I click to purchase Pokécoins, I get a blue spinner, then nothing happens.
I've purchased Pokécoins before, so does anyone know why this happens? I've tried closing and reopening the app, and waiting for a bit before trying again, both didn't work.
Best Answer
In my experience, there could be numerous causes for this.
Bad Network Connection
If you are in an area with poor network connectivity, sometimes the blue spinner can spin for upwards of 1 minute 30 seconds or more, before eventually going through, or timing out with a red error message displayed.
Server load or other issues
This especially happens on raid and community days when a lot of players are out and about. You'll likely notice other symptoms like Pokestops not appearing on the map, unable to start catching a wild Pokemon, and so forth.
Caching
Sometimes, the payment goes through, and the coins get updated at the server end, but your app doesn't show the updated number for a few minutes. Once again, I see this most often on community days when the servers are busy.
Third-party payment issue
Niantic's support article covers this as well. If Niantic's servers were affected, the whole app would be having issues. So if it's only payments which are having issues, it's likely due to the third party payment system your device uses: either Google, Apple, or Samsung Galaxy.
What can be done?
For Network issues, try cycling your device's aeroplane mode on and off again, to force your phone to reconnect to the nearest cell tower. Note that toggling your mobile data on and off will be ineffective because it won't disconnect you from cell service.
In the case of heavy server load and caching issues:
For payment issues, you'll need to reach out to the respective support center for your device (linked above).
In any case, before you try purchasing more coins again: Double check the email attached to your Pokemon Go account - if the payment was successful, you should have a receipt of purchase from your respective payment gateway. If you do have the receipt but no coins, it's best that you contact Niantic Support:
Where are the PokéCoins I purchased?
If you purchased PokéCoins from the Shop and you don’t see them in your account, please try signing out (touch Main Menu > Settings and select "Sign out.") or try restarting your device. If you still have a question, please contact us and select "Items & Currency" from the dropdown menu.
The rustling leaves usually indicate that there are pokemon near that area. Going and walking around near that area gives you a higher chance to encounter Pokémon.
Keep an eye out for rustling leaves, hinting at where critters may be
lurking and simply hang out in a suspected region for the increased
chance of an encounter. - Source
Therefore, the reason you don't always see Pokémon in rustling grass is because there is only a higher chance to encounter them there and not a guaranteed chance of encountering them. You just have bad luck when you don't encounter them.
Thank you for your answers @TimPenner @KevinTian. I actually found a neat way to get around this when I was browsing Reddit.
There's an app called Caffeine which prevents the phone from going to sleep (lock screen) whenever a certain application is in use (Pokemon Go). Instead it dims the screen after the timeout period that usually would cause the phone to go to the lock screen.
So now when I go jogging and I put the phone in my pocket it will stay on indefinitely plus it dims the screen after the 1 min timeout period to save battery.
Best Answer
In my experience, there could be numerous causes for this.
What can be done?
In any case, before you try purchasing more coins again: Double check the email attached to your Pokemon Go account - if the payment was successful, you should have a receipt of purchase from your respective payment gateway. If you do have the receipt but no coins, it's best that you contact Niantic Support: