Are apps not installing on your Apple Watch no matter how many times you tap the “Get” button? That’s a sign of a bad user experience at best and a problem you shouldn’t have to deal with in the first place.
So in this post, I share why you can’t install apps on your Apple Watch and exactly how to fix the problem.
Why Are Apps Not Installing on Apple Watch?
Available apps won’t install on your Apple Watch because of insufficient storage, software glitches, poor internet access, incompatibility, or failure in wireless communication.
You may be downloading multiple apps at the same time, automatic download maybe off, or there may be a problem with your cellular network.
How to Fix Apple Watch Apps Not Installing
Try the following fixes if apps are stuck while installing, take forever to load, or fail to download to your Apple Watch altogether:
- Check for compatibility.
- Restart your Apple Watch.
- Update your Apple Watch.
- Restart your paired iPhone.
- Install one app at a time.
- Enable Automatic app install.
- Free up space on your Apple Watch.
- Disconnect and reconnect your Apple Watch to Wi-Fi.
- Unpair and pair the watch
1. Check for Compatibility
The first step is to check if there’s a watchOS version of the app that you want to add to your Apple Watch. And this applies if you’re installing the app via your iPhone.
- Open Watch app on your iPhone.
- Scroll to Available Apps under My Watch tab.
- Check if the app you wish to add to your Apple Watch is available for installation.
2. Restart Your Apple Watch
Restart your Apple Watch to fix potential system glitches, to clear cached memory, and to free up the RAM.
- Disconnect your Apple Watch from the charger (if connected to it).
- Press and hold the side button until the sliders screen appears.
- Tap the standby icon.
- Drag the Power Off slider to the right.
- Press the side button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
3. Update Your Apple Watch
Apple often releases updates to fix bugs, add new features, and improve the performance of its smartwatches. So update watchOS to the current version if apps take forever to load or if they are not installing altogether.
- Connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi.
- Press the Digital Crown.
- Tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap the Install button and follow the onscreen instructions.
Note that it can take a few minutes to an hour for the process to complete depending on the size of the update.
4. Restart Your Paired iPhone
Your iPhone may have developed a system error or frozen, hence causing available apps to fail to install on your Apple Watch.
Simply restart the phone to fix this.
- Press a volume and power button simultaneously until you see the power-off slider.
- Drag the slider to the right.
- Wait for 30 seconds for your iPhone to turn off.
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
5. Install One App a Time
Installing multiple apps slows the connection between your iPhone and Apple Watch.
So if you have more than one apps currently in queue, pause all of them, and then download one app at a time.
6. Enable Automatic App Install
Enable automatic app install so a watchOS version of an app adds to your Apple Watch whenever you install that specific app on your iPhone.
- Open the Watch app on you iPhone.
- Go to App Store.
- Toggle Automatic App Install.
If the option is already active, turn it off, restart your iPhone, and then enable the option again.
7. Free Up Space on Your Apple Watch
Available apps won’t install if storage is full on your Apple Watch. In this case, consider removing the files that you no longer need or use from the watch.
- Delete audiobooks and podcasts you’ve already listened to and are taking up unnecessary space.
- Remove songs, playlists, and albums you hardly play.
- Check the current list of the apps on your Apple Watch and delete the ones that you hardly use.
- Delete large photos synched from your iPhone.
8. Disconnect and Reconnect Your Apple Watch to Wi-Fi
Is the App Store on your Apple Watch taking long to load? Is an app stuck all of a sudden when installing? It’s likely your Apple Watch has lost internet access or your Wi-Fi connection is slow.
To fix this:
- Turn off Wi-Fi on your Apple Watch.
- Restart your home’s internet network.
- Connect Apple Watch to Wi-Fi.
- Try adding the apps again.
9. Unpair and Pair Your Apple Watch
If you’ve tried all the fixes I’ve suggested and none of them worked, unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, redo the full setup, and then try adding the apps to the smartwatch.
How Do I Install Apps on My Apple Watch?
There are three ways to install Apple Watch apps. You can use your iPhone, access apps from the App Store built into the watch, or enable automatic app install.
The Watch app on iPhone lets you see and install watchOS version of the apps already installed on your iPhone. The App Store built into your Apple Watch lets you find any third-party app independent of your iPhone. And enabling automatic app install means a watchOS version of an app will add to your Apple Watch when you install it on your iPhone.
