Fix iTunes Network Connection Timed Out & Error -3259 During iPhone Update
Some users report variations of a “Network Connection Timed Out” error when trying to update their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a newer version of iOS or even when attempting to connect to the iTunes Store. Errors include but are not limited to:
- “There is a problem downloading the software”
- “Network Connection Timed Out”
- “iTunes could not connect to the Store. An unknown error occurred (-3259). Make sure your network connection is active and try again.”
- “There was an error downloading your music (-3259)”
- “Cannot connect to iTunes Store”
- iTunes Error 9808
- Variations of iTunes Error -3259
These are usually pretty simple errors to fix and we have several methods below.
Before going any further to troubleshoot this error message, make sure the following is true:
- You are connected to the internet
- You have the latest version of iTunes. That applies to both Mac and Windows
If you’re still having problems, here are some troubleshooting tips to fix and resolve various iTunes and iOS software update connection errors:
How to Fix iTunes Network and iPhone Update Connection Errors
There are numerous reasons you might encounter a network connection error with iTunes or iOS updates, try these fixes:
Disable Firewall and Anti-Virus
This is often the simplest solution and this is what you should try first. Temporarily disabling your antivirus software and firewalls often works to cease the network time outs. I can’t give specific instructions for this because there are so many different types of antivirus and firewalls out there, but it’s usually just a matter of finding the program in question and disabling it. Obviously, once the iOS update has been run successfully, you’ll want to re-enable the firewall or antivirus.
Uninstall and Re-install iTunes
This seems to be more effective for Windows users, but sometimes just uninstalling iTunes and re-installing the latest version is enough to resolve network connection errors.
Flush DNS Cache
Sometimes flushing your DNS cache is enough to resolve the network time outs, here is how to do this for Mac OS X and Windows:
Flushing DNS Cache in Mac OS X
We’ve covered this before but here’s a reminder:
- Launch the Terminal from /Applications/Utilities
- At the command prompt, type in “dscacheutil -flushcache” and hit return
- After the command has executed, you can exit Terminal and your DNS has been flushed
This works in Mac OS X 10.5 and Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
Flushing DNS Cache in Windows XP, Vista, and 7
- Go to the Start menu and click on “Run”
- In the “Run” box, type in ‘command.com’
- When the DOS prompt appears, type in ‘ipconfig /flushdns’ and hit return
- If the command has run properly, you’ll see a message saying DNS Resolving Cache has been flushed
- You can now close the command.com prompt window
Note: if you encounter an error in Windows saying you do not have permissions or need authentication, make sure you run command.com as an Administrative user. You can do this by right-clicking on Run and selecting “Run as Administrator.”
Manually Download the iOS Update
If you’re having problems downloading the update file (IPSW), you can actually download these directly from Apple rather than through iTunes. This is recommended more for advanced users since there are so many versions of iOS and firmware available, but here are the repository links:
- iPhone Firmware iOS IPSW file downloads
- iPad Firmware & IPSW file downloads
- iPod Touch Firmware & IPSW file downloads
If you go this route, here is where the IPSW files are stored locally on your machine:
- IPSW location in Mac OS X: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates
- IPSW location in Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
- IPSW location in Windows Vista & Windows 7: \Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
This is where a corrupt or half-downloaded IPSW file will sit too, but you should backup the existing IPSW file before overwriting it with a new version just in case.
iTunes Error 9808
This error is usually limited to Windows users, and here’s how to fix Error -9808:
- Quit iTunes
- Open Internet Explorer
- Go to the Tools menu and select “Internet Options”
- Click on “Advanced” tab and look for the Security section
- Uncheck “Check for server certificate revocation” (this may require a restart)
- Close the IE options, and now relaunch iTunes, the store should access as usual
That’s it for now, try these solutions and hopefully you will no longer have problems connecting to iTunes or downloading software updates for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
Temporarily disabling your antivirus software and firewalls often work to cease the network time outs.
when i try to update and restore my i phone 6 , it is shwing an error message ; i tunes could not connect to this phone. an unknown error occured (0xE8000915)
I am to download a total of 3.15GB iOS update in order to restore my iPhone 7, I keep getting connection time out with windows 8. And my phone automatically restart in 15 minutes to interrupt the download.
My iPhone is already in “connect to iTunes mode”
Pls What’s the simple and best thing to do now
Thank you so much!! This helped. I tried for hours and this error kept showing up in the middle of the process. Once I was able to disable firewall, antivirus and flush dns cache, it finally worked!! So thanks! This genuinely saved my life!!
My iPhone 6 was stuck in recovery mode (connect to itunes screen – itunes logo with iphone cable), this was due to updating to iOs 10 via wifi and then battery going dead!
iTunes recognised the iPhone, selecting Update or Restore would end in error.
First try softwarw such as ReiBoot, wondershare, iReb
Here was my solution after days of attempts:
– Download IPSW software from 3rd party website, latest version for your iPhone should do as you will not be able to recover data on phone. You will be able to sync from iTunes backup later
– Place this file in C:\Users\**YOURUSERNAME**\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
– Return to iTunes and connect iPhone
– Put iPhone into DFU mode (google method) – iTunes should still have iPhone recognised
– Shift click Restore and then select the IPSW file
– This should now being Restore process and your iPhone should work after this
If this does not work or this ends after timeout/15mins:
Disable firewall/spyware
Ensure iTunes is latest version
Try another PC/Laptop which is faster – This is the method which eventually worked for me!!
I then synced the app data from my iTunes, which was 3 weeks old. You will then have to allow your iPhone to download the actually apps seperately as backup only saves app Data.
p.s. This shows backup your iphone weekly minimum and you will have no issues incase your iPhone is bricked!!
Terminal says that discacheutil is an unknown command
dscacheutil is the command, not ‘discacheutil’, having exact syntax is required for the commands to execute properly. Simple typo but it messes it up,
Well folks, I tried everything and for months decided I was a dismall failure… BUT THEN…. I decided it was about time to change the router. Yippee yahoo… Finally I was able to upgrade my iPad from 4.3 to the current version of 6. All the work needed took a little over three hours. I am such a happy bunny!! So, my problem was noise on the line. There was a time I was the only one who bothered with an Internet connection where I live (out in the middle of nowhere), but with younger people moving into the area, the times they were a-changing. Even though my own router was stronger than others used I still needed that extra kick to filter out the noise. :)
Thanks for the great tips! I was really frustrated for months to the point that I was ready to buy the new version because I could not figure out what the real problem was. No one suggested that the firewall could be the underlying problem. Lo and behold, firewall was the solution for me. Finally, I was able to upgrade my iphone, and thanks to you, all my apps, especially viber, are updated and my iphone is running at full capacity.
Thank you so much i did all this and finally got my ipod sorted you guys are the best
Manually update after file download:
“Open up iTunes and click on the ‘Restore’ button with the Option button (Mac) or the Shift button (PC) pressed down. Once you do that, you’ll be prompted and you’ll want to select the file that you just downloaded
ty buddy..kaspersky issue….!!
The suggestions worked really well.Tried 1st by wifi didnt work.Then tried with LAN connection between modem & Laptop with these antivirus disabled,firewall off,automatic updates off , restarted computer and started download & update again. successfully updated and all old applications were restored as well as I had taken a back up as well.
Thanks a lot
Thanks for the tips. Flushing the DNS really helped. I was at a wits end till I came across this post.
I disabled my firewall and turned off my anti-virus and flushed the DNS and nothing happened. I have AVG anti-virus and I disabled something called the “Resident Shield.” I just can’t seem to connect to iTunes. Nothing is working for me.
You might try disabling your firewall and security software first and then uninstalling/reinstalling iTunes and all of its components. Sometimes security software can block components if the iTunes installation package.
Thanks alot! I turned of the firewall and flushed the DNS and it worked like a charm. Thanks again.
Perfect – disabled my Kaspersky and it worked great – Thanks!
thanks so much! flushing totally worked for me hahah ;)
Thanks a lot !!!
Tried to upgrade so many times, and kept falling over “network connection timed out” error. Finally, found this post, and worked step-by-step. Disabling anti-virus (i use NOD32) – didn’t work… tried the flush IP.. not much luck either. Finally, using everything together – NOD disabled, running flush, and running manually – worked for me.
Again, huge thanks.. and good luck for all the rest who are still struggling. Don’t loose hope.. as you can see… finally things happen.
i tried so many time, still unable to updated, error 3259 appear..finally disabling Kaspersky worked for me, thank you so much.Finally my iphone 4 is IOS 5. Took me half an hour only for the upgrading…..once again thank you so much…
Cheers~~
this helped alot.thanks! was trying for a while
Disabling the firewall worked. Thanks so much for this information.
downloading the iOS update manually worked for me! i kept getting the error message “iTunes could not connect to the Store. An unknown error occurred (-3259). Make sure your network connection is active and try again.” towards the end of the download after waiting for half an hour, it was so frustrating!
thank you so much!!!! =)
disabling antivirus and firewall didn’t work for me. after that i flushed DNS cache and it did the trick. thanks!
Useless; stupid password required. Not working
Amazing!!! i love you guys finally i could update my iso been stuck on 4.3.3 software. THANK YOU soo much i cleared cache and turned off firewall and kaspersky and it worked for me. thank you again really appreciated
Disabled Kaperski and installed perfectly Thanks for Info
Updating itunes to its latest version, flushing dns, disabling firewall and karpersky 2011 , definitely works for me . Thanks everyone !!
Thanks for post. i disabled my anti-virus and firewall and the phone finally updated to Ios 5
Thanks for this update, disabled my kaplesky and im able to update my ios status! just that … all my songs are gone =/ but all others are save ~
so none of the suggestions above worked for me either to get iTunes to successfully download the update…BUT, this is what I did to get it to work:
Use Firefox to manually download the iOS5 at the links above. I say use firefox because the download kept locking up, but firefox allows you to ‘pause’ and then ‘resume’ the download when it locks up. I did this quite a few times during the 782mb download. Finally it successfully downloaded the file. I placed the file where iTunes would have (mentioned above depending on your OS), I re-opened iTunes, plugged in iphone, and it allowed me to update it. It was a lil painful, and the backup and restore seemed to take forever (about 2 hours total), but I didnt touch it or mess with it and……FINALLY its upgraded. I am on Windows 7 btw. I hope that helps someone else out!!
i wanna just say, Thanks………
and thanks all of you guys.. your comments really does works………..
I have done nearly everything. I disabled my firewall, disabled my kaspersky AV 2011, flushed my dns cache, uninstalled kapersky, and prayed. Why can’t I get the ios 5 update for my iPhone 4? Maybe it’s just not meant to be. Someone please help
for so long attempts, i finally updated my iphone to the latest iOS by disabling my antivirus and firewall “kaspersky” this really helps. thanks guys.
Was having same issue on OS 10.6.8 — same problem like 15 times. No firewall, just using airport. I ended up disabling drop box and that worked. Not sure if it was a coincidence or what.
Thank you soooo much. Turning off the firewall and Kapersky worked.
Oddly mine timed out whenever my monitor turned off, quick fix and it worked.
WoW! That actually worked!!! Thanks!
thank you i have now updated my iphone 4 – i knew i would find.d an answer if i googled the problem – much appreciate
Finally! Haven’t been able to update my iphone 4 for months. Tried several times to get ios 5 by disabling Nod32 antivirus, but even that didn’t work. Read this article and tried to update after flushing the DNS cache and also disabling Nod 32, and it finally worked. Not sure which was the key, but am guessing that flushing the DNS cache did the trick. Thank you a million times over. PS Updating to ios 5 apparently takes the phone all the way to the beginning and then starts restoring form your backup, so it has many, many steps and re-starts things several times. be patient, don’t interrupt or unplug, everything came back when it was all done, including all apps.
THANK YOU :) after 3 very frustrating days trying to update my iPad 2 I found this page. After disabling my Kaspersky it worked :) Thanks again
This website was the first one to pop up when I searched for my problem, disabling the firewall was exactly what I needed to do. SO appreciative of this information, really saved me a lot of hearthache and troubleshooting on my own. Gracias!
I disabled Kaspersky Internet Security and my 6th attempt to download iOS5 for my iPad2 finally proved fruitful. Many thanks for the tip. PS. I didn’t need to flush the DNS cache.
Disabled Kaspersky and flushed dns cache then download/update worked a treat.
THANKS !!!! :-)
Carpy
disabling my kaspersky worked!! Thank you so much!!!
couldnt sleep for days trying to update my iphone4 to ios5 ,my connection speed was good , i download 774.4mb and i get error 3529 twice . i uninstalled karspesky 2011 and removed firewall , clear dns cache and my iphone is updated and restored , thanks to you guys . at some point i thot the phone was gonna freeze or get bricked . at last i can sleep .
Thanks for your reply. If you didn’t mention about uninstalling Kaspersky, I wouldn’t have known to do that and be able to update my iphone!
Ive been having this problem for months and after reading these helpful threads and trying so many times I finally got my iPhone 4 updated. Disable your firewall. I have Kapersky on my laptop so I went ahead and removed the program from my computer(it was expired anyways) and it worked for me! Also reboot your computer after you do these changes. I hope this helps all of you guys having the same issue, I know how frustrating it is!
Great input!!! I had trouble updating my iphone for about 2 months. Article was of immense help. Thanks a million for saving the day.
Thanks, first option worked for me really helpful info.
[…] looking around I stumbled upon a blog on the osxdaily site. https://osxdaily.com/2010/11/18/itunes-network-connection-timed-out-error-3259-iphone-update-fix/ and thanks to Manish Patel, I found that the network setting that Apple are referring to was my […]
WoW! That actually worked!!! Thanks!
I just got this laptop, and it came with “Kapersky”, and I had no clue it could prevent me from updating my iPod. I turned it off, and bam.
Good stuff. thanks again.
F**k all worked for us !!! t*ser
Thank you all for the info. disabling the antivirus (kaspersky) worked for me.
Kaspersky 2011 Internet Security off, it’s helpd for me
switching the antivirus (kaspersky), windows firewall, and windows defender managed me to download and install my first update ! My PC is running windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit. Thanks guys for the info, and by the way apple support recommend the same thing too.
Very helpful. I had previously disabled my firewall, having worked out that it might be responsible.
Today I also disabled my anti-virus (Kaspersky) and flushed my DNS buffer (no point in doing anything by halves), left it to download and, hey presto!, when I came back my iPod was upgraded and back to normal.
Heartfelt thanks, tears of gratitude, and so forth.
Switch off Anti-Virus and Firewall and everything will be ok 100 % !
Thanks for your help guys !
Thank you so much for posting this. I did the command prompt and disabled the firewall and it worked. Thank you I’ve been fighting with this for a while. Thanks man.
I’m on a macbook Air and nothing happened when I entered that phrase into terminal.
F**kin sweet how could the firewall be causing the network timeouts turning that off and flushing the dns cache did it for me, thanks man
I have tried all this, even uninstalled my Kapersky and I still can’t get the update, it’s driving me insane now!!!!!!
Yyeeyy finally updated my iPhone 3GS ! It’s only took me months! I have been on 4.2.1 for months because iTunes kept saying the network has timed out, I tried alsorts, now I’m on 4.3.5 :-)… I am so glad I found this site :-) disabling kaspersky and firewall worked 1st time ! thank you guys :-) I am 1 happy girl :-) x
I have tried everything! and nothing seems to do the trick…i disabled my firewalls for pc and kasperky2011 (spelled wrong) is there something else i need to disable in my kasperky other then the firewall? i need steps if there’s any :(
i really want to update my ipod but its not letting me
error:3259
I turned off Antivirus nd Firewall nd it worked, I have restored my IP4, Thanx For That.
Disabling firewall and anti-virus did it. Thanks!
P.S. I had also uncheck “check for server authentication.
I have tried for over a year to get IPAD update but receive “network connection timed out” error anywhere from 2 minutes into the download to 10 minutes before it is done. I have a Dell purchased in 2010, Windows 7, professional, which came with McAfee for Dell installed. I have tried everything. I have reviewed Itunes diagnostics and noticed it did not recognize me as administrator. Itunes gave up and told me to take Ipad to Genius to use their connection (drive 70 miles). I persisted. Below please find everything that I did this morning to get the download:
1. Sunday 6 a.m.
2. Attached cable from router to processor
3. Flush DNS cache: at DOS prompt type “ipconfig/flushdns”
4. Disable McAfee firewall and virus scanner
5. Right click on Itunes and select run as administrator
6. Select “Download” only
7. After download is successful go back and click on “update” to install
Hope this helps. I do think the time of day is also a factor.
I have been trying to get my ipod touch to update ios 5 for at least six months if not more. I have tried everything possible. It came down to one simple thing. Right click and run as administrator. I just can’t believe that it was that simple. I am excited yet pissed that that is all it was.
Used a private wireless network and never got downloads to work. Instead of using more time on it I use a cable between my laptop and router when I download in iTunes and everything works even with firewall and antivirus on.
Flushed the cashe and paused protection on my Kapersky just long enough for the download. Worked like a champ.
what a load of rot, when is apple going to admit that this problem is at there end. I suspect they cant keep up with the amount of users! none of this worked, it is not an issue with my computer as every thing else works extreamly well! do you think it is normal for an update to take 17 hours???? I do not!!! get your act together!!
You’re an idiot. It’s not Apple’s problem your network connection is garbage. You can’t even spell extremely.
Tried all of the above, nothing works, even downloading direct outside of iTunes the download stalls
Running Windows 7.
Someone pls help?
Disabling the firewall did the trick! thanks so much! I was about to throw my itouch out the window coz i was so pissed! hahaha! thanks!! i will recommend this website to those other discussion forums i saw with people having the same problem. YOU ROCK! =D
Thank you so much for this! I have the Kaspersky anti-virus, and it’s such a “duh” solution, but not being a big computer person I definitely needed to be pointed in the right direction. Pausing the Kaspersky helped me out!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! Finally able to update my iPad :-)
[…] Originally Posted by Fiend just wait for ios5. Yeah, that's SUCH useful advice We don't even know for sure when iOS 5 is coming out. suzantn, the first thing you want to do is make sure iTunes is up to date (this error will occur if you are trying to update to a newer version of iOS than your version of iTunes supports). If that isn't the problem, the following link has some useful information on how to fix the error: Fix iTunes Network Connection Timed Out & Error -3259 During iPhone Update […]
Disabling Kaspersky worked for me…just be sure to click “apply” after you uncheck all the various protections. I did not and had to go back and try it again. When I hit the apply button it finally worked…I have been working on this problem all week. Thank you!
Ive tried all of these and nothing is working. Ive uninstalled and reinstalled itunes, ive turned off spyware and antivirus, ive flushed the DNS cache ive even downloaded it directly nothing is working. HELP
Pause your firewall.
I still cant update my iphone software. Its still keep saying time out
Temporarily turning off my virus protection seems to have worked. I haven’t been able to update since 4.0.2. Thanks for the help.
Thank you!! ive been having this problems for months!!! it finally worked after i tried what you posted!!!
Im so pleased that I cam across this site.
I have been on version 4.1 for ages ( about a year) and tried to update but could not. Just turned off the fire wall and Kaspersky and bingo it worked.
Thank you
Much the same as I’ve read here – when I went to update Iphone, it always timed out. After getting no reponse from Apple, it was great to see your article about disabling anit-virus; that did the trick! Thanks so much!!
After a war of nerves,
Restarting my laptop was the trick for me lol add that to the solutions
for unluckies here is another solution :
From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
Open the Internet Options control panel.
Click the Connections tab.
Click the LAN Settings button.
Select the “Automatically detect settings” checkbox
Click OK in both windows.
Reopen iTunes and connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.
Update or restore your device.
Thanks a billion! This worked for me!
did everything but still the same
Thanks so much, after hours of searching your simple fix sorted it all. U are owed many beers!
None of these solutions helped.
I have an iMac, no anti-virus software, no firewall, ran a DNS flush and still getting the error message (3259).
My iTunes is up to date and this problem only started happening today. Last night it was working perfectly then poof I couldn’t download anything.
Please help!
Tried all these steps and still time out error -3259. Uninstalled mcafee and iTunes and reinstalled. That didn’t work either. Any help appreciated!
hi i havent tried this yet but looking form the above comments disabling the firewall seem to do the trick. i will try this pronto ;) is it easy on kaspersky 2010 on xp?
thanks
SC
Yup, firewall and anti-virus. Great info, great post. Would have never figured this out on my own. Thanks!
Un-checking “Check for server certificate revocation” worked for me
THANKS A BUNCH !!! :-)
thank you for the kaspersky info, that did the trick!!
Oh i have windows 7 64 bit. THX
None of these helped me i had itunes 9 then i got an ipad and it required me to download 10. when itunes starts it tries to connect to the store and almost immediately it says ” itunes could not connect to the itunes store. The network connection timed out. Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connection is active, then try again.” Please help, i cannot even use my ipad because of this.
Thank you so much for the Kaspersky info, that did the trick!
Tried to uninstall & install – didn’t work.
Tried the other ideas too – no avail! Finally, 12 hours later…..
Thanks for these tips.I kept getting told my connection had timed out when I tried to update the software.Pausing my internet security worked for me.
Thanks sooo much, the flush DNS cache technique worked.. WOHOOOO
thank u very much sir.fixed error 9808 by uncheck server certification in ie.
Same with me. I’ve been trying for almost a year. Still had 4.0.2 on my phone (iP4). Every single time I tried, it would always time out. Tried over and over and over. This time, I removed all the excess pics and videos (after downloading them to my computer), then disabled Kaspersky and my firewall. It took another 70 minutes to download, but this time, it actually updated my phone completely. FINALLY!! Thanks for this post!
i tried every possible way mentioned above but none of them worked for me . Can anybody help
I have Kapaersky AV2011; just right and disable protection (Kapersky will auto try and force connections to close- click NO) once the sile is listed as done and the installation procedure begins, re-enable protection.
Easy peazy!
Cheers
Si
Temporarily disabling the Firewall / Anti-Virus software worked for me as well. Thank u so much!
Disabling the Firewall and Anti-Virus worked for me.
Thanks.
Disabling the Firewall and Anti-Virus did it.
Thanks everyone.
My problem was the same and it was fixed following those simple steps. I could update my ipo touch. Thank you so much from Cesar.
Disabling the Firewall and Anti-Virus did it. One of my PC’s is using Kaspersky with WinXP. After pausing Kaspersky I was able to get to the very last few seconds of the download for the iPhone update. However, it stopped at that point. The next time I did a two-step process. Downloaded the new version as Step 1. Then applied the iPhone update as Step 2. Worked fine!
Thank you so much! Doing the two step thing worked for me, too! I appreciate you posting. ^_^ Thank you!
what do you mean? i disabled firewall but can you please explain the steps
oooooh nvm i got it disabling firewall was the trick thank you sooo much for posting this
Disabling firewall did the trick for me.
Same here!! Temporarily disabling Kapersky protection & firewall did the trick…was able to download after that without any problems :-)
So glad you posted this!! I have been having troubles for a couple months trying to update the software on my ipod. Disabling the firewall and anti-virus software was the ticket for me. Thank you very much!!
hi, i turned off my antivirus,flushed my dns cache but still the update is not being downloaded. can anyone help?
I had the same problem for weeks. I tried to download iOS 5 and kept getting a timeout error. I turned off my firewall and it still failed.
Finally I disconnected my Linksys router from the Comcast modem, and plugged the Comcast modem directly into my PC and everything ran correctly! Took about 30 minutes to complete.
Good luck
Thanks, this fixed my ipad update and restore – timeout issue.
Thanks for the tip, this little trick seems to have fixed my issue as well. It’s always the simplest of things that creates the biggest of issues huh.
Worked perfect, thank you.
am tremendously grateful to have found this advice. was frustrated endlessly for many months over this thing! thank you!