There’s an app for almost everything now, and they enrich our iPad experience immensely. From gaming to movies, e-commerce to health, these apps help us navigate the internet and help us do a lot more daily. But what happens if you run into an issue of apps not downloading on iPad? As a quick Google search for ‘apps not downloading ipad’ will show you, it’s a common issue. Luckily for you, we’ve listed a bunch of fixes below that should get your iPad running normally again. Keep reading!
Apps Not Downloading iPad
If you’re having trouble downloading apps to your iPad, one of the first things to try is to reboot it. Restart the iPad by holding down on the sleep button until the red slider appears and then slide to shut off the tablet. If apps are not downloading despite this, you may have to clear out your storage a bit to create space. This problem can also be caused by your internet connection being slow.
iPad Not Downloading Apps: Common Causes
If your iPad recently started to give you issues with downloading apps, it would help to recall if you made any changes to your iPad settings, the App Store, or your Apple ID that may have caused this. But there’s no need to fret because we’ve covered various possible problem points in the steps below.
Poor internet connection
First off, test your internet connection to ensure it’s working properly. Restart your router and also toggle the WiFi button on your iPad by heading to Settings > WiFi. Once your iPad is connected to the WiFi again, watch a few videos at the highest resolution on YouTube. Try downloading large files from your email or visit SpeedTest.net to see if your connection is working properly. Once you confirm this, head on over to the App Store and try downloading an app again.
Low storage space on iPad
The biggest culprit for apps not downloading on iPad is storage space, or rather, the lack of it. People tend to underestimate just how much data is downloaded onto iPads when used daily. Photos and videos take up a tremendous amount of space since cameras have evolved a lot over the years and need a lot more memory to save those crisp, colorful photos and videos. It’s a similar situation with apps as they take up multiple gigabytes of space to store data on your device.
You can review the storage taken up on your iPad by navigating to Settings > General > iPad Storage. Here you can delete large files, offload unused apps, and more. It also gives you a breakdown, in descending order, of all the space taken up by apps.
Outdated iOS software
Your iPad software needs to be up to date with the latest version of iPadOS for a few critical reasons — one, it’s good for the safety of your data and information while you browse online, and two, it keeps your operating system snappy, and responsive. Thirdly, it ensures that apps work properly. That last part could be why you’re unable to download apps anymore, as operating system conflicts may cause apps to fail the installation process.
Head to Settings > General > Software Update to check if you have any new patches waiting for you. If there are updates for your device, they will show up there, so go ahead and download them. Once you install updates, restart your tablet and try installing apps from the App Store.
Check out this article we wrote if you’ve been having issues with your iPad running slower than normal.
Apple server issues
If you’ve tried the steps above, you also need to consider that this could just be temporary server downtime on Apple’s side. You can confirm this by reaching out to Apple’s customer support team via the official website. While not common, it could be a situation that the company is addressing.
Parental controls
While Parental Controls are helpful to keep your kids from downloading games and random apps that fill up your iPad, they might also be why you can’t download any apps. If you’ve accidentally turned on Parental Controls on your iPad, these settings will prevent you from accessing the App Store.
To review these settings, visit Screen Time in your Settings app. Here, look for Content and Privacy Restrictions. If the toggle switch is turned on, look for iTunes & App Store Purchases below. Tap it and on the next page, review the settings. Turn all settings here to ‘Allow’ in case you wish to keep Parental Controls on. If not, go back one step and tap the toggle switch next to Content and Privacy Restrictions.
iPad Not Downloading Apps: How to Fix
We’ve listed solutions for the common causes that we wrote about above, but here are some additional steps you should try out if you’re still unable to download apps on your iPad.
Add a payment method to App Store
Apple insists on you having a valid payment method linked to your Apple ID, so this is something you need to confirm before you try downloading apps again. And this rule applies as a default, even if you are trying to download a free app.
To check your payment methods, open up your Settings app. Navigate to your Apple ID > Payment and Shipping. Here, you can see various options such as Credit Card, Apple Card, Apple Pay, PayPal, Apple Cash, and your Apple ID balance. If your credit card is expired or your Apple Card has an issue, there are various ways you can link a valid payment method here.
Make sure you’re signed in
If your iPad won’t let you install apps, it could be because you’re signed out of your Apple ID. Since all app installs are linked to your account, not being signed in on your device could be the reason you’re facing issues. To check this, open the App Store on your iPad and tap on your profile — the icon is in the top right corner.
If the icon is a blue stock image instead of your profile picture, you need to log in. Once you log in, try installing the apps again.
Log out and in again
Like in the previous example, installation issues can be caused by communication glitches between your account and your device. This is especially true if you have multiple devices and use your Apple ID to access them all. We recommend that you log out of your App Store and log back in.
To do this, open your App Store and tap the profile icon in the upper right corner. Then scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Sign Out. Note that you will not be asked to confirm, so keep your Apple ID and password ready. Once you sign out, the credentials field will appear on the same page. You can then enter your Apple ID and password and log back in.
Issues with Touch ID
The App Store has a setting where it uses Touch ID to approve app installations. Activating this means that every time you try to download an app, you also have to touch the fingerprint sensor on your iPad to confirm the installation, as a security procedure, to stop strangers from installing strange apps on your iPad.
If you want to turn off this setting, open your Settings app and navigate to Touch ID & Passcode, where you will need your passcode to proceed. Here you will see various security features, including a toggle switch next to iTunes & App Store. Simply tap the toggle switch, and the Touch ID requirement for App Store installations will be switched off.
Manually update apps
Your iPad should update all your installed apps automatically, but there is a way you can do this automatically as well. Go to your App Store and tap your profile icon. Scroll until you see the Pending Updates section. You can either tap on Update All or tap Update next to each app.
Turn off WiFi assist and WiFi networking
WiFi Assist is a great feature that switches your iPad to cellular data when your WiFi network is too weak and has poor network speeds. However, this feature may be interfering with your app downloads, so it’s worth a shot to switch it off and attempt app installations. To do this, go to Cellular Data in your settings and tap the toggle button next to it.
Switching off your WiFi and turning it back on could also address this issue, so we recommend you give it a go. To toggle WiFi, simply go to Settings > WiFi, and tap the toggle button to turn off your iPad’s internet connectivity. Wait a few seconds and turn it back on.
Read our article if you’re having trouble with your iPad connecting to WiFi.
Forget your network
It could just be your WiFi network that is causing all these issues, so we recommend you reconfigure your network on your iPad by removing it completely and then setting it up again. It’s pretty easy to do — all you need to do is go to Settings > WiFi, look for your WiFi and look for an ‘i’ with a circle around it. Tap it, and on the page that opens, tap Forget This Network.
Now go back one step, and you should see your WiFi network once more under Networks. Select it and enter your WiFi password. Now attempt to install apps on your iPad again.
Set date and time automatically
It’s a strange bug but not unheard of — issues with the Date and Time on your iPad can make App Store downloads act up. You simply need to turn off the automatic time synchronization between your iPad and Apple’s servers to remedy this. You can do this by going to General > Date & Time inside your settings menu and tapping the toggle button next to Set Automatically.
Restart iPad
If you haven’t attempted a reboot of your iPad, now would be a good time to try this. If you own an iPad without a Home button, press and hold the Power button along with either Volume key. Wait until the power off message flashes on your screen.
If you own an iPad with a Home button, press the Power and Home button together until the slider to switch off your iPad is visible on your display.
Once your iPad switches off, wait a few seconds and then press and hold the power button to turn it on again.
Reset settings
When you reset the settings on your iPad, you don’t lose any data, as this is not a factory wipe. But you do lose all the saved settings and customizations on your tablet, like WiFi details, Apple Pay information, network settings, your keyboard and dictionary cache, etc. To reset settings, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad. Here, tap on Reset and then tap Reset All Settings. You will need to enter your passcode to confirm the action, and once you do, the reset process will happen.
Read more about resetting iPads here.
Reach out to Apple Support
If none of the above steps worked, it is time to get in touch with Apple’s customer care department. You can connect with them via this page. If the online troubleshooting doesn’t fix your iPad, you can get an appointment at a nearby Apple Store or an Apple-authorized repair store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are apps not downloading on my iPad?
There may be a storage space issue if apps are not downloading on your iPad. It could also be because you’re signed out of the App Store or because there are network issues with your WiFi. It also helps if you keep your iPad up-to-date with system updates.
Why are my apps not downloading?
There are various reasons why your apps are not downloading — there could be an issue with your WiFi, you could be logged out of the App Store, there may be less storage space, the payment method on your Apple ID may be outdated, or maybe, your iPad just needs a simple reboot.
Why is my App Store not downloading apps?
If your App Store is not downloading apps, you may be signed out of the App Store. You can check this by going to your profile in the top right corner and confirming if you’re logged in. You should also check if you have adequate storage space on your iPad and that the WiFi is active and working properly. Also, make sure you approve the app installs with Touch ID or Face ID if required.
Conclusion
Apps not downloading on iPad can be a major annoyance, and we hope our article helped you resolve your issue today! It’s best to clean out unused apps once in a while, make sure your iPad battery is in good health, and keep your iPad loaded with the latest updates to prevent apps not downloading on iPad in the future. If our hacks help you install apps on your iPad again, we’d like to hear it in the comments!
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