One of iPhone apps you can’t afford to have a problem with is the App Store as you won’t be able to update and download new apps you’d like to use on your device. But sadly, like any other apps, the App Store also experience downtimes and errors. And when this occurs, you have no choice but to either wait until it’s back up and running again or try to do something to troubleshoot and fix the app with some workarounds.
Tackled in this post is a relevant issue on the iPhone 7 Plus that’s unable to access the App Store for some reasons. Read on to learn what causes this problem to occur and what to do on your end to solve it.
How to troubleshoot iPhone 7 Plus that won’t connect to App Store
Before you troubleshoot software problems on your device that may have hindered you from connecting to the App Store, check and see if the App Store is down. Like other servers, Apple also succumbs into server outage. Thus, it’s possible that the App Store is down and inaccessible at the moment. To check out, visit the Apple’s system status page and then see if the App Store is active or online. You’ll know if it’s online if the button next to it shows green. If it’s gray, then the service is currently offline or unavailable.
Unfortunately in this case, there’s not much you can do on your end but sit back and wait for Apple to have the service back online again. Also make sure that your Internet connection is fast and stable. Try to navigate to different websites and see if you can access the websites without any hassle. If your phone cannot access any websites, then you will need to deal with network connectivity issue first. Otherwise, move on and try any of these subsequent solutions.
First solution: Reboot/soft reset your iPhone
If this is the first time you encounter an issue connecting to the App Store, then most likely it’s just a random software glitch on either the app or iOS. Should this be the culprit, you can try a soft reset or reboot as the first solution. A soft reset effectively gets rid of minor app errors and system glitches that may have hindered you from accessing the Apple server at the moment. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
- Then drag the power off slider to the right to shut down your iPhone completely.
- After 30 seconds, press the Power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Retry opening the App Store app once the iPhone finished rebooting then see if it’s now able to connect. If it still failed, then move on and try the next application solutions.
Second solution: Turn Wi-Fi off and then on again
Wireless connectivity errors may also be the main reason why your device couldn’t get to establish connection with the Apple server. In that case, the simplest workaround you can try would be to refresh Wi-Fi connection on your phone. Here’s how:
- Tap Settings.
- Go to Wi-Fi.
- Then tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn the feature off.
- After a few seconds, tap the switch to turn Wi-Fi on again.
Alternatively, you can turn on Airplane mode on your iPhone 7 Plus. Doing so will disable wireless features of your device automatically. You can access Airplane mode through the Control Center or access it through Settings-> Airplane mode menu. This simple trick has already done wonders to many of those who have dealt with random wireless connectivity issues on their respective iOS devices.
Third solution: Try using a different Wi-Fi network
Doing so can help if the problem is with the Wi-Fi network that’s restricted from accessing the App Store. For example, the network you’re using may be set up to block certain sites and services to preserve bandwidth. If possible, try using an alternative Wi-Fi network to determine if that will fix the problem. If you’re using a mobile network connection and aren’t able to access the App Store, then you should switch to Wi-Fi. If your device is set to only download apps over Wi-Fi, then you won’t be able to download apps over a 3G or 4G network connection. But if you really want to use mobile data, then be sure to do these:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Navigate to Mobile data then tap the switch to enable it.
- Scroll towards the Use mobile data section then tap the slider next to App Store, to turn it on.
Restart your phone and then try to access the App Store again and see if you’re now able to.
Fourth solution: Sign out and back in to your Apple ID account
Logging out and logging back in to your Apple ID account can also help, especially if the problem has something to do with invalid login credentials or account information. A valid Apple ID account and password must be provided to utilize Apple services on your iPhone. To clear this out, follow these steps to sign out from the App Store and then sign in again:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap iTunes & App Store.
- Tap on Apple ID.
- Then tap to select the Sign Out option.
Reboot your iPhone to clear the memory from errant cache and then log in to your App Store account using your Apple ID and password. Make sure you enter the correct login credentials.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone 7 Plus
You may have to consider resetting the network settings on your iPhone if the problem persists after performing all prior methods. Doing so will clear current network settings on the phone, thus can help if the network settings errors are to blame. Before you proceed, be sure to take note of your Wi-Fi network password as you will need to enter them afterwards. Then follow these steps to get started:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select Reset network settings from the given options.
- If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
- Then tap to confirm settings reset.
Your iPhone will then instigate the network settings reset and reboots automatically when done. Be sure to enable Wi-Fi and then reconnect to your wireless network to go back online. Once your iPhone is connected, try to access the App Store and see if the problem is fixed.
If none of that helps, then try to check for new iOS update on your iPhone 7 Plus. Installing the latest iOS version for your iPhone may be able to fix the problem if it’s inflicted by some software bugs. New iOS updates usually embed bug fixes for security enhancements. So it would be worth a shot to update your iPhone, if a new update is available.
Seek more help
You can escalate the problem to Apple Support or your network service provider for further assistance and suggestions if your iPhone 7 Plus still cannot connect to the App Store. If possible, try to ask them to double check their outage system to make sure that the Apple server is up and available. If you see any error messages or codes while attempting to access the App Store, be sure to let them know of that too because they can use that information as clues on what went wrong and what to do as resolution.