diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index d33618da4..563ec7596 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
     "@react-native-community/cli-platform-ios": "^2.2.0",
     "@react-native-community/cli-tools": "^2.0.2",
     "chalk": "^1.1.1",
-    "command-exists": "^1.2.8",
     "commander": "^2.19.0",
     "compression": "^1.7.1",
     "connect": "^3.6.5",
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
index b55557fe8..35099c883 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/init/init.js
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ async function installDependencies({
   npm?: boolean,
   loader: typeof Ora,
 }) {
-  loader.start('Installing all required dependencies');
+  loader.start('Installing dependencies');
 
   await PackageManager.installAll({
     preferYarn: !npm,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js b/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js
index 44947238a..04d6e9e5a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tools/installPods.js
@@ -4,10 +4,8 @@ import execa from 'execa';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import Ora from 'ora';
 import inquirer from 'inquirer';
-import commandExists from 'command-exists';
 import {logger} from '@react-native-community/cli-tools';
-
-const COCOAPODS_INSTALLATION_TIMEOUT = 30000;
+import {NoopLoader} from './loader';
 
 async function installPods({
   projectName,
@@ -16,6 +14,7 @@ async function installPods({
   projectName: string,
   loader?: typeof Ora,
 }) {
+  loader = loader || new NoopLoader();
   try {
     if (!fs.existsSync('ios')) {
       return;
@@ -30,11 +29,12 @@ async function installPods({
     }
 
     try {
-      await commandExists('pod');
+      // Check if "pod" is available and usable. It happens that there are
+      // multiple versions of "pod" command and even though it's there, it exits
+      // with a failure
+      await execa('pod', ['--version']);
     } catch (e) {
-      if (loader) {
-        loader.stop();
-      }
+      loader.info();
 
       const {shouldInstallCocoaPods} = await inquirer.prompt([
         {
@@ -49,20 +49,23 @@ async function installPods({
       ]);
 
       if (shouldInstallCocoaPods) {
-        // Show a helpful notice when installation takes more than usually
-        const cocoaPodsInstallationTimeMessage = setTimeout(
-          () =>
-            logger.info('Installing CocoaPods, this may take a few minutes'),
-          COCOAPODS_INSTALLATION_TIMEOUT,
-        );
+        loader.start('Installing CocoaPods');
+
         try {
           // First attempt to install `cocoapods`
-          await execa('gem', ['install', 'cocoapods']);
+          await execa('gem', ['install', 'cocoapods', '--no-document']);
+          loader.succeed();
         } catch (_error) {
           try {
             // If that doesn't work then try with sudo
-            await execa('sudo', ['gem', 'install', 'cocoapods']);
+            await execa('sudo', [
+              'gem',
+              'install',
+              'cocoapods',
+              '--no-document',
+            ]);
           } catch (error) {
+            loader.fail();
             logger.log(error.stderr);
 
             throw new Error(
@@ -71,19 +74,36 @@ async function installPods({
               )}`,
             );
           }
-        } finally {
-          clearTimeout(cocoaPodsInstallationTimeMessage);
         }
 
-        // This only shows when `CocoaPods` is automatically installed,
-        // if it's already installed then we just show the `Installing dependencies` step
-        if (loader) {
-          loader.start('Installing CocoaPods dependencies');
+        try {
+          loader.start(
+            `Updating CocoaPods repositories ${chalk.dim(
+              '(this make take a few minutes)',
+            )}`,
+          );
+          await execa('pod', ['repo', 'update']);
+        } catch (error) {
+          // "pod" command outputs errors to stdout (at least some of them)
+          logger.log(error.stderr || error.stdout);
+          loader.fail();
+
+          throw new Error(
+            `Failed to update CocoaPods repositories for iOS project.\nPlease try again manually: "pod repo update".\nCocoaPods documentation: ${chalk.dim.underline(
+              'https://cocoapods.org/',
+            )}`,
+          );
         }
       }
     }
 
     try {
+      loader.succeed();
+      loader.start(
+        `Installing CocoaPods dependencies ${chalk.dim(
+          '(this make take a few minutes)',
+        )}`,
+      );
       await execa('pod', ['install']);
     } catch (error) {
       // "pod" command outputs errors to stdout (at least some of them)
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tools/loader.js b/packages/cli/src/tools/loader.js
index 525cc5c9d..b0c480975 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/tools/loader.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tools/loader.js
@@ -2,14 +2,15 @@
 import Ora from 'ora';
 import logger from './logger';
 
-class OraMock {
+class OraNoop {
   succeed() {}
   fail() {}
-  start() {}
+  start(message?: string) {}
+  info(message?: string) {}
 }
 
-function getLoader(): typeof Ora {
-  return logger.isVerbose() ? OraMock : Ora;
+export function getLoader(): typeof Ora {
+  return logger.isVerbose() ? OraNoop : Ora;
 }
 
-export {getLoader};
+export const NoopLoader = OraNoop;
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index b6ccd26b8..a7f24014f 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2948,11 +2948,6 @@ combined-stream@^1.0.6, combined-stream@~1.0.6:
   dependencies:
     delayed-stream "~1.0.0"
 
-command-exists@^1.2.8:
-  version "1.2.8"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/command-exists/-/command-exists-1.2.8.tgz#715acefdd1223b9c9b37110a149c6392c2852291"
-  integrity sha512-PM54PkseWbiiD/mMsbvW351/u+dafwTJ0ye2qB60G1aGQP9j3xK2gmMDc+R34L3nDtx4qMCitXT75mkbkGJDLw==
-
 commander@^2.19.0, commander@~2.19.0:
   version "2.19.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/commander/-/commander-2.19.0.tgz#f6198aa84e5b83c46054b94ddedbfed5ee9ff12a"