Why is an app stuck on Waiting or refusing to download?
A greyed-out icon that never fills, a download that restarts endlessly, or an error with a number in it. The causes in order of likelihood, most of which are storage, account or network rather than the app.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 20 min
- Read
- 5 min
Short answer
Check free storage first — both stores need working room well beyond the size of the app itself, and both fail in vague ways when short. Then pause and resume the download by tapping the icon, which unsticks a queue more often than it should. If that fails, sign out of the store account and back in, which resolves most of the numbered errors.
App installation involves a chain that is longer than it looks: the store's servers, your account and its payment state, the network, free storage, a download, an unpacking step that needs additional temporary space, and an installation. A failure anywhere shows as the same greyed icon, and the error messages are famously uninformative — a code number with no explanation. Fortunately the causes are heavily concentrated. Storage and account state between them account for most of it, and both are quick to check.
Step by step
- Check free storage, generously.An app needs roughly two to three times its listed size while installing, because the download and the unpacked version exist at the same time. A phone with a few hundred megabytes free will fail to install a large app and will not clearly say so. The catalogue's guides on freeing up phone storage cover making room properly.
- Tap the icon to pause, then resume.A queue that has stalled often restarts cleanly when interrupted. If several apps are updating at once, pausing the others lets one complete rather than all of them crawling — and a queue in which one item has failed can hold up everything behind it.
- Check the network deliberately.Both stores refuse large downloads on mobile data by default, with a setting to allow it. A captive-portal wifi that has not been signed into looks connected and passes nothing. Switching between wifi and mobile data is a fast test of both.
- Sign out of the store account and back in.This clears most numbered errors on both platforms. On Android it is done through the account settings, on iPhone through the media and purchases section of settings. Expect to re-enter your password, and know it before you start.
- Check the payment method even for free apps.A card that has expired can block the account entirely, including free downloads, because the store treats the account as needing attention. It is one of the more counter-intuitive causes of a free app refusing to install.
- Clear the store app's own cache on Android.Settings, Apps, Google Play Store, Storage, Clear cache — and clear data only if that does not work, which signs you out. This is the standard remedy for a Play Store that has become confused, and the catalogue has a guide on when clearing cache, clearing data or reinstalling is appropriate.
- Check the date and time on the phone.A clock that is wrong breaks the secure connection to the store, producing errors that look like network faults. Both stores are sensitive to it. Set the time to automatic and try again.
- Look at whether the app is actually available to you.Region restrictions, age restrictions on a child account, a device that no longer meets the app's minimum operating system version, and apps withdrawn from sale all present as installation failures. An app that installs on one phone in the house and not another usually has one of these explanations.
Common mistakes
- Factory resetting the phone — It is an enormous response to what is almost always storage or an account state, and it does not change either — the same account signs back in with the same problem.
- Clearing data on the store app as the first step — It signs you out and can require re-authenticating everything. Clear the cache first, which is harmless, and only clear data if that fails.
- Deleting photos in a panic to free space — Deleted photos sit in a recently deleted album for a month and free nothing until that is emptied. Offloading unused apps and clearing app caches frees space immediately and reversibly.
If it doesn't work
Stuck on "Waiting" indefinitely
Cause: A stalled queue or another download blocking it — Fix: Pause everything, then resume one item at a time. Restarting the phone clears the queue entirely if that fails.
Downloads and then fails at the end
Cause: Not enough space for the unpacking step — Fix: Free considerably more space than the app's listed size. This is the classic cause of a download that completes and then fails silently.
An error code with a number
Cause: Usually the store account or its cache — Fix: Sign out and in; clear the store's cache on Android. Searching the exact code number is worthwhile because a few of them are specific and well documented.
Works on wifi, fails on mobile data
Cause: The large-download setting — Fix: Both stores limit download size over mobile data by default. Change the setting or wait for wifi.
App is not in the store at all on this device
Cause: Region, age rating, or an unsupported operating system version — Fix: Check the app's requirements against the phone's version. An older phone that has stopped getting updates progressively loses access to newer apps, which the catalogue covers separately.
Everything fails, on every app, suddenly
Cause: Account state, or a store outage — Fix: Check whether the card on file has expired, and check whether others are reporting an outage before troubleshooting the phone.
Questions people ask
Why does an app need more space than its listed size?
The store downloads a compressed package, then unpacks and installs it, so both exist briefly. Some apps also download additional content on first launch. Two to three times the listed size is a safe expectation and more for games.
Can I move apps to an SD card?
On some Android phones, partially — the app's core usually has to stay on internal storage while data can move. Modern Android also supports adopting a card as internal storage, which has real drawbacks around speed and removability. The catalogue has a guide on SD cards in Android phones.
Why did an app I already own disappear from the store?
Apps get withdrawn, renamed, or restricted by region and age rating. If you have installed it before it usually still appears in your purchase or library list even when it is not in search results, and can often be reinstalled from there.
Is it safe to install an app from outside the store?
It removes the store's malware screening, which is a real protection on both platforms. There are legitimate reasons to do it, and it is also the main route by which malicious apps reach phones. The catalogue's guide on checking an app is safe covers the judgement.