For the past several days, many third-party apps on my iPhone 16 Pro have immediately minimized or closed as soon as I open them. The affected apps vary from day to day and include banking, travel, rideshare, video, food delivery, and social apps. Apple apps such as Settings, Messages, and Safari continue to work normally. Updating any available apps temporarily fixes the problem, and once reinstalling one banking app made all third-party apps work again. However, the issue returns roughly the next day. Restarting the phone, signing out and back into my Apple Account, removing VPN configurations, and having the phone reset at an Apple Store did not permanently resolve it. I have not installed any new apps recently, and automatic date and time is enabled. Is this an App Store account or iOS issue, and is there a way to fix it without wiping the phone?
2 Answers
I had a very similar issue where third-party apps stopped opening while Apple apps were fine. Installing the pending iOS update fixed it for me, although that did not work in the original case. If the problem continues after confirming the Media & Purchases account, backing up the phone and having Apple perform a full software reinstall may be the next practical step. A settings reset or removing VPN profiles may not repair a damaged App Store authentication state.
The pattern points more toward App Store receipt or account validation than a memory or storage problem. Third-party apps use App Store purchase or download receipts when launching, while Apple’s built-in apps do not, which could explain why only downloaded apps are affected. Updating or reinstalling an app may temporarily refresh that validation. Check Settings > your name > Media & Purchases and make sure it is signed in with the Apple Account that originally obtained the apps. Also confirm that Date & Time is set automatically. If the account looks correct, sign out of Media & Purchases—not necessarily your entire Apple Account—restart the phone, and sign back in. If Media & Purchases keeps signing itself out, that is an important clue and Apple may need to repair the account or reinstall iOS.
I checked and Media & Purchases was not signed in after I had signed out of my Apple Account. I signed back in and restarted, but it signed out again afterward. Even downloading an app caused it to ask me to sign in again later, so it does seem like it cannot keep the Media & Purchases session active. I have only ever used one Apple Account, and automatic date and time is enabled.
Updating iOS did not solve mine, and updating individual apps only fixes it for about a day. The Apple Store already removed the VPN configurations and reset the phone, so I am hesitant about a full software restore unless there is no other option.