Apple store not letting me download apps

The App Store comes with more than 2 million apps and games. There’s something for everyone and, considering smartphones are an almost irreplaceable part of our lives, many of us rely on apps on a daily basis. But what happens when the App Store won’t let you download apps. Well, naturally you’ll want to deal with that problem as soon as possible.

And in this article, we’ll try to help you with that so you can download new apps from the Store again without any issues.

Table of contents:

1. Check your download settings
2. Check your internet connection
3. Change your Region settings
4. Check your Apple ID Payment settings
5. Check your storage space
6. Disable restrictions for installing apps
7. Check date and time
8. Sign out and in to your Apple ID

Can’t download apps from the App Store? Here’s what to do

Some of the most common reasons the App Store won’t let you download apps are:

• Unreliable internet connection
• Wrong region settings
• Insufficient storage space
• Content restrictions on certain apps

Keep reading for more detailed explanations.

1. Check your download settings

By default, App Store will only download and update apps that are larger than 200MB in size when you’re connected to Wi-Fi to prevent excessive mobile data consumption. I recommend you leave these settings unchanged because apps are getting larger in download size every day. A single app download could devastate your data plan. However, there are times when you need to quickly download an app, even if you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.

To change the App Store settings and allow it to download apps over mobile data, do the following:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to App Store.
   
3. Under Mobile Downloads, tap App Downloads.
4. Choose Always Allow.

Now every app will update and download over cellular data regardless of its download size. As I said, I recommend keeping these settings only temporarily, because a sneaky update can unnecessarily eat a lot of data.

2. Check your internet connection

Since we’re already dealing with networks, you might as well check if you’re properly connected to one. Obviously, if you’re not properly connected to a Wi-Fi network and you don’t have enough data, you won’t be able to download apps from the App Store.

If you notice any problems with your internet connection, check out this article for additional solutions.

3. Change your Region settings

Some apps are unavailable in certain regions. Most of the time, an app that’s unavailable in your region won’t even appear in the App Store. But if it’s already in your list of purchased apps, the app might be visible, but you won’t be able to download it. This mostly applies to regions outside the US, as the US version of the App Store features most of the apps available on the market.

If you notice that an app is unavailable in your region, you have two options. You either don’t download the app and wait for its developer to make it available in your country. Or you change your region settings to unlock that app (and all other apps that are originally unavailable in your region). However, keep in mind that setting up a region that’s different from your real-life location brings its own set of limitations.

For example, you won’t be able to add a payment method. Which means you can’t make any app purchases. On top of that, you’ll have to cancel all your current subscriptions that go through Apple Pay. And since you can’t set up a new payment method, you won’t be able to subscribe to these services again. So, unless the app you’re trying to download is essential for you, and you think it’s worth all the sacrifices, I’d advise you to stick to your real-life region.

4. Check your Apple ID Payment settings

If you don’t have a valid payment option, you won’t be able to purchase apps and content from the App Store. Here’s how to add a new payment method to your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap [your name] > Payment & Shipping.
   
3. Tap Add Payment method and type in all the necessary credentials.

5. Check your storage space

You can’t install new apps if you don’t have enough storage space. Now, I assume your iPhone has already let you know about insufficient storage space with various notifications and offers to upgrade your iCloud plan. Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea to free up some storage by offloading unused apps. There’s no need to delete apps completely because offloading removes the majority of the app from storage while keeping your personal data. So when you decide to bring the app back, you don’t have to set up everything from scratch.

Here’s how to offload unused apps from your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to General > iPhone Storage.
3. Tap the app you want to offload.
   
4. Go to Offload App and confirm.

6. Disable restrictions for installing apps

There’s a chance you’re not allowed to download new apps from the App Store because you don’t have the necessary permissions. Here’s how to make sure your iPhone is allowed to download new apps:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
4. Tap Installing Apps and choose Allow.

7. Check date and time

Date and time are often ignored as troubleshooting methods when dealing with various problems in iOS. But setting up the correct date and time is one of the most important things you need to do when setting up your iPhone. Having an incorrect date and time will severely limit the whole experience of using your iPhone. For example, you won’t be able to download new apps if the date and time on your device are incorrect.

So, quickly go and make sure these settings are in order. Here’s how to set date and time in iOS:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to General > Date & Time.
3. Choose Set Automatically.

8. Sign out and in to your Apple ID

If none of the previous solutions resolved the problem with downloading apps from the App Store, we’ll try singing out of your Apple ID and signing back in. Here’s how to do that:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap your name, and go to Sign out.
3. Type your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off.
4. A window asking you which data you want to copy from your iCloud account to your phone. keep in mind that this might delete some data from your phone, so you’ll want to carefully read the instructions on this page.
   
5. Once you’ve decided what you want to keep, tap Sign Out.
6. Now that you’re signed out, head back to Settings, and go Sign in to your iPhone.
7. Enter your credentials, tap Next, enter your passcode, and you’re back in.

That’s about it. I hope at least one of these solutions helped you resolve the problem with downloading apps from the App Store. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments down below.