One of the best features of the App Store is that you can re-download apps you've already purchased. You can do this an unlimited number of times without having to pay for them more than once.
Why Does My Iphone Not Let Me Download Free Apps
Your iPhone Not Downloading Apps? Fix App Stuck on Waiting, Updating or Loading on iPhone or iPad. Apple App Store wont allow me to download any apps. Apple App Store won't allow me to download any apps. Why won't my app store let me download apps? I just got my iphone 5 and it won't let me download any apps it keeps making me do security questions before i can download apps, but when i do it it says its timed out and to try again. Apps are one of the most integral parts of any iPhone as they make all iPhones the real smart devices. Perhaps this could be the reason why app developers regularly update their apps for users. But what if you fail to update the existing apps or not able to download any fresh app on your iPhone?
Downloading apps you've already paid for is especially important if you accidentally delete an app or if you lose apps due to your iPhone breaking or being stolen. There are a couple of ways to do this, including finding the app from the App Store and downloading it normally.
How to Use Your Phone to Download Apps You Already Bought
Using your phone to re-download the app is probably the easiest method:
Tap App Store from your home screen.
Open the Updates tab at the bottom.
Tap your photo at the top right corner of the screen.
You won't see this image if you're not using a modern version of iOS; just skip this step.
Tap Purchased, or if you have Family Sharing enabled, choose My Purchases (or the name of the person who originally purchased the app, if it wasn't you).
Select Not on This iPhone to see a list of apps you've gotten in the past that aren't currently installed on your phone.
Search or scroll through the list to find the app you want to reinstall, and then tap the cloud icon next to it.
Another way to get old apps again is to visit their normal download page. Even if you bought the app and have since deleted it, the button to download it will not be a purchase button but instead the cloud icon as you see it above.
How to Use iTunes to Re-download Previous Apps
You can also download previous purchases using iTunes.
The App Store was removed from iTunes in version 12.7, released in 2017. These instructions only apply to versions of iTunes earlier than that. Unless you're running an old version of iTunes, your only option for re-downloading apps is to do it directly on the iPhone.
Open iTunes and select the Apps icon in the top right corner, just underneath the playback controls (it looks like an A).
Choose App Store just beneath the playback window at the top center of the screen.
Select Purchased in the Quick Links section at the right.
This screen lists every app you've ever downloaded or purchased for any iOS device using this Apple ID. Browse the screen or search for the app using the search bar on the left.
When you find the app you want, select the download icon (the cloud with the down arrow). If asked, sign in with your Apple ID.
When the app finishes downloading to your computer, synced your iPhone with iTunes to put the app on your phone.
How to Redownload Pre-installed iOS Apps
If you're running iOS 10 or newer, you can delete a number of apps that come pre-installed with iOS. This wasn't possible in earlier versions, and can't be done with all apps, but some basic apps like Apple Watch and iCloud Drive can be deleted.
These apps are treated like regular apps, so when you delete them, they're no longer accessible from your device. Just re-download them from App Store to make them show up again.
What About Apps Removed From the App Store?
Developers can remove their apps from the App Store. This happens when they no longer want to sell or support an app, or when they release a new version that's such a major change that they treat it as a separate app. In these cases, you might want to download an old app that you can't get from App Store.
Fortunately, you can, in most cases. It likely depends on the reason an app was removed from the App Store, but generally speaking, if you've paid for an app, you'll find it through the App Store like described above.
The apps you probably won't be able to re-download include those that break the law, infringe copyright, are banned by Apple, or that are actually malicious apps disguised as something else (you probably don't want those anyway).
Glitch: Apps won’t download or update
Quite a few people have been having trouble getting apps to update properly. They seem to hang indefinitely. Some people have also had trouble getting new apps to download at all.
Potential fixes
Why Does My Iphone Not Let Me Download Apps
- The first thing to try is to double tap the Home button and swipe up on any problem app that’s listed to close it. Now restart your device by holding down the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo.
- Try going to Settings > iTunes & App Store and turn Updates under Automatic Downloads Try updating manually, or restart your device and turn the automatic updates on again.
- You could also go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings and see if that helps, you will have to re-enter passwords.
- If that doesn’t work then try deleting any problem app from your device. Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and tap your Apple ID then Sign Out. No hold down Home and Sleep/Wake to restart. Fire up the App Store, log in, and download the apps from scratch.
- It could be that a specific app or game is causing the issue. Some people reported success after deleting the WSJ app. You could try removing apps one by one until you find the culprit or do a factory reset and selectively reinstall.