diff --git a/web/account/restoration.css b/web/account/restoration.css
--- a/web/account/restoration.css
+++ b/web/account/restoration.css
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@
   flex-direction: column;
   align-items: stretch;
   row-gap: 8px;
+  margin-top: auto;
 }
 
 .errorButtons button {
diff --git a/web/account/restoration.react.js b/web/account/restoration.react.js
--- a/web/account/restoration.react.js
+++ b/web/account/restoration.react.js
@@ -10,8 +10,12 @@
   logOutActionTypes,
   useSecondaryDeviceLogOut,
 } from 'lib/actions/user-actions.js';
+import { useSecondaryDeviceQRAuthContext } from 'lib/components/secondary-device-qr-auth-context-provider.react.js';
 import { isLoggedIn } from 'lib/selectors/user-selectors.js';
-import { getMessageForException } from 'lib/utils/errors.js';
+import {
+  BackupIsNewerError,
+  getMessageForException,
+} from 'lib/utils/errors.js';
 import { useDispatchActionPromise } from 'lib/utils/redux-promise-utils.js';
 import { useDispatch } from 'lib/utils/redux-utils.js';
 
@@ -21,6 +25,10 @@
 import LoadingIndicator from '../loading-indicator.react.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../redux/redux-utils.js';
 import { useStaffCanSee } from '../utils/staff-utils.js';
+import {
+  getBackupIsNewerThanAppError,
+  getVersionUnsupportedError,
+} from '../utils/version-utils.js';
 
 type RestorationStep = 'authenticating' | 'restoring';
 
@@ -118,13 +126,13 @@
   );
 }
 
-type RestorationErrorProps = {
+type FailedRestorationErrorProps = {
   +error: Error,
-  +step: RestorationStep,
 };
-
-function RestorationError(props: RestorationErrorProps): React.Node {
-  const { step, error } = props;
+function RestorationFailedError(
+  props: FailedRestorationErrorProps,
+): React.Node {
+  const { error } = props;
 
   const dispatch = useDispatch();
   const dispatchActionPromise = useDispatchActionPromise();
@@ -155,7 +163,7 @@
   return (
     <RestorationViewContainer
       title="Restoration failed"
-      step={step}
+      step="restoring"
       isError={true}
     >
       <div className={css.errorMessageContainer}>
@@ -193,38 +201,165 @@
   );
 }
 
-export type RestorationProgressProps = {
+type SimpleErrorProps = {
+  +title: string,
+  +rawErrorMessage?: ?string,
+  +step: RestorationStep,
+  +onTryAgain?: () => void,
+  +children?: React.Node,
+};
+function SimpleError(props: SimpleErrorProps): React.Node {
+  const { title, step, children, rawErrorMessage, onTryAgain } = props;
+
+  return (
+    <RestorationViewContainer title={title} step={step} isError={true}>
+      <div className={css.errorMessageContainer}>
+        <div className={css.modalText}>{children}</div>
+        {rawErrorMessage && (
+          <div className={css.errorDetailsContainer}>
+            <div className={css.errorDetailsHeader}>Error message:</div>
+            <div className={css.errorDetails}>{rawErrorMessage}</div>
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </div>
+      <div className={css.errorButtons}>
+        {!!onTryAgain && (
+          <Button
+            variant="filled"
+            buttonColor={buttonThemes.primary}
+            onClick={onTryAgain}
+          >
+            Try again
+          </Button>
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </RestorationViewContainer>
+  );
+}
+
+export type ProgressViewProps = {
+  +step: RestorationStep,
+};
+function ProgressView(props: ProgressViewProps): React.Node {
+  const { step } = props;
+
+  const title =
+    step === 'authenticating' ? 'Authenticating device' : 'Restoring your data';
+
+  return (
+    <RestorationViewContainer title={title} step={step} isError={false}>
+      <div className={css.restorationSpinnerWrapper}>
+        <LoadingIndicator status="loading" size="x-large" />
+      </div>
+    </RestorationViewContainer>
+  );
+}
+
+type AuthErrorProps = {
+  +error: mixed,
+  +handleRetry: () => void,
+};
+function AuthErrorView(props: AuthErrorProps): React.Node {
+  const { error, handleRetry } = props;
+
+  const rawErrorMessage = React.useMemo(
+    () => getMessageForException(error),
+    [error],
+  );
+
+  if (
+    rawErrorMessage === 'client_version_unsupported' ||
+    rawErrorMessage === 'unsupported_version'
+  ) {
+    return (
+      <SimpleError title="App version unsupported" step="authenticating">
+        {getVersionUnsupportedError()}
+      </SimpleError>
+    );
+  } else if (rawErrorMessage === 'network_error') {
+    return (
+      <SimpleError
+        title="Network error"
+        step="authenticating"
+        onTryAgain={handleRetry}
+      >
+        Failed to contact Comm services. Please check your network connection.
+      </SimpleError>
+    );
+  } else {
+    return (
+      <SimpleError
+        title="Unknown error"
+        step="authenticating"
+        onTryAgain={handleRetry}
+        rawErrorMessage={rawErrorMessage}
+      >
+        Uhh... try again?
+      </SimpleError>
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+type RestoreErrorProps = {
+  +error: Error,
+};
+function RestoreErrorView(props: RestoreErrorProps): React.Node {
+  const { error } = props;
+
+  if (error instanceof BackupIsNewerError) {
+    return (
+      <SimpleError step="restoring" title="App out of date">
+        {getBackupIsNewerThanAppError()}
+      </SimpleError>
+    );
+  } else {
+    return <RestorationFailedError error={error} />;
+  }
+}
+
+export type RestorationViewProps = {
   +qrAuthInProgress: boolean,
   +userDataRestoreStarted: boolean,
 };
-
-function RestorationProgress(props: RestorationProgressProps): React.Node {
+function RestorationView(props: RestorationViewProps): React.Node {
   const { qrAuthInProgress, userDataRestoreStarted } = props;
 
-  const restorationError = useSelector(state =>
+  const { registerErrorListener } = useSecondaryDeviceQRAuthContext();
+  const [qrAuthError, setQRAuthError] = React.useState<?mixed>(null);
+  const userDataError = useSelector(state =>
     state.restoreBackupState.status === 'user_data_restore_failed'
       ? state.restoreBackupState.payload.error
       : null,
   );
 
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    const subscription = registerErrorListener((error, isUserDataError) => {
+      if (isUserDataError) {
+        // user data errors are handled by selector
+        return;
+      }
+      setQRAuthError(error);
+    });
+
+    return () => subscription.remove();
+  }, [registerErrorListener]);
+
+  const retryQRAuth = React.useCallback(() => {
+    setQRAuthError(null);
+  }, []);
+
+  if (userDataError) {
+    return <RestoreErrorView error={userDataError} />;
+  } else if (qrAuthError) {
+    return <AuthErrorView error={qrAuthError} handleRetry={retryQRAuth} />;
+  }
+
   const step: RestorationStep =
     qrAuthInProgress && !userDataRestoreStarted
       ? 'authenticating'
       : 'restoring';
 
-  if (restorationError) {
-    return <RestorationError step={step} error={restorationError} />;
-  }
-
-  const title =
-    step === 'authenticating' ? 'Authenticating device' : 'Restoring your data';
-  return (
-    <RestorationViewContainer title={title} step={step} isError={false}>
-      <div className={css.restorationSpinnerWrapper}>
-        <LoadingIndicator status="loading" size="x-large" />
-      </div>
-    </RestorationViewContainer>
-  );
+  return <ProgressView step={step} />;
 }
 
-export default RestorationProgress;
+export default RestorationView;
diff --git a/web/utils/qr-code-utils.js b/web/utils/qr-code-utils.js
--- a/web/utils/qr-code-utils.js
+++ b/web/utils/qr-code-utils.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
   BackupIsNewerError,
   getMessageForException,
 } from 'lib/utils/errors.js';
+import { fullBackupSupport } from 'lib/utils/services-utils.js';
 
 import { base64DecodeBuffer, base64EncodeBuffer } from './base64-utils.js';
 import { getBackupIsNewerThanAppError } from './version-utils.js';
@@ -68,6 +69,11 @@
   return React.useCallback(
     (error: mixed, isUserDataRestoreError?: boolean) => {
       console.error('Secondary device log in error:', error);
+      if (fullBackupSupport) {
+        // for full backup, errors are handled in the restore UI
+        return;
+      }
+
       const messageForException = getMessageForException(error);
       if (
         messageForException === 'client_version_unsupported' ||