diff --git a/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js b/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
index 68e1f7c6..64843209 100644
--- a/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import {EventEmitter} from "../utils/EventEmitter.js";
-import {LoadStatus} from "../matrix/SessionContainer.js";
+import {LoadStatus, LoginFailure} from "../matrix/SessionContainer.js";
 import {AbortError} from "../utils/error.js";
 
 export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
         this._createSessionContainer = createSessionContainer;
         this._sessionCallback = sessionCallback;
         this._defaultHomeServer = defaultHomeServer;
+        this._homeserver = null;
         this._sessionContainer = null;
         this._loadWaitHandle = null;
         this._loading = false;
@@ -18,18 +19,24 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
     get passwordPlaceholder() { return "Password"; }
     get hsPlaceholder() { return "Your matrix homeserver"; }
     get defaultHomeServer() { return this._defaultHomeServer; }
-    get error() { return this._error; }
-    get loading() { return this._loading; }
+    get loading() {return this._loading}
+
+    get showLoadLabel() {
+        return this._loading || this._sessionContainer;
+    }
 
     async login(username, password, homeserver) {
         try {
             this._loading = true;
             this.emit("change", "loading");
+            this._homeserver = homeserver;
             this._sessionContainer = this._createSessionContainer();
             this._sessionContainer.startWithLogin(homeserver, username, password);
             this._loadWaitHandle = this._sessionContainer.loadStatus.waitFor(s => {
-                this.emit("change", "loadStatus");
-                return s === LoadStatus.Ready;
+                this.emit("change", "loadLabel");
+                return s === LoadStatus.Ready ||
+                       s === LoadStatus.LoginFailed ||
+                       s === LoadStatus.Error;
             });
             try {
                 await this._loadWaitHandle.promise;
@@ -40,8 +47,17 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
                 }
             }
             this._loadWaitHandle = null;
-            this._sessionCallback(this._sessionContainer);
-            // wait for parent view model to switch away here
+            if (this._sessionContainer.loadStatus.get() === LoadStatus.Ready) {
+                this._sessionCallback(this._sessionContainer);
+                // wait for parent view model to switch away here
+            } else {
+                this._loading = false;
+                this.emit("change", "loading");
+                if (this._sessionContainer.loadError) {
+                    console.error(this._sessionContainer.loadError);
+                }
+            }
+            
         } catch (err) {
             this._error = err;
             this._loading = false;
@@ -49,21 +65,43 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
         }
     }
 
-    get loadStatus() {
-        return this._sessionContainer && this._sessionContainer.loadStatus;
-    }
-
-    get loadError() {
-        if (this._sessionContainer) {
-            const error = this._sessionContainer.loadError;
-            if (error) {
-                return error.message;
+    get loadLabel() {
+        if (this._error) {
+            return `Something went wrong: ${this._error.message}.`;
+        }
+        if (this.showLoadLabel) {
+            if (this._sessionContainer) {
+                switch (this._sessionContainer.loadStatus.get()) {
+                    case LoadStatus.NotLoading:
+                        return `Preparing…`;
+                    case LoadStatus.Login:
+                        return `Checking your login and password…`;
+                    case LoadStatus.LoginFailed:
+                        switch (this._sessionContainer.loginFailure) {
+                            case LoginFailure.LoginFailure:
+                                return `Your username and/or password don't seem to be correct.`;
+                            case LoginFailure.Connection:
+                                return `Can't connect to ${this._homeserver}.`;
+                            case LoginFailure.Unknown:
+                                return `Something went wrong while checking your login and password.`;
+                        }
+                        break;
+                    case LoadStatus.Loading:
+                        return `Loading your conversations…`;
+                    case LoadStatus.FirstSync:
+                        return `Getting your conversations from the server…`;
+                    case LoadStatus.Error:
+                        return `Something went wrong: ${this._sessionContainer.loadError.message}.`;
+                    default:
+                        return this._sessionContainer.loadStatus.get();
+                }
             }
+            return `Preparing…`;
         }
         return null;
     }
 
-    async cancelLogin() {
+    async cancel() {
         if (!this._loading) {
             return;
         }
@@ -81,7 +119,9 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends EventEmitter {
         }
     }
 
-    cancel() {
-        this._sessionCallback();
+    goBack() {
+        if (!this._loading) {
+            this._sessionCallback();
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/web/login/LoginView.js b/src/ui/web/login/LoginView.js
index 9eccc062..c4b68477 100644
--- a/src/ui/web/login/LoginView.js
+++ b/src/ui/web/login/LoginView.js
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@ export class LoginView extends TemplateView {
     }
 
     render(t, vm) {
-        const username = t.input({type: "text", placeholder: vm.usernamePlaceholder});
-        const password = t.input({type: "password", placeholder: vm.passwordPlaceholder});
-        const homeserver = t.input({type: "text", placeholder: vm.hsPlaceholder, value: vm.defaultHomeServer});
+        const disabled = vm => vm.loading;
+        const username = t.input({type: "text", placeholder: vm.usernamePlaceholder, disabled});
+        const password = t.input({type: "password", placeholder: vm.passwordPlaceholder, disabled});
+        const homeserver = t.input({type: "text", placeholder: vm.hsPlaceholder, value: vm.defaultHomeServer, disabled});
         return t.div({className: "LoginView form"}, [
             t.h1(["Log in to your homeserver"]),
             t.if(vm => vm.error, t => t.div({className: "error"}, vm => vm.error)),
@@ -18,10 +19,19 @@ export class LoginView extends TemplateView {
             t.div(homeserver),
             t.div(t.button({
                 onClick: () => vm.login(username.value, password.value, homeserver.value),
-                disabled: vm => vm.loading
+                disabled
             }, "Log In")),
-            t.div(t.button({onClick: () => vm.cancel()}, ["Pick an existing session"])),
+            t.div(t.button({onClick: () => vm.goBack(), disabled}, ["Pick an existing session"])),
+            t.if(vm => vm.showLoadLabel, renderLoadProgress),
             t.p(brawlGithubLink(t))
         ]);
     }
 }
+
+function renderLoadProgress(t) {
+    return t.div({className: "loadProgress"}, [
+        t.div({className: "spinner"}),
+        t.p(vm => vm.loadLabel),
+        t.if(vm => vm.loading, t => t.button({onClick: vm => vm.cancel()}, "Cancel login"))
+    ]);
+}