diff --git a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 8e8ed979a..1667cf88b 100644
--- a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -54,8 +54,9 @@
 
         <activity
             android:name=".ui.reader.WebReaderLoadingContainerActivity"
-            android:theme="@style/Theme.AppCompat.NoActionBar"
-            android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustNothing" />
+            android:exported="true"
+            android:label="@string/app_name"
+            android:theme="@style/Theme.Omnivore"/>
 
     </application>
 </manifest>
diff --git a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/networking/SavedItemQuery.kt b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/networking/SavedItemQuery.kt
index 9cc667461..bc5ec8840 100644
--- a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/networking/SavedItemQuery.kt
+++ b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/networking/SavedItemQuery.kt
@@ -8,11 +8,12 @@ import app.omnivore.omnivore.persistence.entities.Highlight
 data class SavedItemQueryResponse(
   val item: SavedItem?,
   val highlights: List<Highlight>,
-  val labels: List<SavedItemLabel>
+  val labels: List<SavedItemLabel>,
+  val state: String
 ) {
   companion object {
     fun emptyResponse(): SavedItemQueryResponse {
-      return SavedItemQueryResponse(null, listOf(), listOf())
+      return SavedItemQueryResponse(null, listOf(), listOf(), state = "")
     }
   }
 }
@@ -79,8 +80,8 @@ suspend fun Networker.savedItem(slug: String): SavedItemQueryResponse {
       content = article.articleFields.content
     )
 
-    return SavedItemQueryResponse(item = savedItem, highlights, labels = savedItemLabels)
+    return SavedItemQueryResponse(item = savedItem, highlights, labels = savedItemLabels, state = article.articleFields.state?.rawValue ?: "")
   } catch (e: java.lang.Exception) {
-    return SavedItemQueryResponse(item = null, listOf(), labels = listOf())
+    return SavedItemQueryResponse(item = null, listOf(), labels = listOf(), state = "")
   }
 }
diff --git a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderLoadingContainer.kt b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderLoadingContainer.kt
index 8313adb39..a23ef6b53 100644
--- a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderLoadingContainer.kt
+++ b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderLoadingContainer.kt
@@ -1,14 +1,13 @@
 package app.omnivore.omnivore.ui.reader
 
-import android.graphics.PointF
 import android.os.Bundle
-import android.util.Log
 import android.view.View
+import androidx.activity.ComponentActivity
 import androidx.activity.compose.LocalOnBackPressedDispatcherOwner
 import androidx.activity.compose.setContent
 import androidx.activity.viewModels
-import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
 import androidx.compose.foundation.background
+import androidx.compose.foundation.clickable
 import androidx.compose.foundation.isSystemInDarkTheme
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.*
 import androidx.compose.foundation.verticalScroll
@@ -22,6 +21,7 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.*
 import androidx.compose.runtime.livedata.observeAsState
+import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.geometry.Offset
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
@@ -33,27 +33,15 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.core.view.ViewCompat
 import androidx.core.view.WindowCompat
 import androidx.core.view.WindowInsetsCompat
-import app.omnivore.omnivore.R
-import app.omnivore.omnivore.ui.root.RootView
 import app.omnivore.omnivore.ui.savedItemViews.SavedItemContextMenu
 import app.omnivore.omnivore.ui.theme.OmnivoreTheme
-import com.pspdfkit.annotations.Annotation
-import com.pspdfkit.annotations.HighlightAnnotation
-import com.pspdfkit.configuration.PdfConfiguration
-import com.pspdfkit.configuration.page.PageScrollDirection
-import com.pspdfkit.listeners.DocumentListener
-import com.pspdfkit.listeners.OnPreparePopupToolbarListener
-import com.pspdfkit.ui.PdfFragment
-import com.pspdfkit.ui.PdfThumbnailBar
-import com.pspdfkit.ui.search.PdfSearchViewModular
-import com.pspdfkit.ui.special_mode.controller.TextSelectionController
-import com.pspdfkit.ui.special_mode.manager.TextSelectionManager
+import com.google.accompanist.systemuicontroller.rememberSystemUiController
 import dagger.hilt.android.AndroidEntryPoint
 import kotlin.math.roundToInt
 
 
 @AndroidEntryPoint
-class WebReaderLoadingContainerActivity: AppCompatActivity() {
+class WebReaderLoadingContainerActivity: ComponentActivity() {
   val viewModel: WebReaderViewModel by viewModels()
 
   override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
@@ -61,15 +49,32 @@ class WebReaderLoadingContainerActivity: AppCompatActivity() {
     val requestID = intent.getStringExtra("SAVED_ITEM_REQUEST_ID") ?: ""
 
     setContent {
+      val systemUiController = rememberSystemUiController()
+      val useDarkIcons = !isSystemInDarkTheme()
+
       OmnivoreTheme {
         Box(
           modifier = Modifier
             .fillMaxSize()
             .background(color = Color.Black)
+            .systemBarsPadding()
         ) {
-          WebReaderLoadingContainer(requestID = requestID, webReaderViewModel = viewModel)
+          if (viewModel.hasFetchError.value == true) {
+            Text("We were unable to fetch your content.")
+          } else {
+            WebReaderLoadingContainer(requestID = requestID, webReaderViewModel = viewModel)
+          }
         }
       }
+
+      DisposableEffect(systemUiController, useDarkIcons) {
+        systemUiController.setSystemBarsColor(
+          color = Color.Black,
+          darkIcons = false
+        )
+
+        onDispose {}
+      }
     }
 
     // animate the view up when keyboard appears
@@ -194,7 +199,14 @@ fun WebReaderLoadingContainer(slug: String? = null, requestID: String? = null, w
       }
     }
   } else {
-    // TODO: add a proper loading view
-    Text("Loading...")
+    Column(
+      verticalArrangement = Arrangement.SpaceAround,
+      horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
+      modifier = Modifier
+        .fillMaxSize()
+        .padding(horizontal = 16.dp)
+    ) {
+      Text("Loading...", color = Color.White)
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderViewModel.kt b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderViewModel.kt
index eca884c8b..4bb3b4fa3 100644
--- a/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderViewModel.kt
+++ b/android/Omnivore/app/src/main/java/app/omnivore/omnivore/ui/reader/WebReaderViewModel.kt
@@ -41,30 +41,42 @@ class WebReaderViewModel @Inject constructor(
   val annotationLiveData = MutableLiveData<String?>(null)
   val javascriptActionLoopUUIDLiveData = MutableLiveData(lastJavascriptActionLoopUUID)
   val shouldPopViewLiveData = MutableLiveData<Boolean>(false)
+  val hasFetchError = MutableLiveData<Boolean>(false)
 
   var hasTappedExistingHighlight = false
   var lastTapCoordinates: TapCoordinates? = null
   
   fun loadItem(slug: String?, requestID: String?) {
-    slug?.let { loadItemUsingSlug(it) }
-    requestID?.let { loadItemUsingRequestID(it) }
-  }
-
-  private fun loadItemUsingSlug(slug: String) {
     viewModelScope.launch {
-      val webReaderParams = loadItemFromServer(slug)
-
-      if (webReaderParams != null) {
-        Log.d("sync", "data loaded from server")
-        webReaderParamsLiveData.postValue(webReaderParams)
-      } else {
-        loadItemFromDB(slug)
-      }
+      slug?.let { loadItemUsingSlug(it) }
+      requestID?.let { loadItemUsingRequestID(it) }
     }
   }
 
-  private fun loadItemUsingRequestID(requestID: String) {
-    // TODO: implement
+  private suspend fun loadItemUsingSlug(slug: String) {
+    val webReaderParams = loadItemFromServer(slug)
+
+    if (webReaderParams != null) {
+      Log.d("sync", "data loaded from server")
+      webReaderParamsLiveData.postValue(webReaderParams)
+    } else {
+      loadItemFromDB(slug)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private suspend fun loadItemUsingRequestID(requestID: String, requestCount: Int = 0) {
+    val webReaderParams = loadItemFromServer(requestID)
+    val isSuccessful = webReaderParams?.articleContent?.contentStatus == "SUCCEEDED"
+
+    if (webReaderParams != null && isSuccessful) {
+      webReaderParamsLiveData.postValue(webReaderParams)
+    } else if (requestCount < 7) {
+      // delay then try again
+      delay(2000L)
+      loadItemUsingRequestID(requestID = requestID, requestCount = requestCount + 1)
+    } else {
+      hasFetchError.postValue(true)
+    }
   }
 
   private suspend fun loadItemFromDB(slug: String) {
@@ -96,7 +108,7 @@ class WebReaderViewModel @Inject constructor(
       title = article.title,
       htmlContent = article.content ?: "",
       highlights = articleQueryResult.highlights,
-      contentStatus = "SUCCEEDED",
+      contentStatus = articleQueryResult.state,
       objectID = "",
       labelsJSONString = Gson().toJson(articleQueryResult.labels)
     )