Several iPod touch, iPad and iPhone users reported the following error message when attempting to access the iTunes Store, App Store, the Mail app, or a website: The certificate for this server is invalid. You might also see the error cannot verify server identity.
Follow these quick tips when getting certificate errors on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod
Restart your device
Force close the app and launch it again
Update your device’s Date & Time settings to Set Automatically
For issues with the Mail app, delete the account and add it back
Reset all settings on your device
What is a certificate?
A secure website that encrypts data needs to obtain a site or host certificate from a trusted certification authority (CA) to verify that the site is indeed secure. These security certificates are part of the HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol, designed to encrypt all data that travels back and forth between a server and a user’s browser.
Basically, a certificate ensures that your data is indeed encrypted so any information you provide is kept private.
These errors indicate that a website or server is not trustworthy, so never enter any private, confidential, or sensitive personal information if you see these types of certificate errors.
What are certificate errors like the certificate for this server is invalid?
You find certificate errors when there’s an issue with a site’s or server’s use of a certificate.
One of the most common reasons for certificate errors is when your device’s or computer’s date & time are incorrect
Luckily, this is an easy fix.
Check your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch’s date and time by going to Settings > General > Date & Time. we recommend toggling on Set Automatically instead of entering manually.
Turn on ‘Set Automatically’ and select your Time Zone.
For Macs, go to System Preferences > Date & Time and tick the box for Set date and time automatically.
Wait it out and visit site or app later
If you continue to see the error after updating the date & time, it’s possible the certificate has expired and needs renewal.
Do not continue with the site until the certificate warning is gone.
Since this is a problem with the server or website, there is nothing you can do other than wait for the certificate to renew.
Toggle off or reset Safari’s Fraudulent Website Warning
If you’re confident that the site is secure or it’s your own site/blog, you can toggle off Safari’s warnings.
When you turn on Fraudulent Website Warning, Safari displays a warning if a site is suspected of phishing or other fraudulent behavior. When browsing with this feature on, Safari might verify the site address with Google Safe Browsing to ensure it’s not fraudulent.
While we don’t recommend it, you can disable Fraudulent Website Warnings in Safari by going to Settings > Safari, then toggling the Fraudulent Website Warning off.
A better option is to reset it!
On your device, go to Settings > Safari > toggle off the Fraudulent Website Warning
Restart your device
Return to those same settings and toggle the Fraudulent Website Warning back on
Test the site or app again
Seeing this certificate for this server is invalid error on a Mac?
Check if a certificate is valid using Keychain Access
Use your Mac’s Certificate Assistant in Keychain Access to evaluate a certificate by looking at its trust policy and determine if it is valid.
Open Keychain Access from your Mac’s Applications > Utilities folder
Choose Certificates in the Category list
Double-click the certificate you wish to evaluate
Go to the top menu and choose Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Evaluate certificate name
Select a trust policy
Click Continue
Reader tips
For email account issues, go to Settings> Passwords & Accounts> tap the specific email account > Advanced > toggle off Use SSL
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.
Upon restart, I was assaulted by a bevy of warnings regarding inability to connect to a variety of Google services. Then upon opening Music I can not even play anything (A SERVICE WHICH I PAY FOR) due to an invalid certificate warning for bag.itunes.apple.com.
I’ve tried all of your suggestions to no avail. I also have an older iPad that I use to download library books. While my device is slower, this seems to be the one site giving me this issue. Any other suggestions wod be appreciated. Thanks
I have a fairly old IPad. 16gb. Model A1430. Serial DMPHF8YJDVGG. When trying to download ebooks from local libraries, I get “Certificate for this server is invalid.” Is this on my end or the libraries? I have reseached but don’t know next steps… than you.
My mail is not working properly. I got a message that the certificate for this server is invalid and you might be connected to a server that is pretending to be “imap.bellaliant.net” which could be a confidentially issue. Bell told me that this is NOT a certificate issue but it is an Apple issue. Looked up on Google and told this was an outdated certificate problem.
I was trying to set up my new iPhone around the same time this problem started occurring.
I can see my email at Bells web site but not on my computer.
Please help me because I’m tired of the run around.
Terrance McInnis
Same problem for me with my IPad. If I change to set automatically the Time zone box goes into perpetual timeout. Usual frustration, I guess the idea is to make us all expect that nothing works as it should then we are grateful for the time it does work.
Well updating to iOS 17 was a bloody mistake.
Upon restart, I was assaulted by a bevy of warnings regarding inability to connect to a variety of Google services. Then upon opening Music I can not even play anything (A SERVICE WHICH I PAY FOR) due to an invalid certificate warning for bag.itunes.apple.com.
I am less than impressed – sort your issues out.
I’ve tried all of your suggestions to no avail. I also have an older iPad that I use to download library books. While my device is slower, this seems to be the one site giving me this issue. Any other suggestions wod be appreciated. Thanks
I have a fairly old IPad. 16gb. Model A1430. Serial DMPHF8YJDVGG. When trying to download ebooks from local libraries, I get “Certificate for this server is invalid.” Is this on my end or the libraries? I have reseached but don’t know next steps… than you.
My mail is not working properly. I got a message that the certificate for this server is invalid and you might be connected to a server that is pretending to be “imap.bellaliant.net” which could be a confidentially issue. Bell told me that this is NOT a certificate issue but it is an Apple issue. Looked up on Google and told this was an outdated certificate problem.
I was trying to set up my new iPhone around the same time this problem started occurring.
I can see my email at Bells web site but not on my computer.
Please help me because I’m tired of the run around.
Terrance McInnis
My defender app says this on all my devices tried the time thing on all of them but didn’t fix it any other way to fix it
thanks alot ma problem was solved through u. appreciate
The date, time and timezone are all correct on my phone, but this message persists whenever I tried to connect with iCloud.
Thank you very much you help me
Excellent fix thanks worked
Thanks. It solved mynproblem. However i needed to set up the time manually.
It is happening on my ipad whilst using itunes. The time zone is set up correctly
Dude Thanks You So Much I Have This Problem For Maybe 2 Months Ago ..
Finally I Got A Solution Thanks Dude
Same problem for me with my IPad. If I change to set automatically the Time zone box goes into perpetual timeout. Usual frustration, I guess the idea is to make us all expect that nothing works as it should then we are grateful for the time it does work.
Same here. Date/time is correct but still receive the certificate error.
Get the same prob with my date and time are both correct, tried to ON the set automatically but the prob still dont go away.
What if you get this error and all your date, time, and timezone settings are correct?