diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.test.ts b/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.test.ts
index f78cecc0671824cca3a99d787fa657dcb625443e..8277463dae3a3ac35cb57cc771fe2764e0ea3c55 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.test.ts
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.test.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ describe("available cloud environment presentation", () => {
       }),
     ).toMatchObject({
       connectionState: "unsupported",
-      statusText: "Client not supported",
+      statusText: expect.stringContaining("Update your app"),
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.ts b/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.ts
index 49e1e790c50ed511a57911dd5681f52239ed6919..448fab09188f81f47935ee8e264990ca42d77e19 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.ts
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export function availableCloudEnvironmentPresentation(input: {
       connectionError: compatibilityError.message,
       connectionErrorTraceId: null,
       connectionState: "unsupported",
-      statusText: "Client not supported",
+      statusText: compatibilityError.message,
     };
   }
   if (input.status?.status === "online") {
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/CloudEnvironmentRows.tsx b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/CloudEnvironmentRows.tsx
index 86df2e9158635aa7b5eb6d48183051c4f1390ff5..4d4dbbc424da4ef886ecb01d5e7baf527a682d42 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/CloudEnvironmentRows.tsx
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/CloudEnvironmentRows.tsx
@@ -2,10 +2,7 @@ import { AppActivityIndicator } from "../../components/AppActivityIndicator";
 import { ConnectionTraceId } from "./ConnectionTraceId";
 import { useAuth } from "@clerk/expo";
 import { SymbolView } from "../../components/AppSymbol";
-import {
-  connectionStatusText,
-  type EnvironmentConnectionPhase,
-} from "@t3tools/client-runtime/connection";
+import { type EnvironmentConnectionPhase } from "@t3tools/client-runtime/connection";
 import {
   type EnvironmentId,
   type EnvironmentMachineKind,
@@ -26,6 +23,7 @@ import { serverEnvironment } from "../../state/server";
 import { availableCloudEnvironmentPresentation } from "../cloud/cloudEnvironmentPresentation";
 import { hasCloudPublicConfig } from "../cloud/publicConfig";
 import { ConnectionStatusDot } from "./ConnectionStatusDot";
+import { environmentStatusText } from "./environmentStatusText";
 import { type RelayEnvironmentView, useConnectionController } from "./useConnectionController";
 
 interface CloudEnvironmentRowsProps {
@@ -307,7 +305,7 @@ function CloudEnvironmentRowShell(props: {
   const shouldPulse = isRetrying;
   const statusText =
     props.statusText ??
-    connectionStatusText({
+    environmentStatusText({
       phase: props.connectionState,
       error: props.connectionError,
       traceId: props.connectionErrorTraceId,
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/ConnectionEnvironmentRow.tsx b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/ConnectionEnvironmentRow.tsx
index f4a682c6c14c357f9876b4ee1e9cd4b63928b764..ad02b885be80859941c0fd2b8489a7468939de61 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/ConnectionEnvironmentRow.tsx
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/ConnectionEnvironmentRow.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { ConnectionTraceId } from "./ConnectionTraceId";
 import { SymbolView } from "../../components/AppSymbol";
-import { connectionStatusText } from "@t3tools/client-runtime/connection";
 import type { AtomCommandResult } from "@t3tools/client-runtime/state/runtime";
 import { type EnvironmentId, resolveEnvironmentMachineKind } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { useAtomValue } from "@effect/atom-react";
@@ -20,12 +19,13 @@ import type { ConnectedEnvironmentSummary } from "../../state/remote-runtime-typ
 import { serverEnvironment } from "../../state/server";
 import { ConnectionFormField } from "./ConnectionFormField";
 import { ConnectionStatusDot } from "./ConnectionStatusDot";
+import { environmentStatusText } from "./environmentStatusText";
 
 function connectionStatusLabel(environment: ConnectedEnvironmentSummary): string | null {
   if (!environment.isEnabled && environment.connectionState !== "unsupported") {
     return "Off";
   }
-  return connectionStatusText({
+  return environmentStatusText({
     phase: environment.connectionState,
     error: environment.connectionError,
     traceId: environment.connectionErrorTraceId,
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.test.ts b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e573138beef363ac15ce241e048ad26912126422
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { EnvironmentId, ORCHESTRATION_PROTOCOL_VERSION } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+
+import { orchestrationProtocolCompatibilityError } from "@t3tools/client-runtime/connection";
+
+import { environmentStatusText } from "./environmentStatusText";
+
+function compatibilityMessage(serverProtocolVersion: number): string {
+  const error = orchestrationProtocolCompatibilityError({
+    environmentId: EnvironmentId.make("environment-preview"),
+    label: "Studio Mac",
+    platform: { os: "darwin", arch: "arm64" },
+    serverVersion: "1.0.0",
+    orchestrationProtocolVersion: serverProtocolVersion,
+    capabilities: { repositoryIdentity: true },
+  });
+  if (error === null) throw new Error("expected an incompatible protocol");
+  return error.message;
+}
+
+describe("environment status text", () => {
+  it.each([
+    ["a newer server", ORCHESTRATION_PROTOCOL_VERSION + 1, "Update your app"],
+    ["an older server", ORCHESTRATION_PROTOCOL_VERSION - 1, "Update T3 Code on Studio Mac"],
+  ])("tells the user what to update for %s", (_, serverProtocolVersion, guidance) => {
+    const text = environmentStatusText({
+      phase: "unsupported",
+      error: compatibilityMessage(serverProtocolVersion),
+      traceId: null,
+    });
+    expect(text).toContain(guidance);
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the generic label when there is no detail", () => {
+    expect(environmentStatusText({ phase: "unsupported", error: null, traceId: null })).toBe(
+      "Client not supported",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.ts b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b3340a2f22be304897d5c2bc3b2a45dfa06ad1dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/connection/environmentStatusText.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import {
+  connectionStatusText,
+  type EnvironmentConnectionPresentation,
+} from "@t3tools/client-runtime/connection";
+
+/**
+ * Status line for mobile environment rows. Mobile has no tooltip like web, so
+ * an unsupported environment shows its compatibility detail, which says
+ * whether to update the app or the host.
+ */
+export function environmentStatusText(connection: EnvironmentConnectionPresentation): string {
+  return connection.phase === "unsupported" && connection.error !== null
+    ? connection.error
+    : connectionStatusText(connection);
+}