Let the app find printers on your iPad or iPhone
Symptom: on an iPad or iPhone the scan finds nothing, or a printer at an address you know is correct simply times out. The same printer works from a computer on the same Wi-Fi.
Why it happens
iOS asks once, on first use, whether an app may talk to devices on your local network. If that prompt was declined — or was answered by someone else, or never appeared — every scan and every print is blocked from then on. iOS gives the app no error saying so, which is why it looks identical to a printer that's off.
Turn the permission on
- Open the iPad or iPhone's Settings app.
- Go to Privacy & Security → Local Network.
- Turn on the switch for WCPOS.
- Close the app completely (swipe it away from the app switcher) and open it again.
Then go to Settings → Printing → Add printer and scan again.
Also check
- The iPad is on the shop's Wi-Fi, not a guest network and not mobile data. See Give the printer a fixed address.
- Wi-Fi is on. With Wi-Fi off, a printer at a local address is unreachable however the permission is set.
If the scan finds nothing but the printer works
Scanning relies on the printer announcing itself, which some networks block. Use Enter an IP address instead — it stops the scan and checks the one address directly. Print the printer's status sheet to read the address off it.
Still stuck?
Use Copy setup report on the trouble screen and paste it into your message — it records what the iPad tried and what came back.