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If you use the iTunes Store, you may have come across this error message: “Cannot connect to iTunes Store”. Learn how to find out if this is a problem with Apple’s servers, your ISP or your device.
The iTunes Store sells millions of songs and videos and usually works without issue. Sometimes users are confronted with connection problems. The most common error message is “Cannot connect to iTunes Store”. This problem could be caused by a variety of issues. Let’s take a look at how to troubleshoot this problem…
Retry Accessing the iTunes Store
If you receive an error while trying to connect to the iTunes Store, the first thing to do is just try again. These issues are usually intermittent. I find when I retry the transaction a few seconds later, it works fine. If you are using iOS or Mac OS X, simply try to purchase or download the item again. If the iTunes Store couldn’t connect upon launch, close the application and try again.
Problem With Apple’s Servers?
Apple’s data center is very reliable, however, like any data center, it’s not perfect. Servers go down due to a variety of issues. Sometimes the telecommunications company connecting Apple’s data center to the Internet is having problems. High volume can also overwhelm servers, making it difficult to connect to the iTunes Store.
Fortunately, it is easy to check the system status of every Apple service. Simply go to the Apple System Status web page to check if the service you need is running. This web page displays the status of every Apple service, including the iTunes Store, iCloud, iMessage, Siri, iTunes Radio, the App Store and many more. The web page also has a timeline showing past issues. If there is a problem with the service you are using, you will need to wait until it is fixed. You can also contact customer support, however, if the issue shows up on the system status web page, Apple already knows about it.
Problem With Your ISP?
The most common reason for the “Cannot connect to iTunes Store” error is a problem with your Internet connection. This is easily verifiable. You can try connecting to a web page on your iOS device or computer. If you experience this issue on your Apple TV, you can try connecting to a third-party service such as Netflix, YouTube or Sky News. If you can’t connect to any other services or web pages, there is a problem with your Internet connection. Contact your Internet service provider (ISP) to help troubleshoot the problem.
I have also experienced iTunes Store problems when my Internet connection is slow. It is possible that you can access the web or other services, but your connection is simply too slow to work with iTunes. Basically, the connection is so slow that the authentication (login) process times out. This is usually a combination of a slow Internet connection and high demand on Apple’s servers. You can verify your Internet connection speed using Ookla Speedtest. Ookla also makes a Speedtest app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. There is no specific speed requirement for the iTunes Store to work. However, if you notice that your Internet connection is unusually slow, this is likely the issue.
Problem With Your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
If Apple’s servers and your Internet connection are not the problem, it could be an issue with your device. Problems connecting to the iTunes Store are usually caused by two issues — incorrect date and time settings and obsolete software.
First, make sure that your date, time and time zone settings are correct. This will ensure that you can sync with iTunes Store servers. Tap on Settings > General > Date & Time and verify that the settings are correct. You can also toggle Set Automatically off and on, if the setting exists. This should automatically fix problems with the date, time and time zone. (continue…)
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KPKeelan says
January 17, 2019 at 6:04 amI just get a blank white screen when I try to access the iTunes store. These guys must be losing a lot of money if their customers can’t access their site to spend it!
Abubakarr caonteh says
January 31, 2019 at 10:15 amMy iTunes is not working.
hassan Raza says
January 31, 2019 at 11:36 pmCan’t connect to iTunes. Need help.
Usman says
February 1, 2019 at 9:03 amI’m Facing issue with the App Store: “CANNOT CONNECT TO APP STORE”. Please help to resolve the issue.
Anika says
February 1, 2019 at 1:16 pmWhen I go into the App Store it says it Cannot Connect and when I try to Reinstall my Offloaded apps it won’t let me even though I have plenty of storage and Wi-Fi!!??? I don’t know how to fix it?
Appledystopia says
February 1, 2019 at 7:03 pmThere seems to be either a massive problem in Apple’s data center, or some problem with major Internet service providers. I am seeing so many page views for this article today. I mean, record page views!
Hang in there. It’s clearly a systemic, server-side problem today — not something you can fix on your own. You have to wait until Apple or the responsible telecom company fixes the issue.
Anonymous says
February 1, 2019 at 8:23 pmI believe it is Apple forcing everyone to update to iOS 12. My kids are updated and works. Mine does not.
Appledystopia says
February 1, 2019 at 8:41 pmYou make a very valid point. I just tried it, and I can access the iTunes Store. I am on iOS 12.
That said, I do think it is a data center issue. I checked Apple’s system status, and they admit that there’s a problem with the iTunes Store, App Store and other services. I provide a link to Apple’s system status website on the first page…
It may be some software configuration issue as a result of rushing out this FaceTime fix, which is delayed.
The root cause is that the Silly Con Valley job market is red hot, and Apple can’t hire excellent people. It will be like this until the next recession – buggy products and software that doesn’t work. As bad as Apple’s quality is, you can do much worse. I use Windows 10 sometimes. The grass is not greener elsewhere.
I was at Target yesterday and I had to swipe my card three times, with multiple resets from an employee. I commented that it is 2019 and technology seems to be worse than it was 4 years ago. Internet access is spotty and the basics don’t work, as tech companies undertake ambitious goals with mediocre staff. Tech companies seem content to sprinkle glitter on t—-d, yet can’t get the fundamentals right.
J says
February 2, 2019 at 5:59 pmHaving a problem signing into iTunes and the App Store, it always says “could not sign in, there was a problem connecting to the server”
How do I solve this problem?
ROBERT CRUZ says
February 7, 2019 at 10:11 pmI have an Apple iPad 1 iOS 5.1 and I can’t connect to the iTunes Store. Any suggestions?
Appledystopia says
February 8, 2019 at 1:52 amI did a quick search and Apple hasn’t issued an “end of life” notice for the original iPad. Although they don’t provide software updates any longer, it should still be able to interface with the Apple ecosystem. You should be able to access the iTunes Store.
Please try the steps in this article. If it doesn’t work, try calling Apple support. They still support this model. Amazing!
Nicole says
February 21, 2019 at 12:22 amI just purchased the iPad pro and I set it up, it was really struggling to set up my cloud and now the Istore, the cloud nor the appstor work
It’s not the Internet because on my other devices the internet is completely fine
Please help.
Amber says
March 2, 2019 at 1:24 amThis was the problem with my kids iPad when I reset it. Thanks for this note!
Heather says
March 3, 2019 at 5:55 pmI am having trouble logging in to iTunes on my computer. I am trying to buy songs from the iTunes store for my iPod nano 7th generation. Whenever I try to log in, it does nothing on my screen. My sons’ iPhones are connected to my account and whenever I try to log on, my son gets a text with the verification code. Only problem, there is no place for me to enter the code on my computer to move forward. Please help! I am beyond frustrated. This should not be this complicated!
Thanks!
Appledystopia says
March 3, 2019 at 7:20 pmI had this happen to me. It’s a great example of how bad iTunes has become. You need to add the verification code directly after your password, with no spaces between the password and code.
It’s horrible usability. They don’t instruct users as to what to do and their workaround is a kludge. The correct design is to have a field for the code, if it is needed. They should at least inform users as to where to enter the code. It’s all the more reason I stopped using iTunes. I use Google Play instead now.
Anonymous says
March 30, 2019 at 1:24 pmyou want me to continue buying music? then ya need to fix this i can get into my own library but itunes store will not open. I havee updated the software, my internet connection is very good and my computer is very new. So the problem is indeed on Apple’s side. I am not uninstalling and reinstalling again because i lose all my playlists every time i do that, not to mention the hours that you force on me to re-create all my playlists, and in addition, each time i do that, all my songs duplicate. you have no easy way to eliminate duplicates, therefore next time you tell me i need to uninstall and reinstal, i will let go of Apple alltogether
this problem has been going on way too long and it is time for a fix, or i’ll start aquiring my music from another of hundreds of plaves to do so. This is the Final Straw for Apple.
March 30,2019
Appledystopia says
March 30, 2019 at 4:54 pmI stopped using Apple Music after the trial expired. I found it to be horribly defective. I guess they still haven’t fixed the duplicate tracks issue. This does not surprise me. Apple’s apps and services are not very good. They make great devices and one excellent OS (macOS). iOS is pretty good.
I use Google Play Music on my Apple devices.
Anonymous says
March 30, 2019 at 1:30 pmI’m still getting same thing and now it’s almost April. I am about to part ways with Apple over this, and I will not move to Android at all for music. Ya think Apple has problems? (which they do), but try listening to music on Android… cannot crossfade, can’t produce good playlists, can’t do easy searches, etc… all around there are hundreds of music players out there that do just as much, if not more than this continued problematic service.
John says
April 2, 2019 at 10:27 amHi. I can’t sign in. My Apple ID in the App Store and my iPhone display Cannot Connect to App Store on my iPhone 6 running iOS 12, but I have another iPhone, iPhone 5s that runs iOS 10 and I can use the App Store. What’s my iPhone 6’s problem?
Appledystopia says
April 2, 2019 at 10:56 pmI’d try the network reset. It’s a bit of a pain, as you will need to reenter WiFI passwords, but I think it may work.
Before you do that, just try a soft reset. Hold down the Home and Sleep/Wake button for 10 seconds (until you see the Apple logo), and then release both buttons. Your iPhone will do a soft reset, which may clear out some cached data. That might be the problem.
John says
April 4, 2019 at 4:56 pmI choosed erase all content and setting in reset section and I did all the things you said I changed my DNS to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 but my problem did not solve. I use same wifi network and same apple id on my iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s.
Sorry for my bad language.
Hammer says
April 8, 2019 at 9:33 amMy clash of clans account won’t connect so I can’t buy a gold pass.
Anna says
April 27, 2019 at 4:02 amMy Apple TV will not connect to iTunes Store, but says that I have a WiFi connection. As well, it says the activation failed, but won’t let me sign in to iTunes to activate. It was working a week ago, and now it isn’t, and I have no clue what to do. I have tried EVERYTHING. Please help me!
hannah says
April 28, 2019 at 10:19 amMy music wasn’t playing on my Mac so I signed out of iTunes. When I try to sign back in nothing happens. If I do the wrong password it’ll make me type it in again but when I put the correct one in nothing happens and I’m still not logged in. I’ve tried restarting my Mac, signing in and out of iCloud, etc. but nothing will work. Please help!
Gina Thompson says
May 2, 2019 at 8:37 pmThis is awesome! Resetting my network settings was the fix I needed. Thanks so much!
Kashi Raza says
May 5, 2019 at 2:53 pmWhenever I open my iTunes app, there’s nothing shown except “open the iTunes U app”. How can I fix it?
Tabaka says
May 6, 2019 at 2:12 amHey, so I messed up a section of my screen where the numbers of the passcode are needed, my phone restarted and my fingerprint refuses to work. I am currently not in a country where I can get the phone fixed and was wondering if anything could be done. I tried reseting my phone through iTunes but it refuses to login to my Apple Id.
Appledystopia says
May 6, 2019 at 3:57 pmIf you set up Find My iPhone, you can use recovery mode to reset your iPhone passcode. You can access these features from any web browser using Apple’s iCloud website. Apple also has an Apple ID website, which you can use if you have forgotten your Apple ID or the associated password. If all else fails, take it to an Apple Store or call support.
Jerry says
June 23, 2019 at 5:21 pmI am in shock! I “grew up” on Apple computers. I’m not a “teckkie”, but I have generally enjoyed all things Apple. Now I am one of those who can’t get into the ITunes Store. As I set about searching for solutions, I picked up on this article. To find that people have been struggling with this same issue for over FOUR YEARS is a very bad business practice, not supporting their customers, besides missing all the revenue those customers would have provided! Since any honest business person would want to fix a major component of their business, it seems that they are not being honest or they do not read these requests for help.
Come on Apple! Show us you are a good company!
wavehare says
July 13, 2019 at 8:35 amughhhhhh! everything, everything EVERYTHING I’ve tried is NOT working. Please help! I’m using an iPad Pro.