diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/PairingScannerView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/PairingScannerView.swift
index 3a0cf81..99dd3db 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/PairingScannerView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/PairingScannerView.swift
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ enum ScannerCameraState: Equatable {
     case scanning          // feed is live
     case denied            // permission off — needs Settings
     case unavailable       // no camera on this device (e.g. the Simulator)
+    case couldNotStart     // camera exists + authorized but the session won't run
+                           // (iPhone locked / mirrored to a Mac / in use elsewhere)
 }
 
 /// Camera QR scanner (UX_IOS §7). Decodes the Mac's `nucleic://pair?d=…` QR into a
@@ -21,12 +23,16 @@ struct PairingScannerView: View {
     @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss
     @State private var error: String?
     @State private var cameraState: ScannerCameraState = .scanning
+    /// Bumping this rebuilds the scanner controller from scratch (fresh session) — the "Try
+    /// Again" path after the camera couldn't start.
+    @State private var retryToken = 0
 
     var body: some View {
         NavigationStack {
             ZStack {
                 Color.black.ignoresSafeArea()
                 QRScannerRepresentable(onFound: handle, onState: { cameraState = $0 })
+                    .id(retryToken)
                     .ignoresSafeArea()
                 VStack {
                     Spacer()
@@ -70,6 +76,13 @@ struct PairingScannerView: View {
                     }
                     .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
                 }
+            case .couldNotStart:
+                VStack(spacing: 12) {
+                    banner("Couldn't start the camera. If your iPhone is locked or being mirrored to a Mac, the camera is blocked — open Nucleic directly on your unlocked iPhone, then try again.",
+                           tint: .black.opacity(0.6))
+                    Button("Try Again") { cameraState = .scanning; retryToken += 1 }
+                        .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
+                }
             }
         }
     }
@@ -259,7 +272,9 @@ final class QRScannerController: UIViewController, AVCaptureMetadataOutputObject
         // is foreground; back off briefly and retry until it sticks (bounded).
         DispatchQueue.main.async { [weak self] in
             guard let self, self.startAttempts < 12 else {
-                scannerLog.error("📷 gave up starting after retries"); return
+                scannerLog.error("📷 gave up starting after retries")
+                self?.report(.couldNotStart)
+                return
             }
             self.startAttempts += 1
             DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5) { [weak self] in self?.startSessionIfReady() }