All you wanted is to download a new app on your iPad Pro so you can gauge how cool it really is. But for some reason, you couldn’t because your iPad Pro won’t download new apps from the App Store. Something is wrong and that’s what you need to figure out and correct. Read on to learn what to do if you cannot download new apps from the App Store on your iPad Pro tablet.
Fixing iPad Pro that won’t download apps from App Store
Not all pre-installed apps on your iOS device meet your needs. And so, Apple makes and integrates the App Store on every iPhone and iPad. Through the App Store, you can download and install third-party apps that you want to use on your device. In order to make the App Store downloads successful, your device must have a stable Internet connection, sufficient memory or storage, and ample of battery life. And the key requisite to purchase and download App Store contents is a valid Apple ID and password. You will need to key in your Apple ID password that’s associated with iTunes and App Store in order to confirm downloads. Once you have reviewed and met all the App Store requisites, you can proceed and troubleshoot software problems that hindered the App Store downloads. Don’t forget to retry downloading the app via App Store after performing each method to determine whether or not the problem is gone.
First solution: Quit the App Store then restart
If you haven’t encountered any problems downloading apps from the App Store before until now, then it could be just a random glitch transpiring on the App Store app. To clear out in-app glitches, quit or force close the App Store and then restart your iPad. Here’s how:
- Go to the Home screen, to get started.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen.
- Swipe right or left to locate the App Store card/preview.
- Then, swipe up on the app’s preview to close it.
- If you see any other background apps, follow the same steps to close or end all of them.
Background apps that crashed might also caused conflicts with the App Store routine. This is one of the reasons why it’s recommended to clear background apps from time to time. After closing all running apps, restart or soft reset your iPad to clear cache and corrupted temporary data. Just follow these steps to continue with a soft reset:
- Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button until the Power Off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears.
Wait until your iPad is finished rebooting and then reconnects to the Internet. When you’re connected, launch the App Store again and try downloading the app.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPad Pro that has no sound or audio output
Second solution: Clear App Store cache
Unlike other iOS apps, there’s a way for the App Store app cache to be cleared. The trick is to tap on any of the bottom tabs from the App Store main screen. In-app glitches that are attributed to corrupted temporary data that are stored among other App Store caches are effectively eliminated in the process. If you wish to try it, then here’s how it’s done:
- Open the App Store app from your iPad Home screen.
- Then scroll down to the bottom of the App Store screen and tap ten times (consecutively) on any of the tab icons. Just select any from Featured, Top Charts, Explore, Search, and Updates tab to tap on.
After the tenth tap on the tab, the App Store purges its cache and then reloads everything fresh. By then you can re-launch the App Store and retry downloading the app to see if it goes through this time.
Third solution: Toggle Wi-Fi off and on to fix app download issue
As mentioned earlier, wireless connectivity issues that adversely affect online services including App Store downloads must also be eliminated. If the problem is inflicted by minor Wi-Fi errors, then restarting the feature will likely solve it. So here’s what you can try doing next:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select Wi-Fi.
- Then toggle the switch to turn Wi-Fi off.
- After a few seconds, toggle the switch again to turn Wi-Fi back on.
Allow your iPad to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and once it’s back online, test launch the App Store to see if the problem is gone. Try to download other apps to find out if the problem is isolated to a certain app. If the App Store can download other apps except for one, then the problem is most likely with that app. It’s probably not compatible or not supported by the current iOS version your iPad Pro is running on.
Fourth solution: Perform the Airplane Mode tweak
Aside from the Wi-Fi toggle, carrying out the Airplane mode trick is also another potential solution to random problems and errors affecting wireless functions. The trick works by simultaneously restarting wireless radios and relevant features of your device. A lot of people have found wonders from doing this trick whenever they’re bothered by unexpected wireless errors on their respective iOS devices. If you wish to give it a try, then here’s how it’s done:
- Go to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
- Toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode on. Wireless radios and relevant functions are simultaneously disabled.
- While Airplane mode is enabled, reboot/soft reset your iPad Pro.
- When the boot-up sequence is complete, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
- Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode off again.
Allow your device to re-establish wireless signal and once the signal has stabilized, enable Wi-Fi to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and use online apps and services again.
ALSO READ: How To Fix Gmail App Keeps Crashing, Wont Load Properly On Apple iPad Pro
Fifth solution: Forget Wi-Fi network then set up new Wi-Fi connection
Corrupted network in use is also among the underlying causes. If you’re using or connected to a corrupted Wi-Fi network, there is a higher chance for internet errors to occur at some point. And when this happens, relevant services including App Store downloads will be interrupted. To fix the problem, you will need to delete the corrupted network and then set it up as new. Here’s how you do it:
- Navigate to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu from the Home screen.
- Make sure that the Wi-Fi switch is turned on.
- Scroll down and select your Wi-Fi network.
- Tap the information (i) icon next to the name of your Wi-Fi network (SSID).
- Then select the option to Forget this Network.
- If prompted, enter your passcode to proceed.
- And then tap the option to confirm that you want to forget the Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi network will then be removed from your device.
If you see any other unused Wi-Fi networks in the list, then you better forget them all so that none of them would cause conflict to the selected Wi-Fi network.
After forgetting all saved Wi-Fi networks, reboot your iPad to dump cache and to refresh its memory. As soon as the boot-up sequence is finished, go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu then toggle the Wi-Fi switch off and on. When the Wi-Fi networks populate, select your Wi-Fi network then tap the option to Join or Connect. Don’t forget to enter the correct network password when asked to connect to a secure Wi-Fi network.
Sixth solution: Disable restrictions for App Store downloads
Restrictions is an iOS feature that was first introduced with iOS 11. As the name implies, this feature is used to set limit or prevent certain apps and services from working on your device. To make sure that App Store downloads aren’t restricted, check and manage restrictions on your iPad Pro with these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Select iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Select Allow for Installing Apps under Purchases & Downloads.
Alternatively, you can lift all restrictions for your apps with these steps:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select Screen Time.
- Tap the switch to disable Content & Privacy Restrictions.
While Restrictions are disabled, try downloading the app through the App Store and see it’s successful. If it still failed, then you need to try other options to rule out other possible culprits.
Seventh solution: Update to the latest iOS version available
Software bugs and system data corruption can also spoil the App Store download system and thereby results in an error. To eliminate these bugs, installing the latest iOS version can help. Updates usually embed fix patches to get rid of existing bugs. If your Internet connection is fine and your iPad has ample of storage space, follow these steps to check for and update iOS to the latest version available, wirelessly:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Then tap the option to Download and Install if an update is available for your iPad Pro.
Follow the rest of the onscreen commands to complete the update installation process. Once the update is finished, reboot your iPad to refresh its memory and to apply the recent system changes.
Eight solution: Reset network settings on your iPad Pro
Network-related errors that caused App Store problems can also be corrected by performing a network settings reset. In this reset, recent network configurations and settings including saved Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks deleted along with any associated errors and network glitches. You don’t need to back up files before the reset because no saved information will be deleted in the process. Just proceed to these steps whenever you’re all set to reset network settings on your iPad Pro:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
- Choose the option to Reset network settings.
- Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
- Then tap the option to confirm that you want to reset network settings on your iPad Pro.
Your iPad restarts on its own when the reset is finished and then loads up the default network values and configurations. To get back online and use online services like the App Store, you need to enable Wi-Fi, set up your Wi-Fi network as new and then reconnect.
Last resort: Erase your iPad and restore factory defaults
The last option you’ve got if the problem continues after exhausting all prior methods is a factory reset. The problem might be due to a complex system errors that could not be rectified by basic solutions. Before you proceed though, be sure to back up all critical files otherwise, they’ll be deleted permanently. You can back up files from your iPad Pro storage to iCloud or iTunes based on your preference. If you choose to back up to iCloud, then you can proceed to a factory reset through settings afterwards. Just follow these steps whenever you’re ready to reset your device:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
- Choose the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
- Tap the option to confirm that you want to erase and restore factory defaults on your iPad Pro.
You can also use iTunes to manually erase and restore factory default settings on your iPad Pro. Just make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes app installed on your Windows or Mac computer. Then follow these steps whenever you’re ready:
- On your computer, launch or open iTunes. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes app on the computer to avoid system conflicts.
- Then connect your iPad to the computer using the original USB cable while pressing and holding down the Home button.
- Release the Home button when the Connect to iTunes screen appears.
- At this point, iTunes will prompt you with a message saying that it has detected your iPad in recovery mode and that you can restore your device. If you see this message, just click the Restore iPad button to instigate recovery mode restore through iTunes.
Follow the rest of the iTunes commands to finish restoring your iPad and once the process is complete you can disconnect your iPad then exit recovery mode by performing a forced restart.
Still cannot download apps to your iPad Pro
Check the Apple server status and make sure that the App Store server is available. If the status indicator beside App Store appears green, then it means that the App Store is available and therefore apps downloads via App Store app should be working as intended. If the status indicator is showing in different colors like orange, yellow or gray, then that denotes a problem and therefore, App Store services are currently unavailable. In this case, all you have to do is wait until the service is back up and available again. You can also report the issue to Apple Support so that they can double-check on their end and give you further recommendations.
Connect with us
We are committed to helping our readers fix the problems with their phones as well as learn how to properly use their devices. So, if you have other issues, you may visit our troubleshooting page so you can check by yourself the articles we’ve already published that contain solutions to common problems. Also, we do create videos to demonstrate how things are done on your phone. Visit our Youtube Channel and please subscribe to it. Thanks.