Apple Watch Not Downloading Apps

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Level 1

4 points

Apple Watch Not Downloading Apps

I bought an Apple Watch for my son and set it up under his Apple ID using family setup from my iPhone. He does not have an iPhone of his own. There are various parental controls in place through Screen Time. The watch works but he is unable to install apps using the App Store on the watch. He can browse the App Store but when he clicks “Get” to download an app, he enters his passcode, then his Apple ID password, but the app fails to download. It just goes back to the app screen where he clicks “Get” again, and goes through the same loop. We did try disabling the “ask to buy” option under family sharing, but this did not change anything. I cannot install apps using the Watch app from my iPhone, because this is not an option when using “family setup.”

Posted on Sep 5, 2023 7:11 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Quigsley

Level 1

15 points

Mar 6, 2024 6:54 PM in response to vschiffino

Had this problem, went thru multiple techs from apple support. The last one after 3 hours and a failed engineering log process had one last ditch effort. The fix for me was simple but also illogical and definitely questionable. First go to family share-> child profile-> turn off ask to buy then Go to settings->appleid->mediapurchases and sign out of your account. Sign back in as the child by selecting not yourself. Log in with the child’s iCloud account you probably just created for this new watch. Will require you to have their device nearby to approve the new device and get the 6 digit pass code. Then go to their watch->App Store-> install desired app and it will Ask you to accept legal terms and conditions of the App Store. Mind you this is the child account you are impersonating to enter into legal binding terms and conditions with Apple… but I digress. Once you have agreed to terms and conditions with the child’s profile. You can go back to media and purchases. Sign out of child account. Sign back in as yourself and now your child can search apps on the watch. Request them and it should route to the parent account to approve. For me, Until the child account completed those legal T’s and C’s it would go into an endless loop and get stuck in the process and just not work. Good luck hope this helps and any other sad soul that finds this post looking for answers

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Answer 2

erin027

Level 1

30 points

Feb 25, 2024 9:15 PM in response to vschiffino

I had the same issue and spoke to 5 Apple technicians and the Genius Bar, spending many hours trying to resolve it. Finally, I found the answer.

To fix it, go to your iPhone settings > Screen Time > Under "Family," you should see your family member listed. Select them and disable Screen Time. It appears to be an Apple glitch, but this should work.

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Answer 3

Eric_G1

Community Specialist

Sep 6, 2023 2:24 PM in response to vschiffino

Hello vschiffino,

It can help to try giving the device a quick refresh via a restart of it, if they haven't already tried this: Restart Apple Watch - Apple Support

Restart Apple Watch

• Turn off your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap , then drag the Power Off slider to the right.

• Turn on your Apple Watch: Hold down the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Checking to ensure the latest watchOS version is installed can help to both ensure the latest improvements have been applied, and that the app they're trying to get will be compatible with the installed version: Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Cheers.

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Apple Watch Not Downloading Apps

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