diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayout.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayout.kt
index f3f882929..1f2fd9a91 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayout.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayout.kt
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ class SyncedTabsLayout @JvmOverloads constructor(
 
         synced_tabs_list.visibility = View.GONE
         sync_tabs_status.visibility = View.VISIBLE
-        synced_tabs_pull_to_refresh.isEnabled = false
+
+        synced_tabs_pull_to_refresh.isEnabled = pullToRefreshEnableState(error)
     }
 
     override fun displaySyncedTabs(syncedTabs: List<SyncedDeviceTabs>) {
@@ -78,4 +79,19 @@ class SyncedTabsLayout @JvmOverloads constructor(
     override fun stopLoading() {
         synced_tabs_pull_to_refresh.isRefreshing = false
     }
+
+    companion object {
+        internal fun pullToRefreshEnableState(error: SyncedTabsView.ErrorType) = when (error) {
+            // Disable "pull-to-refresh" when we clearly can't sync tabs, and user needs to take an
+            // action within the app.
+            SyncedTabsView.ErrorType.SYNC_UNAVAILABLE,
+            SyncedTabsView.ErrorType.SYNC_NEEDS_REAUTHENTICATION -> false
+
+            // Enable "pull-to-refresh" when an external event (e.g. connecting a desktop client,
+            // or enabling tabs sync, or connecting to a network) may resolve our problem.
+            SyncedTabsView.ErrorType.SYNC_ENGINE_UNAVAILABLE,
+            SyncedTabsView.ErrorType.MULTIPLE_DEVICES_UNAVAILABLE,
+            SyncedTabsView.ErrorType.NO_TABS_AVAILABLE -> true
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayoutTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayoutTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7b69743b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/org/mozilla/fenix/sync/SyncedTabsLayoutTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+package org.mozilla.fenix.sync
+
+import mozilla.components.feature.syncedtabs.view.SyncedTabsView.ErrorType
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class SyncedTabsLayoutTest {
+    @Test
+    fun `pull to refresh state`() {
+        assertTrue(SyncedTabsLayout.pullToRefreshEnableState(ErrorType.MULTIPLE_DEVICES_UNAVAILABLE))
+        assertTrue(SyncedTabsLayout.pullToRefreshEnableState(ErrorType.SYNC_ENGINE_UNAVAILABLE))
+        assertTrue(SyncedTabsLayout.pullToRefreshEnableState(ErrorType.NO_TABS_AVAILABLE))
+        assertFalse(SyncedTabsLayout.pullToRefreshEnableState(ErrorType.SYNC_NEEDS_REAUTHENTICATION))
+        assertFalse(SyncedTabsLayout.pullToRefreshEnableState(ErrorType.SYNC_UNAVAILABLE))
+    }
+}