diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ea74eb21598..2bf66ca9477 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 ## Unreleased (develop)
 
+- changed: Send scene says why a recipient can't receive a token instead of showing a network error
 - fixed: Exchange info, gift card info, Houdini chain, and Zcash migration status refreshes running twice per interval
 
 ## 4.53.0 (staging)
diff --git a/src/__tests__/util/recipientNotReady.test.ts b/src/__tests__/util/recipientNotReady.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..39d45afe0ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/util/recipientNotReady.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from '@jest/globals'
+
+import { I18nError } from '../../components/cards/ErrorCard'
+import { describeRecipientNotReady } from '../../util/recipientNotReady'
+
+/** The error an engine throws, as it arrives through the core bridge. */
+const makeRefusal = (reason: string): Error => {
+  const error = new Error('The engine message')
+  return Object.assign(error, {
+    name: 'RecipientNotReadyError',
+    reason,
+    currencyCode: 'USDC'
+  })
+}
+
+describe('describeRecipientNotReady', () => {
+  it('says the recipient account is not activated', () => {
+    const error = describeRecipientNotReady(
+      makeRefusal('accountNotActivated'),
+      'Stellar'
+    )
+    expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(I18nError)
+    expect(error?.title).toBe('Transaction Failure')
+    expect(error?.message).toBe(
+      "The recipient's Stellar account isn't activated, so it can't receive USDC yet."
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('says the recipient has not added the token', () => {
+    expect(
+      describeRecipientNotReady(makeRefusal('tokenNotAdded'), 'Stellar')
+        ?.message
+    ).toBe(
+      "The recipient hasn't added USDC to their Stellar wallet, so it can't receive USDC yet."
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('says the issuer has not authorized the recipient', () => {
+    expect(
+      describeRecipientNotReady(makeRefusal('notAuthorized'), 'Stellar')
+        ?.message
+    ).toBe("The USDC issuer hasn't authorized the recipient to receive USDC.")
+  })
+
+  it("shows the engine's message for a reason it does not know", () => {
+    expect(
+      describeRecipientNotReady(makeRefusal('somethingNew'), 'Stellar')?.message
+    ).toBe('The engine message')
+  })
+
+  it('leaves other errors alone', () => {
+    expect(
+      describeRecipientNotReady(new Error('Network down'), 'Stellar')
+    ).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(describeRecipientNotReady(undefined, 'Stellar')).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/components/scenes/SendScene2.tsx b/src/components/scenes/SendScene2.tsx
index 16950034b4c..c7be074f458 100644
--- a/src/components/scenes/SendScene2.tsx
+++ b/src/components/scenes/SendScene2.tsx
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ import {
   parseOwnNetworkPayment,
   peekPaymentUri
 } from '../../util/paymentUri'
+import { describeRecipientNotReady } from '../../util/recipientNotReady'
 import {
   disableAssetsCover,
   getStealthDisableAssets,
@@ -3987,6 +3988,14 @@ const SendComponent: React.FC<Props> = props => {
           )
         }
 
+        // The recipient can't receive this asset yet, so say what they need
+        // to do instead of blaming the network:
+        const recipientNotReady = describeRecipientNotReady(
+          error,
+          coreWallet.currencyInfo.displayName
+        )
+        if (recipientNotReady != null) error = recipientNotReady
+
         // Only set hasPendingTx to true when pending tx error occurs;
         // don't clear it for other errors as it may have been legitimately
         // set by handleTxUpdate or updatePendingTxState
diff --git a/src/locales/en_US.ts b/src/locales/en_US.ts
index 4ba6461f43d..5c37dfe2e6a 100644
--- a/src/locales/en_US.ts
+++ b/src/locales/en_US.ts
@@ -1781,6 +1781,12 @@ const strings = {
   send_address_expired_error_message: 'Payment Address Expired',
   send_funds_not_spendable_error_message:
     'These funds are not spendable yet. Wait for the wallet to finish syncing, then try again.',
+  send_recipient_account_not_activated_2s:
+    "The recipient's %1$s account isn't activated, so it can't receive %2$s yet.",
+  send_recipient_token_not_added_2s:
+    "The recipient hasn't added %1$s to their %2$s wallet, so it can't receive %1$s yet.",
+  send_recipient_not_authorized_1s:
+    "The %1$s issuer hasn't authorized the recipient to receive %1$s.",
 
   // Request Scene
   request_balance: 'You have %s',
diff --git a/src/locales/strings/enUS.json b/src/locales/strings/enUS.json
index 2263dcb9d22..fdfa1fc6a47 100644
--- a/src/locales/strings/enUS.json
+++ b/src/locales/strings/enUS.json
@@ -1386,6 +1386,9 @@
   "send_address_expire_title": "Payment Address Expiration Time",
   "send_address_expired_error_message": "Payment Address Expired",
   "send_funds_not_spendable_error_message": "These funds are not spendable yet. Wait for the wallet to finish syncing, then try again.",
+  "send_recipient_account_not_activated_2s": "The recipient's %1$s account isn't activated, so it can't receive %2$s yet.",
+  "send_recipient_token_not_added_2s": "The recipient hasn't added %1$s to their %2$s wallet, so it can't receive %1$s yet.",
+  "send_recipient_not_authorized_1s": "The %1$s issuer hasn't authorized the recipient to receive %1$s.",
   "request_balance": "You have %s",
   "exchange_same_address_upgrade": "Asset Upgrade",
   "exchange_generic_error_title": "Exchange Error",
diff --git a/src/util/recipientNotReady.ts b/src/util/recipientNotReady.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dfff6c74e1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/recipientNotReady.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { asObject, asString, asValue } from 'cleaners'
+import { sprintf } from 'sprintf-js'
+
+import { I18nError } from '../components/cards/ErrorCard'
+import { lstrings } from '../locales/strings'
+
+/**
+ * An engine refused a spend because the recipient can't receive the asset
+ * yet: an account that isn't activated, a token the recipient hasn't added,
+ * or an issuer that hasn't authorized them.
+ */
+const asRecipientNotReadyError = asObject({
+  name: asValue('RecipientNotReadyError'),
+  reason: asString,
+  currencyCode: asString,
+  message: asString
+})
+
+/**
+ * Turns an engine's recipient refusal into a localized error the send scene
+ * can show, naming what the recipient has to do. Returns undefined for any
+ * other error.
+ */
+export function describeRecipientNotReady(
+  error: unknown,
+  chainName: string
+): I18nError | undefined {
+  let refusal: ReturnType<typeof asRecipientNotReadyError>
+  try {
+    refusal = asRecipientNotReadyError(error)
+  } catch (cleanerError: unknown) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+
+  const { currencyCode, reason } = refusal
+  const message =
+    reason === 'accountNotActivated'
+      ? sprintf(
+          lstrings.send_recipient_account_not_activated_2s,
+          chainName,
+          currencyCode
+        )
+      : reason === 'tokenNotAdded'
+      ? sprintf(
+          lstrings.send_recipient_token_not_added_2s,
+          currencyCode,
+          chainName
+        )
+      : reason === 'notAuthorized'
+      ? sprintf(lstrings.send_recipient_not_authorized_1s, currencyCode)
+      : refusal.message
+  return new I18nError(lstrings.transaction_failure, message)
+}