diff --git a/lib/components/keyserver-connection-handler.js b/lib/components/keyserver-connection-handler.js
--- a/lib/components/keyserver-connection-handler.js
+++ b/lib/components/keyserver-connection-handler.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
   sessionIDSelector,
 } from '../selectors/keyserver-selectors.js';
 import { isLoggedInToKeyserver } from '../selectors/user-selectors.js';
+import { useInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage } from '../shared/crypto-utils.js';
 import { IdentityClientContext } from '../shared/identity-client-context.js';
 import { OlmSessionCreatorContext } from '../shared/olm-session-creator-context.js';
 import type { BaseSocketProps } from '../socket/socket.react.js';
@@ -229,6 +230,11 @@
   const preRequestUserStateRef = React.useRef(preRequestUserState);
   preRequestUserStateRef.current = preRequestUserState;
 
+  // This async function asks the keyserver for its keys, whereas performAuth
+  // above gets the keyserver's keys from the identity service
+  const getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessageForRecovery =
+    useInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage(keyserverID);
+
   const dispatch = useDispatch();
   const urlPrefix = useSelector(urlPrefixSelector(keyserverID));
   const performRecovery = React.useCallback(
@@ -256,6 +262,7 @@
               urlPrefix,
               recoveryActionSource,
               keyserverID,
+              getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessageForRecovery,
             );
           if (cancelled) {
             // TODO: cancellation won't work because above call handles Redux
@@ -304,7 +311,13 @@
       })();
       return [promise, cancel];
     },
-    [dispatch, cookie, urlPrefix, keyserverID],
+    [
+      dispatch,
+      cookie,
+      urlPrefix,
+      keyserverID,
+      getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessageForRecovery,
+    ],
   );
 
   const cancelPendingAuth = React.useRef<?() => void>(null);
diff --git a/lib/keyserver-conn/recovery-utils.js b/lib/keyserver-conn/recovery-utils.js
--- a/lib/keyserver-conn/recovery-utils.js
+++ b/lib/keyserver-conn/recovery-utils.js
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
   urlPrefix: string,
   recoveryActionSource: RecoveryActionSource,
   keyserverID: string,
-  getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage?: (
+  getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage: (
     options?: ?InitialNotifMessageOptions,
   ) => Promise<string>,
 ): Promise<?ClientSessionChange> {
diff --git a/lib/utils/config.js b/lib/utils/config.js
--- a/lib/utils/config.js
+++ b/lib/utils/config.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     dispatchRecoveryAttempt: DispatchRecoveryAttempt,
     recoveryActionSource: RecoveryActionSource,
     keyserverID: string,
-    getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage?: (
+    getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage: (
       options?: ?InitialNotifMessageOptions,
     ) => Promise<string>,
   ) => Promise<void>,
diff --git a/native/account/legacy-recover-keyserver-session.js b/native/account/legacy-recover-keyserver-session.js
--- a/native/account/legacy-recover-keyserver-session.js
+++ b/native/account/legacy-recover-keyserver-session.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
   dispatchRecoveryAttempt: DispatchRecoveryAttempt,
   recoveryActionSource: RecoveryActionSource,
   keyserverID: string,
-  getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage?: (
+  getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage: (
     ?InitialNotifMessageOptions,
   ) => Promise<string>,
 ) {
@@ -27,15 +27,15 @@
   if (!keychainCredentials) {
     return;
   }
-  let extraInfo = await nativeLogInExtraInfoSelector(store.getState())();
 
-  if (getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage) {
-    const initialNotificationsEncryptedMessage =
-      await getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage({
+  const [baseExtraInfo, initialNotificationsEncryptedMessage] =
+    await Promise.all([
+      nativeLogInExtraInfoSelector(store.getState())(),
+      getInitialNotificationsEncryptedMessage({
         callSingleKeyserverEndpoint,
-      });
-    extraInfo = { ...extraInfo, initialNotificationsEncryptedMessage };
-  }
+      }),
+    ]);
+  const extraInfo = { ...baseExtraInfo, initialNotificationsEncryptedMessage };
 
   const { calendarQuery } = extraInfo;
   await dispatchRecoveryAttempt(