Stuck on gathering printer supplies information

I want to print from my iPad. I select Print in document. There is a message that says “Gathering printer information” and then where I selected printer, it changes to “No printer selected”. How can I fix this.

VPN is not my problem. I turned it off and I'm still getting the "gathering supplies information" swirling message. I haven't been able to print from my phone since the most recent update, either.

i have the same problem with the latest ios update

Printer stuck on gathering information

Most people in all the comment threads discussing this issue do not have VPN, So it appears that Apple is ignoring this issue. They want us to buy new printers I guess. My company switched us to android phones to resolve the issue at work.

I have the same exact problem, and unfortunately for Lawrence--who seems to feel quite strongly about this particular issue--I don't have a VPN and have never had a VPN, and I have a brand new iPhone 15 I just purchased last week after upgrading from a 13. This is an iOS 17 issue and still hasn't been remedied.

Unrelated but I'm also incredibly annoyed by this update making it so tedious to edit text. The cursor refuses to just go where you try to place it and instead insists on highlighting a word that you aren't even trying to change.

Mhm1980 wrote:

I even got a new printer and it worked for two whole days until the latest update a few days ago🙃🫠

And what was the result when you followed the troubleshooting guidance in this user tip→AirPrint Troubleshooting - Apple Community?

Was anyone ever able to come up with a solution to this problem? I have the same issue now and I used to be able to print from my phone without any problems. I just basically can’t print from my phone at all anymore and I use my laptop when I have to print something. It’s someone inconvenient at times.

I too have a VPN on my phone but I’ve had that on my phone for around two years, and I never noticed any issue until the last few months. So is it the VPN or was it a recent update from Apple that caused this problem?

Rosemarie316 wrote:

Very strange - I have had a VPN on my phone for three years - it has never interfered with my ability to print from my phone until this recent update to the iOS

If you know anything at all about VPN you would know that it is not in the least strange. VPN frequently creates more problems than it solves. But one important fact is that when you install VPN it configures itself to the specific hardware, iOS version and network that the phone uses. If any of those change it can break the VPN. So any time you change any of these you may need to delete the VPN app and profile, restart your phone then add them back (if you still want to use VPN) so it can configure itself to the new environment.

Here's Apple's advice on VPN→

Check VPN (Virtual Private Network) and third-party software to help resolve network connectivity issues - Apple Support

Something to think about→Don't use VPN - GITHUB

There are two legitimate purposes for using VPN:

• To allow access to a private network such as a school or business when you are not on site. 
• To allow access outside of a country with a repressive government that has restricted Internet access. (This has suddenly become more important)

Any other use is risky, and can lead to problems like the one discussed in this thread. VPN disguises your location by making you appear to be somewhere else in the world. But you usually can’t control that “somewhere else”, and if it is in a location that an app isn’t approved for the app won’t work. Plus the fact that the provider of the VPN knows everything about you and your location, as well as what sites you access through the VPN. So you are totally dependent on the VPN provider’s honesty. As a start, if the VPN is free, DON’T USE IT. The provider has to make money somehow, and if you aren’t paying them then they are selling your private data to make money. But even those that charge can’t necessarily be trusted. For example, a few years ago Avast was caught selling user browsing data. They claim they have stopped doing so. 

You don’t really need VPN when using public Wi-Fi, because all communications between your device and the servers it accesses are end-to-end encrypted.

If you want VPN for privacy about the sites you visit, that’s not a good choice as discussed; instead you should download and use the TOR browser.

The other use for VPN is to “steal” content that is not available in your area. I leave this question to your personal ethics.

With iOS 15.2 and later for iOS/iPadOS and MacOS Monterey 12.2 and later Apple now has iCloud+ Private Relay, which is not VPN, but provides a safer browsing environment than VPN, and it doesn't spy on you→About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support

My VPN lecture:

Here's Apple's advice on VPN→

Check VPN (Virtual Private Network) and third-party software to help resolve network connectivity issues - Apple Support

Something to think about→Don't use VPN - GITHUB

There are two legitimate purposes for using VPN:

• To allow access to a private network such as a school or business when you are not on site. 
• To allow access outside of a country with a repressive government that has restricted Internet access. (This has suddenly become more important)

Any other use is risky, and can lead to problems like the one discussed in this thread. VPN disguises your location by making you appear to be somewhere else in the world. But you usually can’t control that “somewhere else”, and if it is in a location that an app isn’t approved for the app won’t work. Plus the fact that the provider of the VPN knows everything about you and your location, as well as what sites you access through the VPN. So you are totally dependent on the VPN provider’s honesty. As a start, if the VPN is free, DON’T USE IT. The provider has to make money somehow, and if you aren’t paying them then they are selling your private data to make money. But even those that charge can’t necessarily be trusted. For example, a few years ago Avast was caught selling user browsing data. They claim they have stopped doing so. 

You don’t really need VPN when using public Wi-Fi, because all communications between your device and the servers it accesses are end-to-end encrypted.

If you want VPN for privacy about the sites you visit, that’s not a good choice as discussed; instead you should download and use the TOR browser.

The other use for VPN is to “steal” content that is not available in your area. I leave this question to your personal ethics.

With iOS 15.2 and later for iOS/iPadOS and MacOS Monterey 12.2 and later Apple now has iCloud+ Private Relay, which is not VPN, but provides a safer browsing environment than VPN, and it doesn't spy on you→About iCloud Private Relay - Apple Support

I have a brand new iPhone 14 pro. Originally, I was able to print to my wireless printer with no problem at all. After I did a couple of updates, I was no longer able to print to my wireless printer. I did some research on YouTube and found a video that helped me. I had to reset my network connection on my iPhone, then shut down my iPhone, and restart it. Still, my iPhone was not able to connect to my printer. It kept saying gathering information. So I turned off my VPN, went back to my document, selected, print, it found my printer, told me I had some low ink, I was able to select OK, and print finally after almost 5 months. It was so annoying not to be able to print from my phone. This leaves me with an apple issue and they need to address the VPN part where if your VPN is on you cannot print from your phone. Turn off your VPN and suddenly your phone finds your printer and you can print. So I agree the issue is the VPN unfortunately. I hope Apple can fix this because I just ran an update on my phone and it still is not correct. Thank you, Apple support!