iPad App Store Not Working? Here’s The Fix!

You just heard about a cool new app and you’re ready to try it out, but when you open the App Store to download it, the screen is either blank or stuck loading. Your Apple iPad can’t connect to App Store. You’re sure it’s not a hardware issue, because all of your other apps are working perfectly–so it has to be something else. In this article, I’ll explain why the iPad App Store is not working or blank, and how to fix the problem so the App Store starts loading again on your iPad.

The Fix: What To Do When The App Store Is Not Working On Your iPad

I’ll be using an iPad for this walkthrough, but the process for fixing the App Store on iPhone and iPod is exactly the same. If you have an iPhone or iPod, feel free to substitute your device whenever you see iPad in this article.

Close And Reopen The App Store App

Sometimes small glitches with the App Store can prevent it from connecting to the internet, and when that happens, it won’t load at all. The first thing to try when iPad App Store is not working is to close the App Store app and open it again.

To close the App Store, double-click the Home Button on your iPad to open the app switcher. If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, swipe up from the very bottom to the center of the screen. Hold your finger in the center of the screen until the app switcher opens.

You can swipe back and forth to see all the apps that are open on your iPad. When you find App Store, use your finger to swipe it off the top of the screen. It’s not a bad idea to close all of the apps, just in case a different one has crashed.

About Closing Apps On iPad

I recommend closing out all your apps once every day or two, because despite what you may have heard, it is good for your iPad battery life.

See also: iPad Battery Die So Fast? Here’s Why and How to Fix it

Clear The App Store Cache

Not many people know how to do it, but clearing the App Store cache can fix all sorts of problems with the App Store on your iPad. To clear the App Store cache, tap 10 times on any tab icon on the bottom of the App Store screen.

For instance, you can tap 10 times on the Today tab to clear the cache. The App Store won’t reload, so close and reopen the App Store app afterwards.

Check Apple’s System Status Page

If App Store is not loading on iPad, it’s possible there’s an issue with Apple’s servers. Check out Apple’s System Status page and make sure the dots are green, especially the first one next to App Store.

If this dot or many others aren’t green, Apple is experiencing some issues and there’s nothing wrong with your iPad. Apple usually resolves these issues pretty quickly, so your best bet is to be patient and check back later.

Check Your Date & Time Settings

If your iPad Date & Time Settings aren’t set up correctly, it can cause all sorts of problems on your iPad — including this one! Open Settings and tap General. Then, tap Date & Time and make sure the switch next to set to Set Automatically.

Check Your Internet Connection

When the App Store won’t load, the next thing we need to check is your iPad’s connection to the internet. Even if other apps or websites work on your device, give this a try. The App Store uses different technology than other apps and websites — we’ll talk about that later.

If you’re already on Wi-Fi, we’re going to turn it off and open the App Store again to see if it works. When you turn off Wi-Fi, your iPad will switch over to its wireless data connection, which can be called LTE, 3G, 4G, or 5G, depending on your wireless carrier and signal strength.

If your iPad is not connected to Wi-Fi, we’re going to connect to a different Wi-Fi network and open the App Store again.

How To Test Your iPad’s Connection To The Internet

It’s easy to test your iPad’s connection to the internet. First, open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.

You will see a switch next to Wi-Fi on the top of the screen. If the switch is green (or on), then your iPad is connecting to Wi-Fi networks wherever possible. If the switch is gray (or off), your iPad is never connecting to Wi-Fi and only connecting to the internet using cellular data through your cell phone plan.

Wi-Fi Tips

• Your iPad will only connect to Wi-Fi networks if you’ve connected to them in the past — it will never "just connect" to a new Wi-Fi network on it’s own.

Tap the switch next to Wi-Fi to turn it off. Tap the switch again to turn Wi-Fi back on, then tap on the name of the network you want to connect your iPad to.

How Do I Know If My iPad Is Already Connected To Wi-Fi?

If you see a blue checkmark next to the name of a Wi-Fi network, your iPad is connected to that network.

Turn Your iPad Off And Back On

Sometimes simple issues can be fixed by turning your iPad off and back on. To do this, press and hold the top button (known as the Sleep / wake button) until "slide to power off" appears on the screen. If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, press and hold the top button and either volume button until "slide to power off" appears.

Swipe the circle with the power icon across the screen to turn off your iPad. Your iPad can take up to 30 seconds to turn off completely.

To turn your iPad back on, press and hold the top button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Open the App Store again to see if it’s working.

Update Your iPad

Updating your iPad could potentially fix a software issue preventing the App Store from working properly. Open Settings and tap General > Software Update. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if an update is available.

After updating your iPad, open the App Store and see if the problem is fixed. Move onto the next step if the App Store is still blank or not working.

Sign Out Of The App Store And Back In

Sometimes, problems loading the App Store can be solved by signing out and back in with your Apple Account. You may be wondering how you can sign out of the App Store without being able to get into the App Store, but it’s easy — just follow these simple steps:

First, open Settings and tap on your name at the top of the screen. Scroll down and tap Sign Out.

Now that you’re signed out, it’s time to sign back in. Tap the Sign In button and enter your Apple Account and password.

Make Sure Port 80 and 443 Are Open

I won’t get too technical here, but suffice to say that your iPad uses multiple ports to connect to the internet. According to the official Apple list of ports they use, port 80 and 443 are the two ports they use for connecting to the App Store and iTunes. If one of these ports is blocked, the App Store may not load.

How Do I Check Whether A Port Is Open?

If you’re reading this article on the same iPad you’re having the problem with, port 80 is working fine, because your iPad connects to payetteforward.com on using port 80. To check port 443, go to Google. If it loads, port 443 is working fine. If one or the other doesn’t load, move on to the section called Reset Network Settings below.

Forget Your Wi-Fi Network

Forgetting your Wi-Fi network will allow your iPad to establish a completely new connection with the network. When you connect your iPad to a Wi-Fi for the first time, it saves information about how to connect to that network. Forgetting the network gives it and your iPad a completely fresh start, which could fix a connectivity issue.

Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi. Tap on the blue "i" information icon to the right of your Wi-Fi network, then tap Forget This Network. Tap Forget to confirm your decision.

Go back to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap on your network under Other Networks. Reenter your Wi-Fi password to reconnect to the network.

Reset Network Settings

If the App Store still isn’t working on your iPad, it’s time to Reset Network Settings. Reset Network Settings "forgets" all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to, so don’t forget to reconnect to your home Wi-Fi network in Settings > Wi-Fi after your iPad reboots. This reset also restores all Cellular, APN, and VPN settings to factory defaults. Reset Network Settings isn’t a magic bullet, but it can fix a lot of internet connectivity problems on iPads.

To Reset Network Settings on your iPad, open Settings and tap General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Enter your iPad passcode, then tap Reset Network Settings again to confirm the reset.

Back Up Your iPad

Before moving onto the next troubleshooting step, we recommend saving a backup of your iPad. A backup is a copy of all the data on your iPad, including your contacts, photos, and apps. There are three different ways to back up your iPad, and we’ll walk you through each method below.

Backing Up Your iPad To iCloud

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap [your name].
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap iCloud Backup.
5. Make sure the switch next to Back Up This iPad is green, which indicates that it’s on.
6. Tap Back Up Now.

Note: Your iPad needs to be connected to Wi-Fi to back up to iCloud.

Backing Up Your iPad To iTunes

If you own a PC or a Mac running macOS 10.14 or older, you’ll use iTunes when backing up your iPad to your computer.

1. Connect your iPad to your computer using a charging cable.
2. Open iTunes on your PC or Mac.
3. Click on the iPad icon near the upper left-hand corner of iTunes.
4. Under Backups, click the circle next to This Computer and the box next to Encrypt iPad Backup.
5. If prompted, enter your computer password to encrypt the backup.
6. Click Back Up Now.

Backing Up Your iPad To Finder

If you own a Mac running macOS 10.15 or newer, you’ll use Finder when backing up your iPad to your computer.

1. Connect your iPad to your Mac using a charging cable.
2. Open Finder.
3. Click on your iPad under Locations on the left-hand side of Finder.
4. Click the circle next to Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac.
5. Check the box next to Encrypt local backup and enter your Mac password.
6. Click Back Up Now.

DFU Restore Your iPad

A DFU restore is the last step you can take to completely rule out a software problem. All the code on your iPad gets erased and reloaded, line by line. When the restore is complete, it’ll be as if you were taking your iPad out of the box for the very first time.

Make sure you have an iPad backup before doing this step! Without a backup, you’ll lose all of the information currently saved on your iPad. When you’re ready, check out our article on how to DFU restore your iPad.

How To Get Help From Apple When The App Store Isn’t Working

Open the Mail app or Safari and try to use the web. Can you navigate to websites or download your email? If you’ve followed all the steps above and the internet works, there’s a 99.9% chance the problem is software-related. The best place to start for getting software support from Apple.

If your iPad has been acting strangely or was damaged recently and the App Store won’t work, there may be something else going on. Your best option is to visit Apple’s website to make an appointment at the Genius Bar, or use their mail-in repair service.

iPad App Store: Working Again!

As we’ve seen, there are a lot of reasons why the iPad App Store may not be working, but with a bit of patience, I’m sure you can fix it. Apple employees hear, "My App Store is blank!" all the time, and as we discussed, it’s a software problem 99% of the time. Now I’d like to hear from you: Which solution caused the App Store to start loading again on your iPad? Let us know in the comments section below.