When the Apple Store goes offline it’s usually an indication that Apple is about to launch a new product. There is no surprise that Apple has taken the store offline today, Friday, September 18, 2023: The company is getting ready to start pre-orders for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new iPhones will then go on sale on September 22.
Here’s How to pre-order iPhone 15, Plus, Pro and Pro Max.
Why is the Apple Store down?
Having trouble browsing the Apple Store online? There are a few reasons why the Apple Store might be offline. It could be because Apple is preparing to launch new products at an event, or it could be because Apple is about to start taking pre-orders for a new product.
If you are reading this story and it’s the day of an Apple Event then yes, the store is down. Apple has taken it offline while it prepares for new product launches. The store always tends to go offline just before an event–to find out if an event is expected today read: When is Apple’s next event?
Even if there isn’t an event planned, there’s also the possibility that the Apple Store could be closed while Apple updates it with new products that will launch later. Wondering whether there are new products expected? Take a look at our New Apple Products round-up. Sometimes Apple just issues a press release relating to new products that it won’t be announcing at an event.
Alternatively, Apple might be kicking off pre-orders for upcoming products, as is the case today September 15, 2023.
However, don’t jump to the conclusion that if the store is down it means new Apple products are coming, that isn’t always the case. The store might be down due to connectivity issues and for scheduled maintenance. On April 24, 2023, we saw the store go down twice only to go back online without an update. Check the state of Apple’s servers here.
Why the Apple Store is down today?
Today (September 15, 2023) the Apple Store is down because the company is preparing to start pre-orders for the new iPhones.
What time does the App Store usually go down
You may be wondering what time does the Apple Store go down and when does Apple make the announcement?
When the site goes down before pre-orders start it usually happens a few hours before the pre-orders are set to start. With pre-orders on September 15 set for 8 a.m. ET, 5 a.m. PT and 1 p.m. in the U.K, the site was offline from a few hours before.
Events tend to start at 10 a.m. at Apple’s HQ in California, which is 1 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. U.K. time. The Apple Store tends to goes down at around 5 a.m. ET, 4 a.m. PT, 12 p.m. UK time on those days.
If there is no event and the Apple Store is down it could be because Apple is about to issue new product news in a press release. The news usually arrives at around 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. in the UK.
If it is an event day expect the store to be offline until shortly after the event ends.
Other reasons why the Apple Store could be down
However, there are other reasons why the Apple Store can be down, so if you are here on a day when there is no event or pre-orders planned, check the other reasons why the Apple Store could be down below.
Apple could be updating the online store
Before we explain how to check the status of Apple’s online store, we should first explain the possible reasons why the store might be down.
The most exciting reason is that Apple could be updating the store with new products.
Apple tends to shut down the Apple Store while it updates the range of products available, whether it be removing old products and adjusting pricing or featuring the latest iPhone or iPad. The tell-tale difference between server issues and Apple updating the Store is the splash page that you land on.
If the Apple Store is down due to product changes, a message along the lines of ‘We’ll be right back’ (It used to say: ‘We’ll be back soon’) should be displayed. If this is the case, you don’t need to do anything else: there are no server issues, you just need to sit tight and wait for Apple to update the Store.
The Apple Store is down
However, if when you try to access the Apple Store you get a 404-error message (or if the site isn’t performing as you’d expect) then there may be an issue with Apple’s servers. To determine whether this is the issue, you can skip the next section and read about how to check the system status below.
You are using an outdated version of Safari or macOS
If you’re struggling to access the Apple Store, while other people are having no problems, it might be due to your outdated software. If this is the case the message ‘unsupported browser version’ will display when trying to visit the page on older versions.
The store also appears to be unavailable when any of the older macOS versions, including macOS Yosemite or Sierra, on other browsers. The likes of Chrome and Firefox will not work unless you update to a recent build.
This is thought to be an attempt by Apple to protect its customers from any potential threats.
How to check Apple’s System Status
The first step in establishing whether the Apple Store is down (apart from going on the site itself!) is to visit Apple’s System Status website. This site displays the current status of every Apple service, from iOS device activations to iCloud and, of course, the Apple Online Store.
It not only informs users of any potential problems with the online services, but also gives users a heads up on any scheduled maintenance that could cause issues. It also indicates whether there were recent disruptions that have now been resolved.
If you see a message next to the Apple Online Store status, click it. It should bring up more details about the issue including the duration of the outage and the issues that users would have/are experiencing.
Read next: How to get an education discount at Apple
Check crowdsourced status websites
Apple’s System Status site isn’t the only place to find up-to-date information on the status of the Apple Store. Down Detector is a hugely popular third-party status website that relies on crowdsourced information from users to provide up-to-date statuses on a range of online services from PayPal to Steam and the Apple Store too.
The site allows users to report issues and allows you to see past issues that have affected the performance of the service. It also features a handy heat map of live outages, so you can see whether the issue is local to your city/region/country.
Another good resource is the aptly named Is It Down Right Now?. The site offers similar data to Down Detector, but also features a grid displaying access speeds over the past few days.
It works in a different way to Down Detector though, as you have to search for the service via URL and at the time of writing, it checks the status of the entire Apple website, not specifically the Apple Store.
Read next: How to use the Apple Education Store
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.