iBooks Store Not Working Shows Blank Screen, How-To Fix

By SK 109 comments Last updated May 22, 2023

Numerous users have encountered issues with the functionality of their iBooks Store. While they are able to view their personal books on their iPhones and iPads, clicking on the Featured, For You, or even the Library sections only displays a blank screen. This problem appears to occur intermittently, particularly after an iOS or app update, as indicated by the emails and comments we have received from our readers in the forum.

Before You Troubleshoot

If you recently experienced this issue after an iOS or app update, it’s possible that the Cellular Data access for iBooks was disabled during the update and didn’t automatically re-enable. To resolve this, follow these simple steps:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap on Books in the list of apps.
Under the Allow Books to Access section, tap the toggle next to Cellular Data to the On position.

By turning on Cellular Data access for iBooks, you ensure that the app can utilize your cellular internet connection when necessary. This should resolve any issues related to restricted internet access for iBooks following an iOS or app update.

Another way of checking is to visit Settings > Cellular > and toggle on Cellular Data AND under the heading Use Cellular Data For: toggle on iBooks.

Check Apple System Status Page

Occasionally, the Apple system experiences downtime, either for planned maintenance or unexpectedly. Like any technology, these occurrences are a natural part of life. Instead of immediately delving into troubleshooting steps that may not be necessary, it is advisable to first consult Apple’s System Status page. This will help ensure that there are no ongoing issues with the Apple Book Store before proceeding further.

In the event that issues are detected, it is important to remember that time can be your ally. Patience is key, and it is recommended to check again after an hour or so. Apple works diligently to address and resolve problems, so the downtime of the iBooks Store is likely to be temporary and not last for an extended period.

Troubleshooting Tips for iBooks Store Not Working Shows Blank Screen

Log out of Your iCloud Account

The most common way to fix the problem if the iBooks Store shows blank screen is to log out of your iCloud account and then log back in. This seems to be a pretty good fix for most things, as there are times when syncing can get hung up. Signing out of your iCloud account and then back in should fix those problems.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap [Your Name] at the top of the screen.
Scroll down and tap Media & Purchases.
From the menu that appears, tap the Sign Out button.
A pop-up box will appear confirming that this will sign you out of the App Store, Books, Music and Podcasts.
Tap the Sign Out button to confirm.
Restart your iPhone or iPad.
Once restarted, open the Books app to see if the “blank screen” problem still appears.

If everything appears to be working normally again, then you can follow the steps above to sign back into your iCloud account.

Try Opening a Link to the Book Store

Opening a link to the Apple Book Store on an iPhone can potentially help resolve certain problems or issues for a few reasons. By opening a link to the Apple Book Store, you essentially relaunch the Books app or trigger a refresh. This can help clear any temporary glitches or issues that might be affecting the app’s functionality.

Open the Safari app on your iPhone or iPad.
In the address bar of the browser, type in the URL for the Apple Books Store. The URL is https://books.apple.com/.
Hit the Enter key or Go button on the keyboard to load the webpage.
The web browser will navigate to the Books Store, where you can explore and purchase books.

In the event that you’ve come across this page, the link below will also take you to a listing within the Apple Books Store on whatever device you are currently using.

Make Something Wonderful – Apple Books Store

Redownload Books To Your iPhone or iPad

Open the Apple Books app on your iPhone.
Tap the Library tab in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Find the book you want to redownload.
- If you are in the All Books view, you will see a list of all your purchased books, including those that are not currently downloaded to your device.
Tap on the download icon (a cloud with an arrow pointing downwards) next to the book’s title. This will initiate the redownload process.
If you are already in the “Downloaded” view and see the book you want to redownload listed, simply swipe left on the book’s title. You will see a red “Delete” button. Tap on it to remove the downloaded book from your device.
Once the book is removed, you can tap on the Download button that appears next to the book’s title. This will start the redownload process.
The book will now be redownloaded to your iPhone and will appear in your book library once the download is complete. You can access and read it from there.

By following these steps, you can easily redownload books on your iPhone using the Books app.

Create a New Collection and Try Again

Creating a new collection in the Apple Books app on an iPhone may not directly fix technical issues within the app itself. However, this has been found to remedy the problem iBooks Store Not Working Shows Blank Screen.

Open the Apple Books app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on the Library tab located at the bottom of the screen. This will display your book library.
In the Library view, tap on Collections located at the top of the screen. If you don’t see Collections, tap on Edit in the top-right corner and make sure Collections is selected in the list of options.
You will be taken to the Collections view, where you can see your existing collections (if any). Tap on the + New Collection option at the bottom of the screen.
A text field will appear where you can enter a name for your new collection. Type in a name for your collection and tap on Save or Done (depending on your device) to create it.
Once the collection is created, you can start adding books to it. To add a book to the collection, go back to your book library by tapping on the Library tab at the bottom of the screen. Find the book you want to add, then tap and hold on the book’s cover until a pop-up menu appears. Tap on Add to Collection and select the collection you just created.
The book will now be added to your new collection. You can access the collection by going back to the Library tab and tapping on Collections. Your newly created collection will be listed there, and you can tap on it to view and read the books within it.

By following these steps, you can easily create a new collection in the Apple Books app on your iPhone or iPad and organize your books more effectively.

Check Your Restrictions and Cookies

Tap on Settings > General > Restrictions and toggle the Restrictions ON and OFF a few times. Make sure that your iBooks store is OFF (No restrictions). Check iBooks and see if there are any changes and if you are now able to access the iBooks Store.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
At the top of the page, tap Allowed Apps.
Scroll down and make sure that Book Store is enabled.
Tap the < Back button in the top left corner.
Tap Content Restrictions.
Under the Allowed Store Content section, tap Books.
Tap either Clean or Explicit.
In the top left corner, tap the < Back button to save your changes.

One more thing that you’ll want to do before opening the Apple Books app again is to clear the history and website data on your iPhone or iPad.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap Safari.
Under the Privacy & Security section, tap the toggle next to Block All Cookies on and then off.
Tap the Clear History and Website Data button.

Reset Location and Privacy

There’s a lot to be said about the state of privacy and security with third-party apps nowadays. Usually, you’ll find yourself needing to provide access to apps, but this could end up draining your battery quickly if an app has gone “rogue”. An easy way to get things back in working order until you find the culprit is to reset the Location and Privacy settings. This revokes any access that third-party apps might have, so you’ll be prompted to permit access after the app is opened again.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap General.
Scroll to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone (iPad).
Tap the Reset button at the bottom of the page.
Tap Reset Location & Privacy.
Enter your passcode if prompted.

When you reset location and privacy, it returns these particular settings back to factory defaults. This means that all your apps immediately stop using your location until you grant them permission again via Location Services (Settings > Privacy > Location Services.)

It appears that the Reset Locations and Privacy option fixed the issue for many but not all. If this tip didn’t work for you, continue in the list below.

Check Your Date and Time

Date and time settings can sometimes be the cause of various issues. To ensure accuracy, let’s verify that they are correctly configured for your current location. Follow these steps:

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap on General.
In the General settings, select Date & Time.
Toggle the Set Automatically option to ON. This ensures that the day of the week and time are automatically updated based on your current location.

By enabling the “Set Automatically” feature, your device will synchronize the date and time with the correct information for your current location. This can help address any potential problems related to incorrect date and time settings.

Check Your Language and Region

If you encounter persistent issues with the iBooks Store, an unconventional yet effective solution is to change your language or region settings. Follow these steps:

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap General.
In the General settings, select Language & Region.
Tap on Add Language… and choose a different language that you are familiar with or select a regional variation of your current language, such as English (Canada).
Now, try opening the Apple Books app again and see if the issue is resolved. If the books appear correctly, proceed to the next step.
To revert to your preferred language, return to Settings > General > Language & Region.
Tap Language once again and select your preferred language

By temporarily changing the language or region settings and then switching back, you may be able to resolve any underlying issues affecting the iBooks Store.

Clear the Apple Books/iBooks Store App Cache

Tap on any one of the bottom toolbar buttons (My Books, Featured, Top Authors, Purchased) rapidly 10 times. It sounds strange but it refreshes the iBook Store App and may just solve your problem.

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone could be just the ticket to get the Apple Books app working again. And here’s how you can do so:

Press the Volume Up button and release.
Press the Volume Down button and release.
Press and hold the Side button for 10-15 seconds until your iPhone reboots.

In the event that you followed the steps above and the iPhone doesn’t reboot, you might want to try pressing the buttons in a faster sequence. The timing is key, as you’ll need to make sure the iPhone recognizes what it is that you’re trying to do.

Those who are using an older iPhone (or iPhone SE) that still includes a home button, will need to follow a different series of steps:

Press and hold the Side (Power) and Volume Down buttons at the same time.
Continue holding until the Apple logo appears.
Release both buttons.

Check iBooks and see if there are any changes and if you are now able to access the iBooks Store.

Connect to iTunes or Finder

Connect iDevice to iTunes via Computer and check for available updates. If an iOS update is available, update it using iTunes. Remember to backup with iTunes to your local computer before performing any update. Check iBooks and see if there are any changes and if you are now able to access the iBooks Store.

For most people, either a Reboot or updating to the latest version of iOS for your iDevice fixes the issue. Try steps 3 through 8 and see if it helps you with this problem.

Reader Tips & Tricks for iBooks Store Not Working Shows Blank Screen

For me logging out and back into my account via Settings > iTunes & App Store briefly fixed it (until I next opened a book on my bookshelf), other people appear to have had some success by closing the app via the iPad’s taskbar and/or doing a soft reset/reboot. If you want to leave feedback to Apple about the problem
I had similar issues this AM. When I tapped on any of the store icons, it just showed me a completely blank screen. I had saved a note with links to iBooks Store pages. These were links for books in my future reading list. Upon clicking a link from the list, it opened it up in the iBook Store and seemed to work. I don’t know if it refreshed the store or what, but the link loaded properly in iBooks, and the rest of the store seems to be working. iBooks has been working fine for me since
Essentially, you open for an iBook link in Safari and then click on it so that it can open it in your iBooks app
Renee Riffey tried the following: I just reset my location and privacy settings and iBook is now working! Settings >General > Reset Location and Privacy
Chris suggests: go to iTunes, search for iBooks, when it comes up, select any book and request sample, then hit Store in top right corner, takes you to iBooks, works for me
I fix this problem with my iPad! Go to Purchased in iBooks app. Under books, tap on your Recent Purchases. Look and see if any of your books have the cloud symbol next to them. If so, tap the cloud symbol to manually re-downloaded everything back to your iPad
For those of you connecting to iTunes or iBooks and only seeing a blank white screen, go to your Settings> Safari and change Block Cookies to Allow from Websites I Visit. This worked for me–iBooks Store back
This is how I solved the problem on my iPad. Open iBooks and tap Select from the upper right corner. Tap Select All. The choose Move from the upper-left corner. In the drop-down menu, create a New Collection and call it Move Folder. Then move all selected items from your Bookshelf to that new folder. Once you move all items go back to the main iBooks screen My Books. Now iBooks should connect to the bookstore. If not, restart the app by double tapping Home and swiping up. Once everything is working again, go back into that new Move Folder and return your books to their original location or whatever location you prefer
I asked a friend or family member to share a book link to something in the iBooks Store via iMessage or SMS Text. Just ask them to open the iBooks Store on their phone or computer, find any book, and share the link with you via text. Then all you have to do is open this link and everything works again

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.