Troubleshooting the iOS "Cannot Connect to App Store" Error: Here Is How To Fix It?

image credit - bugsfighter.com When you try to download apps on your iPhone or iPad, do you get an error message saying "Cannot connect to App Store"? If you can't connect to the App Store, here are some things you can try.

Check The Status Of Apple's System

[caption id="attachment_188567" align="aligncenter" width="600"] image credit - coolmuster.com[/caption] Save yourself the trouble of going through the troubleshooting steps below by making sure that Apple's computers aren't the problem first. Go to the Apple System Status page to find out if anything is wrong. If you see "All services are working normally," the problem is probably on your end of the link. If you see a message that says some services are having trouble, click the "+" to see the full list of services. If it says "App Store - Available," you can go to the next step. If the App Store isn't working for Apple, give it some time and try again later.

Check Your Network Connection

You may have already done this, but if you can't connect to the App Store, it's often because you can't connect to the Internet. Make sure that your gadget can connect to the internet as a first step. You can do this by trying to open a page in Safari or by refreshing your feed in a social media app. If you think the problem is with your local (Wi-Fi) link, turn off Wi-Fi in Control Center. You can get to it by swiping down from the top right of your iPhone or iPad screen. The icon will be blue if Wi-Fi is turned on. Problems with Wi-Fi can be caused by a temporary loss of service or a hardware failure in the neighborhood network. You might want to power cycle your router and modem, taking about 10 seconds between turning each device off and then back on, to make sure the problem isn't caused by a problem on your local network. Also read - Apple Threatens to Remove FaceTime and iMessage in the UK Amid Proposed Surveillance Law Modifications

Update The Software On Your Device

[caption id="attachment_188566" align="aligncenter" width="600"] image credit - coolmuster.com[/caption] It might be worth trying to update the software on your iPhone or iPad, especially if you have an older device running out of date. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update, downloading and installing any pending changes. Even if an older device is running an older version of iOS or iPadOS, it should still be able to get to the App Store. When running older software, the most likely problem you'll run into is that it won't work with apps that need your OS to be on a newer version.

Try Resetting Your Network Settings

[caption id="attachment_188565" align="aligncenter" width="600"] image credit - coolmuster.com[/caption] If you've exhausted all other options and are still receiving the "Cannot connect to App Store" error, resetting your network preferences may solve the problem. All of your saved Wi-Fi credentials for previously added wireless networks will be deleted, and your device's settings, including DNS and proxy setups, will be reset to their original factory settings. Select "Reset Network Settings" from the list of options that appears after you tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone/iPad > Reset if you are sure you want to do this. After making your selection, please wait for the reset to finish. Most likely, the first thing you'll want to do is go to Settings > Wi-Fi and connect to the wifi network in your area. Then you can try again to connect to the App Store. Also read - Apple Enters Into The Race Of AI Chatbots With Its Apple GPT

Sign Out And Sign Back In

[caption id="attachment_188563" align="aligncenter" width="600"] image credit - coolmuster.com[/caption] Even though the problem with the App Store is probably a connection issue, you could also try signing out and then back in. You can do this by hitting the "Sign Out" button in Settings > [Your Name] > Media & Purchases. This will sign you out of the App Store but won't sign you out of your main Apple ID. Then, using the same menu, you can sign in and try again to get to the App Store. You could also try signing out of your whole Apple ID by going to Settings > [Your Name], but this will require you to sync things like Contacts and Keychain with iCloud again.

Check For The Correct Date And Time 

[caption id="attachment_188564" align="aligncenter" width="600"] image credit - coolmuster.com[/caption] If the date and time aren't set right for your time zone, you might have trouble with the App Store. Setting the date and time automatically under Settings > General > Date and Time is a simple way to fix this. Check the "Set the time and date automatically" box. On top of that, going to Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services and letting the App Store know where you are may also help.

Disable Your VPN And Enable It Again

VPNs are helpful and almost always worth the money, but they can also cause a lot of problems. This could be a temporary issue with your VPN provider or local server or that Apple is blocking "suspicious" behavior. When the VPN connection drops, some providers give a "kill switch" that stops all internet traffic. Disabling your VPN and trying again is the easiest way to rule it out as a reason. To do this, open the app for your VPN service and click "Disconnect." You can also switch sites to see if the problem is caused by how you have things set up. Open the App Store again and try to connect. When you're done trying, don't forget to turn on your VPN again.

Try Switching DNS Servers

It might be worth trying riskier ways to fix the problem if nothing else works. DNS stands for "Domain Name System." It is used to connect domain names to the IP addresses that they point to. If your DNS server isn't working right, you might have trouble connecting to sites like the App Store. Try changing your iPhone or iPad's DNS server settings to one of the third-party options we suggested in Settings > Wi-Fi > [Your Network] > Configure DNS. Options like quad9, Cloudflare, and OpenDNS may be faster, safer, and more reliable than the DNS server offered by your internet service provider, which is the one you are using by default.

Start Your iPhone or iPad Again

If you can't connect to the App Store because of a brief problem, you can fix it with a quick restart. You can restart your iPhone or iPad by saying "Restart my iPhone" or "Restart my iPad" to Siri. This will turn off and then turn on your device. You could also turn the device off properly, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.  If any of these steps helped, write them down so you'll know what to do the next time you see a mistake.