iPhone and iPad Users Seeing 'iTunes Store is Unable to Process Purchases' Error When Opening Apps - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iPhone and iPad Users Seeing 'iTunes Store is Unable to Process Purchases' Error When Opening Apps

"The iTunes Store is unable to process purchases at this time. Please try again later."

If you are receiving this error when opening third-party apps on an iPhone or iPad today, you are not alone. We've been alerted to the issue by several MacRumors readers, and there are many more complaints flowing in on Twitter.

itunes store unable to process purchases
The cause of the issue is not yet known. Apple's system status page does not currently reflect any issues with the iTunes Store or App Store, but the page is often delayed. We'll update this story as new information becomes available.

Popular Stories

iOS 27 on iPhone 17 1

iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday May 2, 2026 8:43 am PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...
Apple Announces 2026 Pride Band Watch Face and iPhone Wallpaper Article 2

iOS 26.5 Coming Soon With These New Features

Monday May 4, 2026 8:40 am PDT by
iOS 26.5 is expected to be released next week, following more than a month of beta testing. The update is relatively minor, but there are a couple of new features and changes across the operating system that we have recapped below. iOS 26.5 lays the groundwork for end-to-end encryption for RCS in the Messages app and ads in the Apple Maps app, and it will include a new Pride wallpaper and a...

Top Rated Comments

adamw Avatar
86 months ago
Apple needs to hire better Quality Control/Assurance people who monitor and better test their software and online services/systems. I upgraded to Catalina yesterday and nothing but bugs and problems, as many others are reporting. Please Apple test and monitor your products and services better.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago
What good is their silly status page if it doesn't show live issues?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

Apple needs to hire better Quality Control/Assurance people who monitor and better test their software and online services/systems. I upgraded to Catalina yesterday and nothing but bugs and problems, as many others are reporting. Please Apple test and monitor your products and services better.
Yeah, they probably never thought of that and this issue definitely confirms Apple doesn't do quality control.

You guys are absolutely hilarious.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

Apple needs to hire better Quality Control/Assurance people who monitor and better test their software and online services/systems. I upgraded to Catalina yesterday and nothing but bugs and problems, as many others are reporting. Please Apple test and monitor your products and services better.
Nope that's close but not it. You have to remember that Apple is now first and foremost a marketing company. They don't care one bit about whether the product is ready, useable, or bug free. Sure they would like to have that, but it's not required. They just release on the scheduled date, no matter what.

There is no one at the top that understands how to trade off quality for marketing deadlines. When engineering is not ready to release, its just another day at Apple. Under Jobs someone would be going home, under Cook its just we'll do another update later, the users are not that important.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
falainber Avatar
86 months ago

Yeah, they probably never thought of that and this issue definitely confirms Apple doesn't do quality control.

You guys are absolutely hilarious.
Of course they thought about it. Judging by the results, however, they probably did not do it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcrpanda Avatar
86 months ago
Apple Senior Advisor told me "This appears to be an ongoing issue and Apple is already aware of it. That being said, we would need to have this escalated to our Engineers. "

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: World News | Entertainment | Mac | Culture | Motoring