How to Fix: App Store Not Working on iPhone iPad in iOS 12/11/10

The iOS 12 finally comes with many exciting new features and improvements. Updating to iOS 12/11/10 is just great, but there will always be someone who meets problems while/after updating. In the comment column, we find someone complaining apps couldn’t be downloaded.

“I also cannot download any new apps as the App Store will just let it sit there with the download thing and it doesn’t download at all and I also can’t update any apps.”

– from Jaeden

Actually, “App Store not working” is too general which might include App Store not loading (cannot connect to App Store, App Store blank), App Store won’t download/update apps, App Store search not working, etc.

To fix App Store problems, this post offers 4 basic tips as below:

1. Check Network Connection

Make sure you have connected your iPhone or iPad to the Internet via Wi-Fi or Cellular. If you haven’t, you may get a blank App Store or be informed “cannot connect to App Store” on the screen after you run the application. Sometimes, an unstable Internet connection will result in a slow speed to download and update apps, and cannot use Search on App Store.

1. Reconnect to the Internet

You can try to reconnect your device to Cellular by going to Settings > Cellular. If you are using Wi-Fi, you can go to Settings > Wi-Fi. If Wi-Fi shows normal but you cannot use Safari and App Store, you can check whether your wireless router is connected to the Internet.

2. Change DNS Settings

If an instant messaging service, such as WhatsApp, works well but webpages cannot be opened on App Store or Safari, you may need to change DNS settings on your iPhone: Settings > Wi-Fi > Tap “i” button to the right of the router name > Scroll down to set DNS to be “8.8.8.8”.

3. You’d Better Not Use VPN

VPN is always slow in speed and not that stable. So if you are going to download or update apps on App Store, you are not advised to use a VPN.

4. Reset Network Settings

Of course, you can try to reset Wi-Fi, Cellular, and VPN network settings to default by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Notice that your password info will be cleaned in this method, which means you should type the password to log in to Wi-Fi.

2. Restart Your iOS Device

To fix your App Store problem, you can try to power off your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and refresh all processes on your device by pressing the “Power” button and then sliding to power off. If your App Store freezes, a force restore on your device would help you out. To force restore an iOS device, you should press and hold on both “Power” and “Home” for 15 seconds, after that, turn on your iPhone again.

3. Free Up Storage on Device

“Not Enough Storage” always prevents you from downloading new apps and results in some “Waiting Apps” on your iOS device. If you cannot update or download apps on iPhone iPad App Store, you can try to check whether your device has enough space for the apps or games that you are going to download.

To check Storage Usage in iOS 12/11, you can go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. And if there is almost no space, you may need to free up your iOS 12/11.

4. Clear Cache on App Store

When your App Store is running slower than before and always shows you some outdated apps after updating to iOS 12/11/10, you can try to clear caches to removing all outdated info and speed up your App Store. To clear caches on App Store, you can tap any tab of Featured, Top Charts, Explore, Search, and Updates 10 times on the bottom menu after you run App Store on your iPhone iPad.

The Bottom Line

After going through all of the above tips, you may still not fix your App Store problem. In this situation, you can report this to Apple and patiently wait for a bug fix in the next iOS update, or you can post them on the comment section for a response from our readers. And you are also welcome to share your idea about fixing App Store not working problem.