AppStore does not let you download application updates because you see the message Please “Tap on and sign in to see the billing information”? Apple requires the mandatory verification of your billing information and even if they have verified, you can not use the store? There are thousands of iOS users who are reporting problems with the AppStore and the download of the app for free because the system requires mandatory verification of the account: let’s see together how to solve the problem on their own or with the help of Apple support.
Many owners of Apple devices are having trouble downloading free applications or updates from the App Store and the required verification window appears on the iPhone or iPad: but in many cases even by setting up a valid credit card or an active phone number, you are able to reach a solution.
In this article I want to explain what are the possible causes that ask you to make the mandatory verification of the Apple account, how to fix the problem and be able to download free apps and updates.
Apple mandatory verification: why does this message appear?
As already anticipated at the beginning of this article, there are many owners of iPhone and iPad who can not download the app for free from the App Store or download updates, because of the message Verifies mandatory and double check the Billing Information; but the message that appears in iOS is rather concise and does not make us understand what is the cause that prevents to complete the verification of the data entered but according to some research done in the community, as reported in the Apple support and communicated by some assistants who have responded to the practices regarding the mandatory verification, the causes would be the following:
- billing information entered in the wrong account
- incorrect credit card information
- credit/debit card expired or blocked
- payment method with available credit of less than $1.98 dollars necessary to allow Apple to verify the correct functioning of the inserted card or account
- the telephone provider blocks Apple’s charges
- unpaid or pending invoices in the App Store or iTunes Store
- subscriptions to services not deactivated before expiry (Netflix, Apple Music, etc …)
- further checks on the account are necessary
- technical problems of the store
I remind you that with the telephone charge and therefore the remaining credit on the SIM you can not charge the charges made in the App Store or iTunes Store on your SIM so you will have to opt for another payment method like Paypal or credit/debit card.
If you do not see “None” among the payment methods, you most likely have some pending invoices or unsecured active subscriptions for this reason Apple obliges you to set up a valid source of credit and with sufficient credit to settle the account; after verification you can set None as a payment method.
Mandatory verification for free apps: how to solve
Unfortunately there is no single and definitive solution to the problem of mandatory verification of the AppStore because the causes could be multiple; in any case, it is of fundamental importance to supply Apple with our billing information and the correct payment method.
Carefully follow the steps provided below to try to solve the problem: first, we need to access the billing settings of the Apple ID we use on our iPhone or iPad, so if the screen of your device has appeared the required verification window because you were trying to download updates from the store, touch OK and then the icon at the top right with the photo of your account or the symbol of a little man, continue tapping on your name that appears at the top of the screen and then on info on payment.
Alternatively, if you want to access billing information for your AppStore account, go to Settings> tap on your name/account that appears at the top> iTunes and App Store> tap on the Apple ID email above> View Apple ID > Info on payment.
In this section of your Apple account, you must fill in the required fields by entering a valid payment method and the billing details of the payment method holder; in this case, since we want to solve the problem of the mandatory verification if available, it sets up None as the payment method and proceeds checking the billing data by compiling it correctly; at the end touch Finish that appears at the top right and you have completed the verification of the Apple account.
AppStore billing data: how to fill in correctly
Many users are unable to download free apps from the store or updates because the mandatory verification message appears, for the simple reason of having incorrectly filled in the requested data as this is a valid form all over the world, some fields we can not fill them out. To make sure you complete everything correctly, follow the instructions below:
- according to the selected payment method, fill in the required fields. For credit/debit cards, enter the 16 front numbers, the expiry date in the MM/YYYY format, and the 3 CVV digits that are written on the back of the card.
- go ahead with filling in the data by writing your Name and Surname in the required fields
- write your full address with street number and street number in the first field Address
- leave the second address field blank if it is not necessary to provide other indications (stable, shed, staircase, etc …)
- write your city and province in full, in the dedicated fields
- enter your phone number.
- at the end, make sure that next to Country/Region your country of residence appears.
Please double-check your billing information and touch Finish at the top right. If all went well, you have verified the Apple account and payment method used and you can once again download updates and free apps without the mandatory verification message.
Is the “Mandatory verification” problem on AppStore persists?
If after following all the steps in this guide to solve the problem with the App Store or you can not set “None” as a payment method, to download updates or free apps because the system asks you for the required verification, then contact Apple support to request more information about it and resolve the issue or possibly (if you have entered a valid payment method), contact your bank asking for more information to make payments in the AppStore, iTunes Store and to make the required verification of the Apple account.
As already mentioned in the first paragraph, the presence of unpaid invoices or unpaid passes, prevents the possibility of setting None as a payment method; therefore it is necessary to insert a card or SIM with sufficient credit for the balance, in order to verify the account.
To check the payment status of subscriptions and invoices, follow these steps:
- open the iOS Settings and go to the iTunes Store and App Store
- tap on Apple ID which appears at the top of blue color
- Tap View Apple ID and enter your account password
- tap on Subscriptions and check that there are no outstanding subscriptions, possibly checking the amount of the debt
- tap on Back and then on Purchase History
- check that there are no app payments purchased pending, possibly checking the amount of the debt
Now that you know if there are outstanding payments in your Apple account, you can estimate how much credit you’ll need to have in the payment method set to complete the required verification; If you find purchases/subscriptions that you have never performed or deactivated in time, contact Apple support and highlight the problem.
You just have to try the solutions proposed in this guide to do the obligatory verification of the App Store that prevents you from downloading free applications and app updates already downloaded in the past.