically data and time

This way, your date and time will automatically adjust to your location whenever you change time zones. You won’t have to worry about manually changing them.

8. Disable Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode curtails a lot of background activity, including background downloading of apps. Here’s how to disable it:

  1. Open the Settings app, then tap Battery.
    go-to-Settings-Battery
  2. Disable the toggle for Low Power Mode.
    low-power-mode-iphone

Now that you’ve reached all the way down here, it means the solutions described above didn’t work for you. Resetting your iPhone is the last option, but it does come with a cost. You’ll leave your device completely wiped, so make sure you backup your data. Then, follow our guide on how to factory reset your device.

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