The iOS App Store is by and large the only way you can get apps on your iPhone 14. Naturally, that means if your iPhone 14 is, for some reason, unable to download apps from the App Store, it will probably be an annoying experience. Well, if you’ve been facing the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps, fret not. In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone 14 won’t download apps and show you how to fix the problem.
Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Reasons Why iPhone 14 Won’t Download Apps
While fixing an iPhone 14 that won’t download apps is fairly straightforward, the causes aren’t easily diagnosed. Causes may stem from App Store rules, simple software bugs, problems with your Apple ID or iPhone settings or Wi-Fi or Cellular Data issues.
How to Fix an iPhone 14 That Won’t Download Apps
There are several ways to fix an iPhone that fails or stalls while attempting to download apps. If apps on your iPhone 14 won’t download, try these fixes, in this order.
1. Turn Off/On Airplane Mode
Whenever my iPhone won’t download apps, the one quick solution that I go after is to toggle Airplane mode. And guess what, it helps me sort out the problem – more often than not. So, I’m going to bet on it to resolve the issue of iPhone 14 not downloading apps as well.
- Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to access the control center.
- Now, tap on the Airplane mode button to turn it on. Wait for some time and then tap on the Airplane mode button to turn it off.
Now, launch App Store to check if the problem is gone. If it has, go ahead and download your favorite apps. If it hasn’t, keep reading.
2. Turn Off/On Mobile Data/Wi-Fi
Another simple yet quite effective trick that you can try to resolve the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps is to turn off/on mobile data/Wi-Fi. If the App Store is not downloading apps due to a poor internet connection, it may be able to solve the issue.
Open Settings app on your iPhone > Wi-Fi/Cellular Data. Now, turn off the toggle for Wi-Fi/Cellular Data.
Wait a few seconds then go to Settings > Cellular Data/Wi-Fi (or access control center) and then turn it on.
3. Forget WiFi Network and Reconnect to It
If the above trick hasn’t worked in fixing the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps, forget the WiFi network and then reconnect to it.
Open Settings app and go to Wi-Fi. Now, tap on the “i” button right next to the WiFi network. After that, tap on Forget This Network and confirm the action. Once done, reconnect your iPhone to the Wi-Fi network.
4. Restart the App Store app
If your iPhone 14 won’t download apps, you may need to force quit the app. There may be an app glitch causing issues with the downloads, and the only way to get it back on track is to force close it.
Force closing kills the activity’s process and allows it to start anew with the right processes. If your iPhone 14 downloads aren’t working, force closing the app store could reset it to allow downloads.
First, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to view the App Switcher. Then slide the App Store off the top of the screen to close it.
5. Pause and Resume Your App Download
Sometimes, if your iPhone 14 won’t download apps, all you need to do to fix it is pause the download, then resume it again. You can do this from the Home Screen on your device.
While an app is downloading, it should appear on the Home screen as a darkened app icon with a progress circle in the middle. Tap it to pause the download—causing a pause symbol to appear. Wait a few seconds, then tap it again to resume the download.
Alternatively, tap and hold on the app icon to reveal a quick-action menu. You can choose to Pause Download or Resume Download from this menu as well.
Alternatively, you have the option to Prioritize Download from the quick-action menu. This is a good idea if your iPhone is downloading other content as well, since it prioritizes this app above all other downloads.
6. Restart your iPhone
If you still can’t download apps on iPhone 14 after trying the above solutions, you need to restart your device to get things working again. There may be a temporary glitch in the operating system or a software component. A restart usually resolves these issues.
Press and hold the Side button with either Volume button. When prompted, slide to power off your iPhone.
Wait 30 seconds after it powers off before pressing the Side button again to restart it.
7. Check your storage space
Apps may not be downloading on your iPhone 14 because there simply isn’t enough space to download the entire app. Usually, you will receive a notification if your storage is low when attempting a download. However, to check if you have enough available storage:
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much free space you have and take a look at which apps are using the most.
You might also want to free up some space by uninstalling unused apps or deleting old photos and videos you have backed up elsewhere. You can do all of this from the iPhone storage settings.
8. Update Your Apple ID Details
Even if you only download free apps from the App Store, you still need to have valid payment information and contact details linked to your Apple ID account. It’s possible that the payment details on your account expired, so you should check if you need to update them.
Update your Apple ID details from the iPhone Settings app:
Go to Settings and tap [Your Name] at the top of the screen.
Tap Payment & Shipping to view your payment information.
Lastly, tap Add Payment Method to add a payment method, or use Edit to edit your existing methods.
Be sure to also check the Apple ID you’re using. If you have a problem updating an app on your iPhone 14, the problem could be the Apple ID you’re using. When you download an app, it’s tied to the Apple ID you’re logged into at the time. If you change the Apple ID you’re using, apps tied to the old ID can’t update. Sign in to other Apple IDs you’ve used to update apps.
9. Check the Date and Time
Ensure that the date and time on your iPhone are set correctly for your time zone. If the date and time are incorrect, you may be able to sort out the issue by fixing them.
- Go to Settings > General > Date & Time.
- . Now, make sure the Set Automatically toggle is turned on.
It will automatically set your date and time based on your time zone. If there’s an available time zone update, iOS will inform you about that. This can usually fix the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps if it was due to a time zone issue.
10. Turn Off Content and Privacy Restrictions
The content and privacy restrictions on an iPhone let you limit settings, apps, or features to keep the device safe for children. However, those same limitations explain why you can’t download new apps on your iPhone 14.
To edit your restrictions:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- If prompted, enter your Screen Time passcode, which may be different from the standard passcode you use to unlock your iPhone.
- Turn off all Content & Privacy Restrictions at the top of the screen or change the following setting:
- Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps.
- Select Allow to enable installing apps.
11. Sign Out of the App Store, Then Sign In Again
An iPhone 14 that can’t download apps may signify that something is wrong with your Apple ID. If the connection between your iPhone and the Apple App Store is disrupted, signing out and signing back in may fix it.
When you sign out of the App Store, it cancels any app downloads in progress. After signing in again, you need to download the app from the App Store again.
To sign out of the App Store:
- Go to Settings > [Your **Name].**
- Tap Media & Purchases, then choose to Sign Out from the popup menu.
- Confirm you want to Sign Out.
- Now tap Media & Purchases again and sign in with your Apple ID account.
12. Delete the App, Then Download It Again
If the above fixes don’t resolve the issue, you may want to delete the half-downloaded app and download it again from scratch. If you never used the app before, there’s nothing to lose from doing this.
However, if you were trying to update an app rather than download it for the first time, deleting it might also delete any data you have saved in the app. You should make a backup of your iPhone before deleting apps to protect your data.
When you want to delete an app from your iPhone, tap and hold the app icon on the Home Screen. In the quick-action menu that appears, tap Remove App, then confirm you want to Delete App.
After deleting an app, restart your iPhone and download it again from the App Store.
13. Make Sure the App Works With Your iPhone
Sometimes, you can’t download or install an app because it’s not compatible with your device. This might happen when the app depends on a piece of hardware your iPhone doesn’t have or when the app developer discontinues support for older versions of iOS.
Open the App Store and search for the app you want to download. View the app details and scroll down to the Information section. Next to Compatibility, the App Store lists whether this app should work on your iPhone or not.
Tap the dropdown arrow to view more information about the app compatibility.
If an app doesn’t work with your device, you might need to update iOS on your iPhone to the latest available version. This is a good idea even if the app is compatible, since iOS updates often fix problematic software bugs.
14. Update iOS
To ward off miscellaneous bugs and also enhance performance, Apple rolls out software updates frequently. Thus, you can get rid of random iOS issues just by updating the software – in most cases. If none of the above-mentioned solutions has worked in resolving the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps, updating iOS could be the right answer.
You can update iOS by going to Settings > General > Software update. If an update is available, tap Download & Install.
15. Check Apple’s System Status for App Store
Whenever Apple’s servers face an outage, a number of features and services (i.e iCloud backup, iCloud Drive, App Store, Siri, etc.) are affected. So, if iPhone 14 is still not downloading apps, it would be apt to check the system status of the App Store.
Navigate to Apple’s system status page and then make sure the circle to the left of the App Store is green. If the circle is yellow, there are some technical issues with App Store. And in such a situation, you can’t do anything but wait for the problem to be resolved.
16. Reset Network Settings
Resetting network settings to factory default is another reliable solution that you can count on to troubleshoot the problem of iPhone 14 not downloading apps. So, if the problem seems to be persistent, there is no harm in giving it a shot.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Here, tap on Reset Network Settings. Next up, you need to enter your device passcode. You may also need to enter your Screen Time passcode to proceed. Finally, tap on Reset Network Settings to finish.
17. Reset all settings
Whenever I find myself embroiled in complex iOS issues, the one solution that I almost always look up to is resetting the iPhone to factory default. And I must say that it has successfully rescued me on many occasions.
Bear in mind that resetting the iPhone settings to factory default wipes out all the existing settings including VPN and Wi-Fi passwords. However, it keeps all of your media and data untouched. So, you must proceed with this solution keeping these things in mind.
Go to Settings > general > transfer or reset iPhone > reset reset all settings.
Fixed iPhone 14 not downloading apps issue
If your iPhone 14 does not download apps, these seventeen tips should be helpful in fixing the issue. The trick is to try one by one and test out by downloading a free app from the app store. If you tried all these steps and your iPhone 14 still won’t download apps, you need help from the experts at Apple. You can get online or phone support at the Apple website, or book an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store for further help.