I want to download apps in the Mac App Store and the apps won't start to download. As you can see in the pictures below, the spinner starts spinning but nothing gets downloaded, the download simply doesn't start. I am logged in with my account. I tried logging out of the App Store and logging in again, restarting the Mac etc, nothing helped. The App Store is the safest place to download new apps for your Mac. If your Mac cannot connect to the App Store, don’t start downloading apps from unknown sources, follow these steps to fix it instead! It is very common to download and install apps from internet on Windows PC or laptop. However, it’s not a good idea on Mac to install third-party apps to protect your computer. Though the best way is to install apps from Mac App Store it has few problems. First, many people confuse iOS App Store with Mac App Store – they are two different. Macs benefit from a lot of in-built safety precautions, but when downloading third-party apps they can sometimes appear overzealous. By default, your Mac won’t install apps from anywhere other than the App Store, although this is easy to bypass.

There’s got to be the name for the paradox that occurs when you’re told by the Mac App Store that you both have an update for a free or purchased app and you can’t install it. Maybe it’s the Apprisoner’s Dilemma? You might experience this no-win situation when you see a message that says “[app name] can’t be installed on [device] because [OS X/macOS] version 10.[X] or later is required.”

This situation occurs when you’re running an older version of macOS than the minimum required for the latest version of the program’s updated code. App developers who routinely revise their apps earn our thanks for adding features, keeping them up to date with the latest system changes, and fixing bugs.

Cant Download App Updates On Mac

But developers also have to make choices. While Apple allows coding styles that can preserve backwards compatibility across several releases of macOS, it adds to a developer’s burden and sometimes holds an app back when it has to work across a wide range.

If you haven’t updated an app in a while and receive this error, it’s generally not possible to download any interim update via the Mac App Store that remains compatible with your version of macOS. However, for software companies that have both direct sales and Mac App Store editions of their apps, you can contact the company and see if they can help.

The ultimate solution is to upgrade to a newer version of macOS, if not the latest release. That’s not always ideal depending on why you’ve held back, but it’s definitely the case that you’ll have more and more apps that can’t be upgraded over time.

That’s a process guaranteed to increase later this year with the release of macOS Catalina (version 10.15), which ditches the last vestiges of backwards compatibility for older apps. Some developers will also use the opportunity to shave off that support within their apps, and make their update and testing tasks more streamlined, too.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by a Macworld reader.

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