What is “Cannot Connect to App Store” error
Some users may encounter an App Store error saying Cannot Connect to App Store or Unable to connect to the App Store. As a result, this problem prevents iPhone/iPad owners from using the market, and downloading, re-installing, and updating apps. The reason why this error occurs is most often related to some connection or server issue. For example, users may not have the proper Internet connection, or App Store servers could be temporarily down as well. In some cases, it may also be a software issue when iPhone/iPad needs to be updated for the error to get resolved. Our guide below features multiple solutions that you can try to remove the error and get App Store back to working again. We advise you to follow each method in the sequence below until one of them eventually turns down the error.
Download repair tool
Resolving errors can sometimes be out of our control and possibilities. This is where third-party tools are more than welcome to contribute and carry all the difficulties away. If you are stuck on the “Cannot Connect to App Store” screen, you can try using Tenorshare ReiBoot – a great recovery tool designed for resolving problems like that. It is likely that it will be able to eliminate the problem faster and easier. Here is how you can use it to resolve the “Cannot Connect to App Store” screen on iPhone:
- Download and install ReiBoot for either Mac or Windows.
- Once done, open the app and plug your device into the computer.
- After this, the program should recognize your device and offer to Exit Recovery Mode.
- Choose it and wait until your device reboots. This should exit the screen and get your iPhone back to the home screen.
If this does not work and your iPhone gets back to the same screen where “Cannot Connect to App Store” is displayed, then you can try another feature in ReiBoot called Standard Repair. This will help fix the problem without risking any data loss.
- Open the app ReiBoot and plug your device into the computer.
- Click on Start and then choose Standard Repair and click Standard Repair.
- Then, download the firmware found by the app for your smartphone by clicking Download.
- Once the process is finished, click Start Standard Repair to start resolving the problems.
- Wait until the app finishes its repair. It will take about 15 minutes to end.
1. Try these simple solutions
Before trying further solutions in our guide, we first recommend you try these couple of simple solutions. Some of them may resolve the error and save you from trying more advanced solutions.
Check if your Internet works: try to access other online services or websites to verify that your Internet actually works.
Restart your router: if you are trying to access App Store from your own home, restarting the router may help you resolve a temporary bug in connection. You can do so by pressing and holding the power button for a couple of seconds (usually on the back of a router). Once turned off, press the same power button to switch it back on and check whether it fixed the problem.
Try another Wi-Fi network or use Cellular Data: you can try to switch your Internet connection to another Wi-Fi network and see if App Store starts working. Alternatively, you can also turn on your Cellular Data (Mobile Data) and try to open App Store again.
Make sure VPN/Proxy is Disabled: if you are using a VPN or Proxy connection, try to turn it off as well. Having such features enabled may sometimes lead to connection problems with some services.
Restart your iPhone/iPad: some iOS problems are solved by simply restarting the device. Thus, try to turn off your device and turn it on again. This simple method can sometimes resolve the issue.
Check the status of App Store servers: sometimes the error may appear purely due to a problem on Apple servers. In this case, there is nothing to worry about, and you just need to wait until Apple resolves the problem itself. You can check the status of App Store servers using this official webpage.
2. Log into App Store from scratch
If none of the above solutions helped, you can try to log out of App Store and sign in it again. This is another quite simple solution as long as you remember your Apple ID in order to log in again. Here is how you can do it:
- Go to Settings on iPhone/iPad and navigate to iTunes & App store.
- Tap on Apple ID and then Sign Out.
- Finally, sign in with your Apple ID again and access App Store to see if the “Cannot Connect to App Store” message appears.
3. Make sure you have the right Date & Time settings
Various Apple services (like App Store) may encounter certain issues unless you have the right time and date set on your device. You can double-check if everything is alright using the steps below:
- Go to Settings on iPhone/iPad and navigate to General.
- Open Date & Time and enable the toggle next to Set Automatically if it was not enabled already.
If this did not help, move on to further solutions below.
4. Update your iPhone
If there are any pending updates on your iPhone, we recommend you install them. Keeping your smartphone up-to-date is important for ensuring a flawless experience. Some of them may contain fixes for certain problems, like the one related to App Store. To check if there are any updates that can be installed, follow these steps below:
- Open Settings and navigate to General as we did already.
- From there, find and open Software Update.
- If any new updates are pending, you will be able to click on Download and Install.
5. Reset Network Settings
One more solution alternative is to roll network settings back to their defaults. This will simply log you out of your Wi-Fi connection and make you do it again. Sometimes this method may reconfigure your connection in the right way and resolve some errors. Also, a good idea would be to double-check if you remember your password – to not have any problems reconnecting back.
- Go to Settings and navigate to General.
- Then, go to Transfer or Reset iPhone and click on Reset.
- Choose Reset Network Settings and confirm by clicking again.
You can now connect to your Wi-Fi network again and check whether this removes the “Cannot Connect to App Store” message.
6. Reset iPhone/iPad to factory settings
Resetting your device to its factory settings is the last resort option if none of the above helped you resolve the issue. Note that this action will erase all currently stored data and settings on your device. In other words, you will reinstall your iPhone/iPad from scratch. As a rule, this is a very effective way to solve various problems unless simpler steps help. Before resetting, make sure to create a fresh backup of data (for example, using iCloud Backup) so that you could use it to restore your data after the reset. Once you are all set, move on to performing a reset with the instructions below.
- Go to Settings and navigate to General.
- Then, go to Transfer or Reset iPhone and click on Erase All Content and Settings. Confirm the action by clicking again and enter your Apple ID password if prompted.
- Wait until the reset process ends and your iPhone boots with the Hello screen
- While setting it up from scratch, you will be offered to Restore from iCloud Backup and other backup options.
- If you choose to use iCloud Backup, log in with Apple ID on the next screen and select the backup that contains most of your data.
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After resetting, try to open App Store again. If this is the method you tried, we hope it finally resolved the error.
Summary
“Cannot Connect to App Store” and “Unable to connect to the App Store” messages are usually displayed in App Store whenever a connection problem is present. By following the above-written solutions, you will most certainly fix this error and get access to installing and updating your favorite applications again. If you ever face any other errors or problems while using your iOS device, feel free to search for related articles on our website. So far we have covered 30+ various iOS-related topics with effective and working guidelines.
