Your iTunes store session has expired – What to do

iTunes is the media library created by Apple where users can go to purchase all sorts of media from music albums to blockbuster movies.

Although, the popularity of streaming services has seen the ‘need’ for iTunes’ deteriorate in recent times (with many preferring Apple Music to iTunes), it still boasts over 500 million active accounts worldwide.

The app is available on desktop across all top operating systems as well on Android and iOS devices.

One common issue that iTunes users often face is an error message that reads ‘iTunes store session has expired’.

There are a number of different reasons why you may see this error message and therefore, a number of different ways in which you can fix the issue.

In this article, we are going to go through all the things you should do if you ever see this error message while using iTunes.

iTunes store session has expired – The quick fix

The most common reason for this error message is when you’ve been logged in to iTunes for too long without any activity.

When this happens, you will automatically be logged out and your session will be classed as ‘expired’. In order to fix the situation, you simply just need to log back in to the iTunes store and continue your session.

This can be a nuisance, especially for those of us who log into an app once and then forget the password.

If you are one of these people, and you use iTunes on your mobile device, then you can enable face ID to log in to the iTunes store to speed things up. To do this on an iOS device, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the settings app on your device.
2. Navigate to Face ID and Passcode.
3. Ensure that the bar next to iTunes is selected.

After doing this, when you open iTunes music player you won’t need to worry about it expiring later on.

Check for updates

Another reason why you may receive this error message is if you are logged in to iTunes when the app runs an update.

If you are logged in to the app while an update is taking place then you will be logged out so the the app can restart itself with all of its new features. Of course, this will only be possible if you have automatic updates switched on.

What we’d recommend to users who do receive this error message is to check what your update settings are and make sure you’re using the latest version.

Firstly, you need to see if you have automatic updates switched on. To do this on an iOS device, you need to head to settings and select ‘app store’.

Once here, you will see a bar next to ‘automatic updates’ – if the bar is slid over to green then it means apps will automatically update on your device, and if it’s not then it won’t.

If automatic updates aren’t selected, then it’s safe to assume that updates aren’t causing this error message.

Another thing you can do in relation to updates is check when there is an update scheduled for the app. To do this on an iOS device then head to the app store and select your account icon on the top right hand of the screen.

This page will then show a list of all apps that have upcoming updates, an addition to apps that have recently been updated.

Again, if you don’t see iTunes on either of these lists, then at least you know that updates aren’t causing the error message and you can look at other fixes.

Reset your iTunes

If this is a recurring issue then it’s likely a bug within the app and it needs a reset. The most effective way of resetting the app is to delete it off your phone and then reinstall a clean version.

To delete the iTunes app from an iOS device, you need to hold down on the app icon on your phone’s homepage and select ‘remove app’ from the drop down menu that appears.

Once it’s deleted, head straight to the app store and redownload the app. Any saved data that you have on iTunes will be safe providing you are connected to the iCloud, except now you should have a clean, un-bugged version of the app on your phone.

If the issue still persists after you’ve done this then it’s worth getting in touch with apple directly to see what they can do for you.

Conclusion

To conclude, if you see this error message as a one off then it’s more than likely just because you’ve been logged in to iTunes for too long without any activity.

However, if you start to notice that the error message is becoming a frequent occurrence then it’s probably time to reset the app or contact Apple for direct support.

Please do ensure that you have gone through all of our above suggestions before contacting Apple, as they are likely to recommend similar fixes in the first instance.