This article explains how to fix waiting iPhone apps that won’t download or install. Installing apps on your iPhone is usually a very simple process. However at times you may experience issues. There could be many reasons. Find out how to fix this. This issue may occur with all apps or one particular app. Sometimes app downloading or installing gets stuck and won’t finish (you will not see any download progress).
Why is my downloading app stuck on waiting?
There are several reasons your iPhone apps might be stuck on waiting, from problems with your internet connection to a lack of storage on your device. Whatever the reason, you can use the troubleshooting steps below to fix it. We’ve listed them starting with the most common issues, that are the quickest to fix, so just work your way down the list to start downloading apps on your iPhone again.
How to fix iPhone apps stuck on waiting
Here’s how to fix an iPhone app that’s stuck loading or waiting:
1. Make sure you have Enough Storage
You may also get error messages. The most common one is this:
Cannot Download. There is not enough available storage to download…You can manage your storage in Settings.
As the message indicate, you may want to manage your storage. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. You may want to delete some apps you do not use or need. You can also offload an app. This means that offloading an app will remove the app but keeps its document and data. So you can reinstall it any time later and you will not lose data. Just go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage scroll down and tap on any app you want to remove or offload then tap Offload App or Delete App.
2. Close the App Store app
If an app is stuck waiting and your iPhone has enough storage space, try to close the App Store and reopen it. To close the App Store, double-click the Home Button on your iPhone to open the app switcher. If your iPhone 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 iPhone. When you find App Store, use your finger to swipe it off the top of the screen.
3. Log out and log in
You may want to try log out of App store and then sign back in.
When you sign out of the App Store, it cancels any app downloads in progress. After signing in again, you need to download the app from the App Store again.
To sign out of the App Store:
- Open the Settings app, then tap [your name].
- Tap Media & Purchases.
- Tap Sign Out.
- Confirm you want to Sign Out.
- Now tap Media & Purchases again and sign in with your Apple account.
4. Check Your Internet Connection
Do you have a strong internet connection. Obviously downloading an app from the App Store requires an internet connection. This may be the reason if your app downloads do not start or remain at zero percent. Or apps say “Waiting” or “Loading”. If this is the case, then you may want to troubleshoot your internet connection. Here are a few tips you may try:
- Turn off Wi-Fi and wait a about 10 seconds and turn back on.
- Restart your wireless Wi-Fi router.
- Turn off VPN if you are using one.
- Reset your network settings by going to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that this will erase your Wi-Fi passwords etc.
5. Pause and Resume Your App Download
Sometimes, if your downloading app is stuck on waiting, all you need to do to fix it is pause the download, then resume it again. You can do this from the Home Screen on your device.
While an app is downloading, it should appear on the Home screen as a darkened app icon with a progress circle in the middle. Tap it to pause the download–causing a pause symbol to appear. Wait a few seconds, then tap it again to resume the download.
Alternatively, tap and hold on the app icon to reveal a quick-action menu. You can choose to Pause Download or Resume Download from this menu as well.
Alternatively, you have the option to Prioritize Download from the quick-action menu. This is a good idea if your iPhone is downloading other content as well, since it prioritizes this app above all other downloads.
6. Restart your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone is a simple way to fix iPhone apps that get stuck updating and apps that get stuck loading. Restart means turning your iPhone off and back on. To do this, **press and hold the power button **(known as the Sleep / wake button) until "slide to power off" appears on the screen. If you have an iPhone with Face ID, press and hold the side 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 iPhone. Your iPhone can take up to 30 seconds to turn off completely.
To turn your iPhone back on, press and hold the power or side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Open the App Store again to see if it’s working.
7. Force restart your iPhone
This is also called Hard Reset. Do not worry, you will not lose any data or settings. Different iPhone models have different procedures for this:
iPhone 8 or newer: you need to press and release the following three buttons in relatively quick succession:
- press and quickly release the Volume Up button
- press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
- press and hold the Side button until your device restarts.
iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: you need to press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time until your device reboots.
iPhone 6 and earlier: Press and hold both the Home and the top or Side buttons together and hold until your device restarts.
8. Check Apple’s System Status Page
If your connection is solid, your settings are right, and your iPhone apps are still stuck waiting, there may be a problem with the App Store. Check out Apple’s System Status page and make sure a green dot appears next to App Store. If many dots aren’t green, there’s
Apple keeps a handy website with the status of their system. You can check this page to see if the problem is with the App Store.
