Try these steps if you can't connect to any of these apps:

Check the system status page

MacOS 10.15 Catalina is ruthless about launching unknown apps. Unless your app comes direct from the App Store, or the app’s developer got the app notarized by Apple, it won’t launch.Double.

Check Apple’s System Status page to see if there’s an outage for a service in your country or region.

Make sure that your device is connected to the Internet

Use any Internet browser to connect to any website. If nothing loads, use another device on the same network to see if it can connect to any website. If no other devices can access the Internet, turn off your Wi-Fi router, then turn it on again to reset it. If you still can’t connect to your Wi-Fi network, contact your Internet provider for more help. If only your first device can’t connect to the Internet, get help with Wi-Fi on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac.

If you use cellular service to connect to the Internet on your iPhone or iPad, make sure that you have cellular data turned on for the app that you're using. To do this, open the Settings app, tap Cellular, then turn on Cellular Data.

Update your software

Update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, or software for your non-Apple device. Then try to connect again.

Check the date and time

Make sure that the date and time on your device are set correctly for your time zone.

On your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Open the Settings app. Tap General, then tap Date & Time. Get more help with date and time.
On your Mac: Open System Preferences, then choose Date & Time.
On your Apple TV: Go to Settings > General > Date and Time.

If the date and time are incorrect, update them or turn on the option to set date and time automatically.

If you see a different connection alert message

Use the steps above if you see one of these error messages:

• 'Cannot connect to the iTunes Store. An unknown error has occurred.'
• 'We could not complete your iTunes Store request. The iTunes Store is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.'
• 'Could not connect to the iTunes Store. Make sure your network connection is active and try again.'
• 'We could not complete your iTunes Store request. The network connection could not be established. There was an error in the iTunes Store. Please try again later.'

Apps Won't Open On Macbook Pro Air

Related topics

• If you're connected but you can't download content, change your Apple ID password. You might have to sign out and sign in again. If you're asked to verify your payment information, make sure that all payment details match what's on file with your financial institution.
• If you're connected but you can't download or update apps, pause and restart the app download or restart your device.
• Learn what to try if you also see pop-ups in Safari on your Mac.
• Learn what to do if you see error -45054 on your computer.
• With iTunes for Windows, check to see if you turned on third-party security software or Windows Firewall.
• If you’ve tried all of the above steps and you still can’t connect, contact Apple Support.

Store availability and features might vary by country or region. Learn more about what's available in your country or region.

Get all best apps via Setapp

With its enhancements and limitations, the new macOS 10.15 is inescapable. The official release is planned for September 2019, but Apple savvy users have tested Catalina long before — with the macOS 10.15 beta. If you’re not one of them, you might want to check the best assets of the new macOS here.

Catalina comes with extended workspace, no iTunes, and 64-bit app architecture. According to early user reports, the beta feels faster and more stable than the previous ones.

It’s not all rosy, though. By switching to 64-bit apps, macOS Catalina stops supporting the apps with 32-bit architecture. For you, this means no access to over 200 popular applications.

The bundle of incompatible apps have been discovered by iOS developer, Steve Moser, when he was testing the developer beta of Catalina. Once you upgrade, you can find the full list in Library/Apple/Library/Bundles.

We’ve collected the major Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft programs you’ll have issues with in macOS Catalina. No need to panic just yet — there are ways to fix this.

Replace 32-bit apps with Setapp alternatives

Stop worrying about your favorite apps not working on macOS Catalina. Download Setapp and you’ll have them replaced with the better ones.

Which Mac apps will stop working

My Macbook Pro Won't Update

The problem of Catalina incompatibility is not only about third-party apps. Apple is not 100% prepared too. For people working with multimedia projects, it’s important to know which Adobe software won’t be working after the update. So take a deep breath, and see what’s going away.

Apple apps not working in Catalina

• iWork’09, an old version of Apple’s office suite that includes Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Apple released the newer bundle with 64-bit apps in 2013 — so an update will fix the problem here. Alternatively, you can get more advanced substitutes like Ulysses for writing and markdown.
• Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio. You can upgrade to Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X instead.
• Apple’s DVD Player (older versions released before macOS Mojave).
• Aperture. The app won’t work in Catalina, even though it’s 64-bit. Apple recommends to switch to Photos or Adobe Lightroom. If you need a pro-level editor for a moderate price, you might want to try CameraBag Pro.

Microsoft apps not working in Catalina

• The 2011 version of Microsoft Office (Word 2011, Excel 2011, PowerPoint 2011, Outlook 2011). To continue using the apps, get the 2016 version of Microsoft Office. Or, you can switch to Apple’s iWork, Ulysses, or other Mac alternatives.

Adobe apps not working in Catalina

Since Adobe moved to a subscription model called Creative Cloud, there has been lots of shared components introduced across Adobe products. For instance, if you buy a subscription, you may get a 64-bit application with a 32-bit installer. This won’t work in Catalina. Adobe says they are working on updating shared components for macOS 10.15. In the meantime, be aware of the incompatible apps:

• Photoshop. There have been issues with the 2018 version of Photoshop in macOS Mojave, so you may expect the trouble in Catalina as well. If you want to use the app, Adobe recommends to get Photoshop CC 2019.
• Premiere Pro. The app is 64-bit, but there have been reported issues related to camera and microphone access in macOS 10.15.
• Illustrator. The CS5 version won’t be supported in Catalina, but you may switch to CS6.
• InDesign. To this one, you have to say goodbye. At least, for now. The latest CS6 version hasn’t been updated to 64-bit architecture yet.
• Acrobat Pro. The recent version of the app, as well as Acrobat DC and Acrobat Reader DC, have 32-bit components. So it’s a no, for now.

Most Adobe apps — even those with 64-bit architecture — are known for Dark Mode issues. So if you continue using the apps in Catalina, be careful with the darkness.

As a safe alternative, get CameraBag Pro or Capto. They work equally well for professional designers and amateurs. Both are available on Setapp, a subscription package that, by the way, offers many more photo editing tools — just ask for it.

How to check if an app is compatible with Catalina

We’ve talked a lot about outdated app architecture, so the first thing you’ll want to check when upgrading is whether your app is 32-bit. Here’s an easy way to do it on Mac:

1. Click on the Apple logo in the upper left corner.
2. Select About This Mac > System Report.
3. Navigate to Applications under the Software tab.
4. Find your app on the list and check whether it says “Yes” in the 64-bit column. In macOS Catalina, there will be no such column. So, you’ll have to click on the app and see a short description that says “Kind: 64-bit.”

We also recommend to pay attention to the “Obtained from” field. Ideally, it should say Apple, Mac App Store, or Identified Developer. Avoid using apps that are specified as “Obtained from Unknown,” while these are most likely to misbehave.

If you want to uninstall 32-bit applications before upgrading, CleanMyMac X will swipe everything away for you. Open the app and go to Uninstaller. Filter your apps by 32-bit and click Uninstall. Instead of checking System Report every time, you can find and remove every outdated application in a few seconds.

If your app doesn’t work in macOS 10.15

The problem with 64-bit architecture is that many developers choose not to optimize their 32-bit applications for Mac with the release of Catalina. If that’s the case and you can’t find an alternative for the missing app, you might need to downgrade back to Mojave. Luckily, there’s a way to fix most problems with apps not working in Catalina:

• Check whether a developer has a 64-bit update for your app.
• Look for an alternative app compatible with macOS 10.15. For instance, most of the Adobe apps for photo and video editing can be replaced with Capto or CameraBag Pro.
• Roll back to Mojave and continue using 32-bit apps. You should note, though, that Apple may stop the support for Mojave by 2020, which means it will stop supporting 32-bit architecture sooner or later.

While many developers continue working on Catalina compatibility, there will be further changes to the list. For questions and quick insights, follow the MacRumors discussion on Catalina apps.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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