Sometimes the game loads but there's no cloud icon to link my account.

I downloaded the game, and although there was no cloud icon for account linking, the top-center of the screen showed a connection to Google Play. I made a few in-game purchases. I also used the "watch video" feature to borrow plants and collect pieces to buy them with in-game currency, but the purchase confirmation screen didn't pop up. Thinking the game was malfunctioning, I deleted and reinstalled it—only to find that I had to start over from scratch, and the items I had previously purchased now had to be bought again.