diff --git a/src/app/features/call/CallMemberCard.tsx b/src/app/features/call/CallMemberCard.tsx
index 95cafa404..793853d4a 100644
--- a/src/app/features/call/CallMemberCard.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/call/CallMemberCard.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { getMemberAvatarMxc, getMemberDisplayName } from '../../utils/room';
 import { useRoom } from '../../hooks/useRoom';
 import { getMxIdLocalPart, mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
 import { UserAvatar } from '../../components/user-avatar';
+import { AvatarDecoration } from '../../components/avatar-decoration/AvatarDecoration';
 import { getMouseEventCords } from '../../utils/dom';
 import * as css from './styles.css';
 
@@ -51,14 +52,16 @@ export function CallMemberCard({ member }: CallMemberCardProps) {
       }
     >
       <Box grow="Yes" gap="300" alignItems="Center">
-        <Avatar size="200" radii="400">
-          <UserAvatar
-            userId={userId}
-            src={avatarUrl}
-            alt={name}
-            renderFallback={() => <Icon size="50" src={Icons.User} filled />}
-          />
-        </Avatar>
+        <AvatarDecoration userId={userId}>
+          <Avatar size="200" radii="400">
+            <UserAvatar
+              userId={userId}
+              src={avatarUrl}
+              alt={name}
+              renderFallback={() => <Icon size="50" src={Icons.User} filled />}
+            />
+          </Avatar>
+        </AvatarDecoration>
         <Box grow="Yes">
           <Text size="L400" truncate>
             {name}
diff --git a/src/app/features/call/CallView.tsx b/src/app/features/call/CallView.tsx
index 9c8117020..2edef8910 100644
--- a/src/app/features/call/CallView.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/call/CallView.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 import React, { RefObject, useRef } from 'react';
-import { Badge, Box, color, Header, Scroll, Text, toRem } from 'folds';
-import { useCallEmbed, useCallJoined, useCallEmbedPlacementSync } from '../../hooks/useCallEmbed';
+import { useSetAtom } from 'jotai';
+import { Badge, Box, Button, color, Header, Icon, Icons, Scroll, Text, toRem } from 'folds';
+import {
+  useCallEmbed,
+  useCallJoined,
+  useCallEmbedPlacementSync,
+  useCallLoadError,
+} from '../../hooks/useCallEmbed';
+import { callEmbedAtom } from '../../state/callEmbed';
 import { ContainerColor } from '../../styles/ContainerColor.css';
 import { PrescreenControls } from './PrescreenControls';
 import { usePowerLevelsContext } from '../../hooks/usePowerLevels';
@@ -153,6 +160,37 @@ function CallPrescreen() {
   );
 }
 
+function CallLoadErrorMessage() {
+  const setCallEmbed = useSetAtom(callEmbedAtom);
+
+  // Disposing the embed tears down the hung iframe and returns the user to the
+  // prescreen, from which they can join again ("Retry") or simply walk away.
+  const dismiss = () => setCallEmbed(undefined);
+
+  return (
+    <Box
+      className={css.CallViewContent}
+      direction="Column"
+      alignItems="Center"
+      justifyContent="Center"
+      gap="300"
+    >
+      <Icon src={Icons.Warning} size="400" style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }} />
+      <Text style={{ color: color.Critical.Main }} size="L400" align="Center">
+        The call failed to load. Check your connection and try again.
+      </Text>
+      <Box gap="200" alignItems="Center">
+        <Button variant="Primary" size="300" radii="400" onClick={dismiss}>
+          <Text size="B400">Retry</Text>
+        </Button>
+        <Button variant="Secondary" fill="Soft" size="300" radii="400" onClick={dismiss}>
+          <Text size="B400">Leave</Text>
+        </Button>
+      </Box>
+    </Box>
+  );
+}
+
 type CallJoinedProps = {
   containerRef: RefObject<HTMLDivElement>;
   joined: boolean;
@@ -175,8 +213,13 @@ export function CallView() {
 
   const callEmbed = useCallEmbed();
   const callJoined = useCallJoined(callEmbed);
+  const loadError = useCallLoadError(callEmbed);
 
-  const currentJoined = callEmbed?.roomId === room.roomId && callJoined;
+  const isCurrentRoom = callEmbed?.roomId === room.roomId;
+  const currentJoined = isCurrentRoom && callJoined;
+  // Show the recovery UI when this room's embed failed to load and we never
+  // made it into the call (a hung iframe / blank spinner otherwise).
+  const showLoadError = isCurrentRoom && !currentJoined && Boolean(loadError);
 
   return (
     <Box
@@ -184,8 +227,9 @@ export function CallView() {
       style={{ minWidth: toRem(280) }}
       grow="Yes"
     >
-      {!currentJoined && <CallPrescreen />}
-      <CallJoined joined={currentJoined} containerRef={callContainerRef} />
+      {showLoadError && <CallLoadErrorMessage />}
+      {!currentJoined && !showLoadError && <CallPrescreen />}
+      {!showLoadError && <CallJoined joined={currentJoined} containerRef={callContainerRef} />}
     </Box>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/app/hooks/useCallEmbed.ts b/src/app/hooks/useCallEmbed.ts
index 785f10a13..5180ff6b3 100644
--- a/src/app/hooks/useCallEmbed.ts
+++ b/src/app/hooks/useCallEmbed.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { MatrixClient, Room } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
 import { useSetAtom } from 'jotai';
 import {
   CallEmbed,
+  CallLoadErrorReason,
   ElementCallThemeKind,
   ElementWidgetActions,
   useClientWidgetApiEvent,
@@ -156,6 +157,26 @@ export const useCallJoined = (embed?: CallEmbed): boolean => {
   return joined;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Surfaces a load failure (watchdog timeout or iframe error) from the embedded
+ * Element Call iframe so the UI can show a recovery affordance instead of an
+ * indefinite "Loading..." spinner.
+ */
+export const useCallLoadError = (embed?: CallEmbed): CallLoadErrorReason | undefined => {
+  const [error, setError] = useState<CallLoadErrorReason | undefined>(() => embed?.loadFailed);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!embed) {
+      setError(undefined);
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    setError(embed.loadFailed);
+    return embed.onLoadError((reason) => setError(reason));
+  }, [embed]);
+
+  return error;
+};
+
 export const useCallHangupEvent = (embed: CallEmbed, callback: () => void) => {
   useClientWidgetApiEvent(embed.call, ElementWidgetActions.HangupCall, callback);
   useClientWidgetApiEvent(embed.call, ElementWidgetActions.Close, callback);
diff --git a/src/app/plugins/call/CallEmbed.ts b/src/app/plugins/call/CallEmbed.ts
index 36167671e..9f1387107 100644
--- a/src/app/plugins/call/CallEmbed.ts
+++ b/src/app/plugins/call/CallEmbed.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ import {
 import { CallControl } from './CallControl';
 import { CallControlState } from './CallControlState';
 
+// Maximum time to wait for the embedded Element Call iframe to progress from
+// initial load to a ready/joined state. If it hasn't by then, we assume the
+// iframe has hung (e.g. blocked network, crashed widget, blank "Loading...")
+// and surface a recoverable error instead of an indefinite spinner.
+const CALL_LOAD_WATCHDOG_MS = 25_000;
+
+export type CallLoadErrorReason = 'timeout' | 'iframe';
+
 export class CallEmbed {
   private mx: MatrixClient;
 
@@ -55,6 +63,15 @@ export class CallEmbed {
 
   private themeKind: ElementCallThemeKind = 'dark';
 
+  // Watchdog: detects an iframe that never reaches a usable state.
+  private loadWatchdog?: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
+
+  private loadSettled = false;
+
+  private loadError?: CallLoadErrorReason;
+
+  private readonly loadErrorListeners = new Set<(reason: CallLoadErrorReason) => void>();
+
   // Arrow-function class fields so dispose() passes the exact same reference to mx.off()
   private readonly boundOnEvent = (ev: MatrixEvent) => this.onEvent(ev);
 
@@ -218,6 +235,19 @@ export class CallEmbed {
     iframe.onload = () => {
       this.control.startObserving();
     };
+    // If the iframe document itself fails to load, fail fast.
+    iframe.onerror = () => {
+      this.settleLoad('iframe');
+    };
+
+    // Clear the watchdog as soon as the call reaches any usable state. The
+    // happy path (onCallJoined) clears it too; these cover earlier signals so a
+    // user sitting in the lobby/prescreen isn't flagged as an error.
+    this.disposables.push(this.onReady(() => this.settleLoad()));
+    this.disposables.push(this.onCapabilitiesNotified(() => this.settleLoad()));
+    this.disposables.push(this.onPreparingError(() => this.settleLoad('iframe')));
+
+    this.startLoadWatchdog();
 
     let initialMediaEvent = true;
     this.disposables.push(
@@ -314,6 +344,8 @@ export class CallEmbed {
     this.disposables.forEach((disposable) => {
       disposable();
     });
+    this.clearLoadWatchdog();
+    this.loadErrorListeners.clear();
     this.styleRetryObserver?.disconnect();
     this.call.stop();
     this.container.removeChild(this.iframe);
@@ -329,7 +361,57 @@ export class CallEmbed {
     this.eventsToFeed = new WeakSet<MatrixEvent>();
   }
 
+  private startLoadWatchdog(): void {
+    if (this.loadWatchdog !== undefined) return;
+    this.loadWatchdog = setTimeout(() => {
+      this.settleLoad('timeout');
+    }, CALL_LOAD_WATCHDOG_MS);
+  }
+
+  private clearLoadWatchdog(): void {
+    if (this.loadWatchdog !== undefined) {
+      clearTimeout(this.loadWatchdog);
+      this.loadWatchdog = undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Marks the load lifecycle as settled. Called on success (no reason) or on
+   * failure (reason set). Idempotent so the first signal wins.
+   */
+  private settleLoad(reason?: CallLoadErrorReason): void {
+    if (this.loadSettled) return;
+    this.loadSettled = true;
+    this.clearLoadWatchdog();
+    if (reason) {
+      this.loadError = reason;
+      this.loadErrorListeners.forEach((cb) => cb(reason));
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Whether the call failed to load within the watchdog window or errored.
+   */
+  public get loadFailed(): CallLoadErrorReason | undefined {
+    return this.loadError;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Subscribe to load-failure events (watchdog timeout or iframe error). If the
+   * load has already failed by the time of subscription, the callback fires
+   * immediately so late subscribers still see the error.
+   * @returns an unsubscribe function.
+   */
+  public onLoadError(callback: (reason: CallLoadErrorReason) => void): () => void {
+    this.loadErrorListeners.add(callback);
+    if (this.loadError) callback(this.loadError);
+    return () => {
+      this.loadErrorListeners.delete(callback);
+    };
+  }
+
   private onCallJoined(): void {
+    this.settleLoad();
     this.joined = true;
     this.applyStyles();
     this.control.startObserving();