One of TikTok’s unique features is its in-app currency called “TikTok coins.”
Users can purchase coins with real money to use for giving gifts or tips to their favorite creators. Coins can also be earned for free by inviting friends to download TikTok.
However, sometimes users run into problems with their TikTok coins not showing up or not working properly after purchase.
In this detailed guide, we’ll explore all the possible reasons your TikTok coins may not be appearing or functioning correctly. We’ll also provide step-by-step troubleshooting instructions to help you get your TikTok coins working again.
Reasons TikTok Coins Aren’t Showing Up
There are a few common explanations for why your purchased or earned TikTok coins aren’t appearing in your account balance:
Internet Connection Issues
The most obvious reason is usually a poor internet connection. TikTok is powered by the internet, so any connectivity problems will interfere with coin delivery and balances updating properly.
Make sure you are connected to a stable WiFi network or have a strong cellular data connection. Slow speeds or intermittent connectivity can prevent your coin purchase from processing correctly. Restarting your device can often resolve temporary network problems.
Outdated App Version
An outdated version of the TikTok app may be the culprit. The developers are constantly releasing updates to fix bugs and improve performance. However, your device’s TikTok app won’t update automatically unless you have enabled that setting.
Go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) to check for any available TikTok updates. Install the latest version which may contain fixes for any coin-related issues.
Need to Force Quit and Reopen
Sometimes the TikTok app itself gets stuck or freezes up, failing to update your coin balance even though the purchase went through.
Device Needs Restart
Along the same lines, it may be necessary to completely reboot your device. A simple restart will clear out any glitches occurring in the operating system software or networks that can affect TikTok’s functionality.
Cached Files and Data
The TikTok app stores temporary data and files in a cache on your device. Over time, this cache can get corrupted or overloaded, causing performance issues. Clearing out this data will often fix problems like coins not showing up properly.
Fixes For TikTok Coins Not Showing Up or Working
If your TikTok coins still aren’t showing up after purchase, follow these detailed troubleshooting steps:
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Without a stable internet connection, any TikTok coins you purchase or earn can’t be delivered to your account. To rule this out as an issue:
- Make sure you have at least 3 bars of WiFi signal strength showing in the top corner of your screen. If not, move closer to your router or connect another device to confirm the WiFi network is operating properly.
- For cellular data, disable WiFi so your phone uses your mobile data. Make sure you have at least 3 bars of mobile signal as well.
- Run a speed test on your network connection using a site like speedtest.net to check for any slow speeds or latency issues affecting TikTok.
- If your connection seems slow, restart your modem, router, or device to troubleshoot the problem.
- Try switching from WiFi to cellular data or vice versa to determine if one network has an issue.
Once you’ve confirmed your internet access is fast and consistent, you can move on to other troubleshooting steps.
2. Update to the Latest Version of TikTok
An outdated version of the TikTok app can definitely cause problems with coins not appearing properly after purchasing or earning them. Here’s how to update:
- On an iPhone, open the App Store and tap your profile icon in the top right. Scroll down to “Available Updates” and install any update available for TikTok.
- On an Android device, open the Google Play Store and tap your profile icon in the top right. Go to “Manage apps & devices” and under “Updates available,” install any update available for TikTok.
- You can also search directly for “TikTok” in the App Store or Play Store and check or install updates from the TikTok app’s page.
Installing the update may fix any bugs related to TikTok coins not showing up or other functionality within the app. Be sure to also enable “Automatic Updates” for TikTok so you always have the latest version.
3. Force Quit and Reopen the TikTok App
If TikTok seems stuck and your coins aren’t showing up even after a purchase, force quitting out of the app and reopening it can resolve the issue. Here’s how to force quit on iOS and Android devices:
On iPhone:
- Double tap the Home button to open the app switcher.
- Swipe up on the TikTok preview window to force quit the app.
On Android:
- Open the Recent Apps screen by swiping up from the bottom or tapping the Recent Apps button.
- Locate the TikTok app preview and swipe it left or right to dismiss it.
After fully closing out of TikTok, reopen it and navigate back to your profile and coin balance. This refresh should sync everything back up and display your latest total correctly.
4. Restart Your Device
If you’ve ruled out internet and app issues, try restarting your iPhone, Android, tablet or other device you use to access TikTok. A restart will clear out any temporary glitches:
On iPhone:
- Hold down the Power/Side button and Volume Up/Down buttons at the same time until you see the power off slider.
- Drag the slider to turn off your device.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again to restart your iPhone.
On Android:
- Hold down the Power button until you see the power off prompt.
- Tap Power off and confirm if prompted.
- After at least 30 seconds, press the Power button again to restart your device.
Once your phone or tablet has fully rebooted and you’ve unlocked it, open TikTok again and check for your coins to appear correctly.
5. Clear the App Cache and Data
Over time, corrupted temporary data in the TikTok app’s cache can prevent your coin balance from updating properly.
Here’s how to wipe the TikTok cache and data:
To clear TikTok cache on iPhone:
1. Access iPhone Settings:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on General.
- Scroll down and select iPhone Storage.
2. Locate and Offload TikTok:
- Find TikTok in the list of apps that are using your iPhone’s storage.
- Tap on TikTok.
- Tap on Offload App.
- Confirm by tapping Offload App again in the pop-up window.
On Android:
You can clear TikTok cache through the app’s settings. To do this:
- Open your TikTok profile and tap on the hamburger icon (☰) in the upper right corner.
- Tap on “Settings and privacy.”
- Choose “Free up space” under the “Cache & Cellular” tab.
- Tap the “Clear” button next to “Cache” to clear the cache.
Once cleared, reopen TikTok – your coin balance should now display accurately after purchase. Clearing cache/data also frees up storage space.
6. Log Out Then Log Back Into Your TikTok Account
Signing out of your TikTok account and then logging back in essentially refreshes your profile data and syncs everything correctly again.
Here are the steps to log out and back in:
- Open TikTok and tap the “Me” tab on the bottom.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select “Log out”.
- Confirm logging out when prompted.
- Close the TikTok app fully by swiping it away in your device’s app switcher.
- Reopen TikTok, enter your phone number or email and password and sign back into your account.
- Check your coin balance again – it should now show the latest total.
Logging out resets your TikTok session, forcing it to pull the newest data when you sign in again.
7. Reinstall the TikTok App
If you still see issues with TikTok missing coins, the last resort on the app itself is to uninstall and reinstall TikTok:
On iPhone:
- Hold your finger down on the TikTok app icon until the icons start wiggling.
- Tap the X icon on the TikTok app to uninstall it.
- Go to the App Store and search for “TikTok”. Reinstall the app.
On Android:
- Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications and tap See All Apps.
- Tap TikTok, then tap Uninstall.
- Open the Play Store and search for “TikTok.” Reinstall the app.
Once you’ve reinstalled TikTok and signed back into your account, your coins should appear correctly after purchasing. Reinstalling can eliminate any corrupted files.
Fix TikTok Coins Payment Issues
If your TikTok coin purchases are not going through successfully, here are some steps to troubleshoot transaction problems:
1. Check Your Payment Method
Coins don’t appear if the transaction doesn’t complete. Ensure the credit card, PayPal or other payment method you are using for purchases has no issues:
- Make sure your payment info is entered correctly and completely in your TikTok account.
- Check that your payment source has sufficient funds to cover the coin purchase amount.
- Contact your card issuer or payment provider to confirm your account is in good standing.
- Try making a small purchase with the same card outside of TikTok to confirm it goes through.
- Use a different payment method you know works to attempt the TikTok coin purchase again.
If there are no issues on your payment end, the transaction should process smoothly when purchasing coins.
2. Confirm the Purchase Completed
Even if your payment went through, app glitches can prevent the coin delivery. Check that the transaction is completed:
- In TikTok, tap the “Me” tab and go to your purchase history – you should see the completed coin purchase here if it worked.
- On your credit card statement or PayPal transaction history, verify the TikTok coin charge went through.
- In your smartphone’s purchase history in the App Store or Play Store app, look for the TikTok coin transaction.
If you don’t see any record of the completed purchase on your end, contact TikTok support for help investigating why it didn’t go through.
3. Check for Country Restrictions
TikTok coins may not be available for purchase in all countries. Check that your country is not restricted:
- In TikTok, tap the coin icon to try making a purchase. A message should indicate if your country is unable to buy coins.
- Search online for information on countries where TikTok coin purchases are supported.
- Try utilizing a VPN app to route your traffic through another country and attempt purchasing coins.
If your country is confirmed to be restricted, you unfortunately cannot add TikTok coins. You may still be able to earn some for free by inviting friends.
4. Confirm You Meet Age Requirements
To purchase TikTok coins, you must be 18 years of age or older. If your account is showing younger, you can update it:
- Tap your profile icon in TikTok > Settings and Privacy > Manage Account > Edit Profile.
- Tap Edit next to Birthday and update your birthdate to confirm you are 18 or older.
- Verify your age when prompted.
Meeting age requirements will allow you to access TikTok coin purchases. However, do not falsify your age just to obtain coins.
5. Disable VPN If Active
Using a VPN or proxy service can interfere with in-app transactions like purchasing TikTok coins. Ensure you have no VPN active:
- On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > VPN and turn off any VPN listed.
- On Android, go to Settings > Connections > More connection settings > VPN and turn off any VPNs.
- Close out of any VPN or proxy apps completely. Disable them for troubleshooting purposes.
With no VPN or proxy running in the background, TikTok coin purchases have a better chance of going through successfully. Turn them back on when done testing.
6. Contact TikTok Support
If you still have issues getting your TikTok coins to show up or complete purchases after trying all troubleshooting steps, you’ll need assistance from TikTok support:
Here is how to reach TikTok customer support:
- Open the TikTok app and visit your Profile
- Tap the three Lines menu icon (☰).
- Tap on “Settings and Privacy.”
- Choose Report a Problem from the menu.
- Look for the “Submit a report” link at the bottom of the TikTok help page and tap on it.
- Complete the support request form with details on the problem.
When reaching out to support, provide details on the issue, your TikTok username, and what troubleshooting you’ve tried. Support can investigate missing coin purchases or balances that aren’t updating.
With the above troubleshooting guide, you should be able to resolve most issues with TikTok coins not showing up or functioning correctly after purchase.
Just take it step-by-step to identify the specific problem, whether it’s an app glitch, payment issue, or account restriction causing the trouble with your coins. Consistent internet access and an up-to-date version of TikTok also keep things running smoothly.
Reach out to customer support if all else fails – they can take a deeper look into your account and purchase history to determine why your TikTok coins aren’t appearing properly after you buy them.
