Sometimes when using Apple products, they can behave a little crazy and not want to work like they normally do. For example, sometimes it is difficult to download apps like Google Docs. A customer recently wrote in stating that they were able to download Google Drive just fine, but Good Docs was not acting the right way. When attempting to download Google Docs there received the following error message numerous times:
Unable to Download App. “Google Docs” will not be downloaded at this time. It was then followed by with a Done and/or Retry option. When clicking the Retry option, they received the identical error message again. Something else that was peculiar for this user was that the Google Docs icon was on the home screen but not useable, as the app wasn’t installed properly. It just said “Waiting…”
One customer had tried to call Apple support, and the only thing they could offer was to do a factory reset. Doing this can be quite annoying because it takes a lot of time and can be a real pain.
Issues:
There are few reasons for this issue. The first is that there is possibly a connection issue. It is important to check that when attempting to download any apps on your Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch that you have a cellular data connection or a strong Wi-Fi connection.
There could also be issues with your log-in information.
Solutions:
The first option is to go to iTunes then click more, then click downloads, and look for stuck downloads on there. Then go on to delete all the downloads in progress in iTunes and then try downloading the apps again. That is best first try, sometimes restarting downloads is your best option. For many other users, by going onto iTunes from a computer, can help apps to be downloaded on other devices.
The next option you can do, especially when you cannot delete “Waiting…” apps, is you can go to settings, then click general, then click usage. From here, wait for your storage to load, and then click show all apps. Once all the apps have loaded, then find the app you want to delete, delete it, and then attempt to redownload it.
Another option is to do essentially a hard reset. Start by going to Settings, then General, then reset, and then Reset All Settings. Then restart the device. To do this, hold the power button until the “Slide to Power Off” appears. Slide to power off the device. Once the device is off, press the power button to turn it back on. Doing this resets all the settings on the device to the default settings, however, you will not lose any media or data. From here try redownloading the app. You may have to re-enter in your password for iTunes and the app store, and possibly for your Wi-Fi.
Other Solutions:
Airplane Mode: You can place your device in airplane mode by going to settings, and switching on Airplane mode. Let it stay in airplane mode for a few minutes then turn it back on, then retry the download.
Restart Device: This can be done by simply holding the power button and the home button at the same time. Wait 10 seconds, then turn your device back on by pressing and holding the on/off button until you see the apple logo display on the screen. Then retry the download.
Restart the App Store app: Double tap the home button to see all the open apps on your device. Close all of them. Then restart the app store, launch the app and retry the download.
Sign in and Out: Relaunch the app store. Scroll and find your Apple ID. Sign Out, and then sign back in. Retry the download.
Update your device: Sometimes having an old version of the system can stop downloads from working, especially downloads that require newer updates. To do this, go to Settings, then click general, and then click software update, and update your device. This can take upwards of an hour. Once you have updated your device, open the app store, and retry the download. Updating iOS periodically is important to fix bug issues within software.
Google DNS: You can attempt to change your device’s DNS or domain name system. To do this, go to Setting, click Wi-Fi, find your Wi-Fi connection, then tap the (i) button. Then click on the DNS field. Delete the current numbers in this field and type in the following Google DNS numbers: 8.8.8.8. Click on Wi-Fi to go back. The changes will then be saved and should fix the problem.
VPN: This solution helped a number of customers with the app issue. By installing a VPN, or a virtual private network), they were able to turn on the app and then the other apps downloaded successfully.
Powercycle: To do this, follow these steps:
- Turn on your device
- Unplug the cord from your modem and/or router
- Plug in in your modem and wait until it turns completely on
- Turn on your device and try downloading the app again
Conclusion:
These issues should be resolved. If not, there might be something inherently wrong with your device and it may need to be serviced by the nearest Apple store or apple technician. These tips and tricks have helped numerous people solve the app issues. Hopefully these work out for you too.
I have this problem. The app will has always downloaded later or the next day. It has happened with several apps but only one app at a time. If I’m downloading more than one app, the rest will download, just not which ever app is the problem at that time. There other apps download at the same time are fine. It’s been happening for maybe a week or more.