'Why won't my iPhone download apps?': How to troubleshoot your iPhone in 4 ways if apps won't download

Written by Dave Johnson

2019-10-28T16:35:00Z

iphone mail app notifications — There are four different ways to troubleshoot your iPhone if apps won't download. NurPhoto/Getty Images

Occasionally, apps from the App Store won't download on your iPhone.
You should ensure your phone is using a local Wi-Fi connection rather than cellular data, pause and restart the download, and double check that you have a valid credit card associated with your Apple ID.
If all else fails, restart the iPhone and try the troubleshooting steps a second time.
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While it goes without saying that apps should install automatically from the App Store, occasionally things don't work out the way they should, and apps won't download.

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iPhone 11 (from $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to troubleshoot your iPhone if apps won't download

iphone apps — There are several ways to troubleshoot the situation. Chinnapong/Shutterstock

There is no single reason why your iPhone isn't downloading apps, so you should try these troubleshooting steps. If you try each one, you're likely to solve the problem.

Make sure you're connected to Wi-Fi

Why won't my iPhone download apps — Make sure you are downloading apps with Wi-Fi, not cellular data. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

If you're trying to download an app using your cellular connection, that might be the problem.

By default, the iPhone won't attempt to download an app that's more than 200 MB in size so that it doesn't use too much data from your wireless plan. Cellular networks can also be generally unreliable for downloading large files.

To eliminate this potential problem, go somewhere with Wi-Fi, connect to the network, and try again. For instructions on connecting to Wi-Fi, see our article, "How to connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi in 2 different ways, to either a visible or hidden network."

Pause and restart the download

Occasionally, a download will get corrupted or "confused," and stall indefinitely. There are a few ways to get the download to resume, but the first and easiest way to try to fix it on an iPhone running iOS 13 is to pause the download and then restart it.

1. To do this, find the partially installed app and then tap and hold it firmly.

2. If you see "Pause Download," tap that, then repeat the process and resume the download.

3. If it's already paused, tap "Resume Download."

4. If that doesn't fix the problem, you can tap "Cancel Download" and then try to install it again from the App Store.

On an iPhone running iOS 12 or earlier, you can pause and restart a downloading app from its App Store page.

Check your payment method

It doesn't matter if you're trying to install a free or paid app – Apple requires you to have a payment method associated with your Apple ID.

1. To check the status of your payment method, start the Settings app and tap on your Apple ID at the top of the screen.

2. Then, tap "Payment & Shipping" and make sure your payment method is valid and up to date.

Restart your iPhone

iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro — You might have to restart your iPhone to fix the problem. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Often, restarting your phone can resolve unexpected issues, and this is no exception. See our article "How to restart and force-restart any iPhone model," and after it restarts, check to see if it downloads properly. If not, try to pause and restart the download a second time.

Apple iPhone 11

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Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.