Apps Not Downloading on Your iPhone? 4 Steps You Should Take

We use our phones for all different types of tasks and activities. The average person has 35 different applications installed on their phone at any given moment. That’s a lot of different programs! 

That’s why it can be deeply frustrating when your apps aren’t downloading properly on your device. It can stop you in your tracks or get you behind schedule on your day. 

Are apps not downloading on your phone recently? There are different steps you can take to attempt to resolve this issue. With a little work, you should be back up and running again. Read on and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know.

1. Attempt to Download Over Wi-Fi

The way you access information and applications on your phone might differ from other people. You might primarily use data provided by your cell phone company to load things on your phone. Or, you might stay connected to various Wi-Fi signals as much as possible.

If you’re not currently connected to Wi-Fi and are experiencing download problems, the easiest thing to try is connecting to Wi-Fi as opposed to 4G LTE. There are many reasons why trying to download an app over 4G might fail.

There’s a chance you have pushed past the data limits of your cell phone plan or are unable to use the data to download more applications. The Apple store (if you’re using an iPhone) also puts limits on cellular data. 

You can’t download an app that is over 200MB on cellular data as decreed by Apple. Older versions of iOS were limited to an even stricter 150MB. 

If you switch over to a Wi-Fi network and are able to download the app you were having trouble with then you can feel secure in saying that the issue is with your cellular service in one way or another. 

While this could prompt further issues to dig into, you at least will have successfully downloaded the app you needed. You’ll want to make sure you haven’t accidentally turned your phone on Airplane Mode, which will block downloads made through Wi-Fi and cellular network means.

2. Check Your Storage

While your cell phone may contain what feels like half your life, it doesn’t contain infinite space. Eventually, you will run out of space on your cell phone and it won’t be able to hold any more photos, contacts, or applications.

If that happens, you won’t be able to download any more applications. In most cases, you will be prompted with this notice when you try to download an app. You will likely be told there is not enough room on your phone for the new application.

However, there are some instances or errors where this message might not populate. If you have a lot on your cell phone, it might be worth deleting some old photos, messages, or apps that you no longer use.

Clearing up this space and attempting to download the app again might yield better results.

3. Try Doing a Few Restarts

‘Have you tried turning it on and off again?’ This is such a common question from tech support teams across many industries that it has become something of a punch line in the cultural lexicon.

However, this is because it’s a tried and true strategy. Simply restarting something can be a simple solution that solves many issues with computers and cell phones.

You can start by attempting to pause and then restart the specific download that you were in the middle of doing. You can hit pause (which should’ve replaced the download button on most cell phones) wait a few moments, and then attempt to continue the download.

If this doesn’t work, you can try to restart the App Store altogether. Quit out of the application, give it a few moments, and then try to re-enter and start your download again.

If none of this works, you can attempt to restart your phone as a whole. Upon reboot, you can reopen the App Store and see if your application downloads work successfully.

While it’s frustrating to have to deal with stalled downloads, it’s always refreshing when a fix is just a simple reset away. If you’re still having issues, there’s a chance your cell phone might need some repair work

4. Update Your Operating System

If you’re like many people, you might tend to ignore those updates that tell you that you need to update your phone’s operating system. Often, that means deleting items to make room for an update and a wealth of trouble that many don’t feel like getting into.

However, failing to update your phone’s operating system can result in a wealth of problems. These updates provide important fixes and improvements to your cell phone. Failure to install could result in buggy behavior– the kind of behavior that could result in an app not downloading properly.

How and where you update your cell phone will depend on the kind of cell phone that you have. Most phones have the option to upgrade easily accessible in the phone’s main settings. These updates are free of charge and only serve to make your phone function more smoothly.

Once the update is done, you should attempt your download again. The results might now be a lot more positive.

Are Apps Not Downloading?

Are your apps not downloading properly on your cell phone? If yes, you could use the above information right away. Attempting these steps can help to resolve the issue.

Still, having issues with your cell phone? Call us anytime for professional assistance.  

Infected! A Complete Guide on Removing Viruses from iPhone

Computer viruses are the scourge of the internet. One wrong move and your machine can get infected, rendering it useless in the worst cases. Well, the same goes for your cellphone. While it’s much rarer to get viruses on your cellphone, it is possible. Even the supposed king of security, the Apple iPhone, can fall prey to viruses! If you have an iPhone virus, here’s a quick guide to removing viruses from the iPhone.

It might save you a lot of money.

Diagnosing an iPhone

The first step is figuring out if your iPhone has a virus at all.

This can be tricky to do. It can be even trickier tracking down the source of the virus. It could be anything from a standalone app to a browser page and more.

If you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, you’re much more susceptible to viruses. Jailbroken applications are not approved by Apple, so anyone can release them. The programmer could easily put a virus in the app, which infects your phone when launched.

If your iPhone starts acting up when you launch a specific app, that app could be the virus. In that case, delete the offending app. This may solve your problem right away.

You can also try an ios virus scan. There are multiple virus scanning apps available on the app store. These will scrub through your phone’s files in search of viruses.

Some of these apps will remove viruses from the phone, or describe how to after a scan. These apps work with varying degrees of success, though.

Symptoms of an iPhone Virus

There are a few common signs that you may have a virus. These include:

  • Strange apps installing automatically onto your iPhone
  • Apps are repeatedly crashing on launch for no reason
  • A sudden increase in data usage, a sudden spike in your phone bill
  • Receiving strange text messages, calls, or emails
  • Your phone is overheating
  • The iPhone suddenly can’t hold a charge, the battery keeps draining
  • You iPhone is generally choppy
  • Pop-up ads keep appearing on the Safari browser, or even on the home screen

If you’re experiencing any of the above issues, an iPhone virus is likely.

Removing Viruses From iPhone

There are a few things you can do in the rare case your iPhone gets infected with a virus. These range from simple fixes, to full-on repair jobs. Here are some common ways to remove viruses from your iPhone.

Restart the iPhone

Sometimes, your phone needs a restart. For mild viruses, this is often enough to destroy them and get your iPhone back in tip-top shape. Power your phone down fully, turn it back on, and see if it’s fixed.

If there are no improvements, you’ll have to try something else.

Clear Your History

Viruses can easily infect your iPhone through your web browser. In that case, you should clear your history and web data.

To do this, head into settings, tap on ‘Safari’, and tap ‘Clear History and Website Data’. Confirm you want to clear it and your Safari data will reset. This includes all cookies, history, and often passwords and logins.

Delete Risky Apps

If your iPhone started acting up after installing a specific app, that app could be at fault. Try deleting recently installed apps and see if that makes a difference.

While apps have to be approved by Apple in order to get onto the App Store, occasionally a virus-riddled app slips through the cracks. A good practice is to only download highly-rated and trusted apps. Do a quick Google search of any apps you may think have viruses, and see if anyone else is reporting issues.

If you have a jailbroken device, start deleting some jailbreak-only apps. These apps are the riskiest, as they’re not vetted at all. The jailbreak method itself may have even caused the virus!

Restore Your iPhone

Restoring your iPhone is the most sure-fire way to remove all viruses. This will set your iPhone back to factory settings, removing all apps, logins, and data you’ve put on it. This can obviously be a hassle, so it should be a last resort in most cases.

You can restore your device completely, or you can restore it from a backup. The only problem with a backup restore is that the backup may have the virus, too. If you restore your phone from a backup and the virus is still there, then you know the virus happened after your last backup.

This might help you diagnose exactly where the virus is coming from.

To perform a restore on your iPhone, go to Settings, then General, Reset, and Erase All Contents and Settings. Tap this, confirm the action with your password, and follow the on-screen guide. 

Visit an iPhone Repair Shop

If all else fails, it’s time to bring your iPhone to the repair shop.

You can go to the Apple Store, or you can save money by going to a trusted third-party repair service. They have plenty of experience dealing with iPhones and virus problems. They’ll be able to properly diagnose and fix your phone, whether that means a restore or a simple virus clean.

This is an especially good choice if you’re not the most technically proficient. Most people have no idea how to find viruses, or simply don’t have the time. In that case, you might want to visit the repair shop first thing.

Fix Your iPhone Today

A virus filled iPhone can slow down your social and work life indefinitely. If you want to get your phone back to 100% strength, follow the tips above. You may find the relief you need.

If removing viruses from iPhone sounds like too much for you to handle, see what Fruit Fixed can do for you. We have multiple locations across Virginia and plenty of experience dealing with iPhone viruses.