[9 Ways] Fix iTunes Store Unable to Process Purchases

Why is the iTunes Store unable to process purchases?

iTunes Store gives users convenient access to download music, apps, TV shows, and movies. However, occasionally, the process may encounter issues, especially when attempting to acquire beloved content.

A popup window emerges with an error message indicating that "The iTunes Store is unable to process purchases at this time. Please try again later." And the same issue may surface even when attempting to open an app without any intention to make a purchase.

The issue of iTunes being incapable of processing purchases can stem from multiple factors, such as minor technical bugs, disruptions in Apple Servers, unrecognized Apple ID, operating system issues, and various other possible reasons.

How to fix iTunes Store unable to process purchase on iPhone

If you are trying to tackle this trouble but don’t know how to do, don’t worry, in this article, we will offer 6 ways to assist you in fixing the issue on iPhone directly.

Solution 1. Check credit on iTunes

Whenever you attempt to make a purchase that requires payment, it is essential to ensure that your account contains sufficient funds. Open iTunes or Apple Store and log in your account, then you can see your credit balance. Confirm it and check if the purchase failure has gone.

Solution 2. Log out and Log in again

Before proceeding with this method, ensure that you can recall your login credentials, including your username and password.

Then launch Settings > Tap on your Apple ID > Scroll down and click Sign Out > Log in again after a while.

Solution 3. Turn off VPN

When you are using VPN, it probably causes the issue. Then go to Settings app > Select VPN > Turn off the toggle next to Status. After the process, you can sign in to your Apple ID again to try the purchase.

Solution 4. Restart your iPhone

At times, the problem might arise from minor technical glitches occurring on your device. These issues can be triggered by various factors, such as programs getting stuck or certain processes encountering difficulties. 

And you can try to shut down your iPhone to fix it: Open Settings app > Choose General > Click Shut Down. Your iPhone will be turned off, then restart it by pressing the Power button. After that, maybe you can fix iTunes Store unable to process purchase successfully.

Solution 5. Update operating system

Make sure you have the latest iOS version on your iPhone. Check it first: Launch Settings > General > Tap on Software Update. If there is a software update available, confirm to download and install it.

Solution 6. Check Internet connection

Internet connectivity problems can often be the root cause of errors with accessing online services like iTunes. It is essential to verify that your iPhone has access to the internet.

You can turn on Airplane mode and turn off it after a while on your iPhone to check if this method works. If not, try to reset your network settings, and keep in mind that this operation will erase all your network settings including your saved Wi-Fi password.

Reset it by going to Settings > General > Reset > Choosing Reset Network Settings. Then the problem may be solved.

How to fix iTunes Store is unable to process purchases on Windows

You can also tackle the trouble from your Windows PC and there are 3 ways to solve it.

Solution 7. Check iTunes’ status

To begin troubleshooting, it is essential to rule out the possibility of Apple's iTunes service being offline. To confirm this, visit Apple's System Status page and check the status of the iTunes Store entry.

If there is an issue with the iTunes service, you will observe an error message displayed next to the iTunes Store entry, and the dot next to iTunes will be red instead of green.

Solution 8. Update iTunes to the Latest Version

For Windows PC users, it’s necessary to confirm that the latest version of iTunes is installed on your computer. You can go to iTunes > Tap on Help > Click Check for Updates to find the update.

Solution 9. Restore your device

If all methods above make no difference, you can choose to restore your iPhone. Before the process, make sure to back up all your iPhone data. And here’s how:

Step 1. Go to icloud.com on your PC, log in with your Apple ID. Select Find My iPhone > All Devices and then choose the targeted iPhone.

Step 2. Hit on Erase iPhone and confirm to operate.

Step 3. Connect your iPhone to the computer and launch iTunes, then choose the device and click Restore Backup in iTunes to restore your iPhone data.

Further reading: How to back up purchased and non-purchased iTunes media

From the two parts above, you have known how to fix iTunes Store unable to process purchase. After the iTunes purchase, it’s vital to back up your media files. However,  if you have non-purchased songs/movies, iTunes won’t help you back up it.

Then the professional iPhone data backup software - FoneTool could be your better iTunes alternative. It offers an efficient way to transfer both purchased and non-purchased iTunes media files between your PC and iPhone without any data loss.

With the various and significant features, FoneTool can be a powerful app for you to manage your iTunes music/movies.

Direct transfer: Effortlessly transfer all music/movies from your iPhone directly to the PC without adding them to the iTunes playlists.

Fast transfer: Enjoy super data transfer speed between your iPhone and computer, surpassing the speed of iTunes.

Preview and selective backup: Unlike iTunes, you can preview all files on the computer to decide which file should be transferred to your PC.

Easy to use: FoneTool offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to complete tasks with just a few simple clicks.

Widely compatible: FoneTool supports a wide range of iPhones (from iPhone 4 to iPhone 14 series), iPad, and iPod Touch and would be perfectly compatible with the latest iOS 16/15.

Now click the button to download and install FoneTool. Follow the steps to finish the backup process.

Step 1. Open FoneTool and connect iPhone to computer using a USB cable.

Step 2. On the home screen of FoneTool, click Phone Backup > Selective Backup. (If you prefer to create a full iPhone backup, please choose Full Backup.)

Step 3. Select the files you need to back up and click OK to continue.

Step 4. Click Backup Storage Path to choose a location to store the backup > Click Start Backup to begin the task.

When the task is finished, you can choose Backup History > Click Restore dot to restore the backup to your iPhone.

Conclusion

When you encounter iTunes purchase failure, hope you can get how to fix iTunes Store unable to process purchase from the 9 ways above. After the purchase process, we suggest that you’d better back up your all iTunes media files.

And if you need to avoid losing non-purchased files, FoneTool will be of great use. You can back up all or part of your iTunes files to PC, and also back up iPhone to iPad.