diff --git a/app/src/full/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManagerImpl.kt b/app/src/full/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManagerImpl.kt
index 6c2c5e70ce0..e0ff31df87b 100644
--- a/app/src/full/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManagerImpl.kt
+++ b/app/src/full/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManagerImpl.kt
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
         return if (getDeviceDataset == null) {
             ThreadManager.SyncResult.NoneHaveCredentials
         } else {
-            val appIsDevicePreferred = appAddedIsPreferredCredentials(context)
+            val appIsDevicePreferred = appAddedPreferredCredential(context) != null
             Timber.d("Thread: device ${if (appIsDevicePreferred) "prefers" else "doesn't prefer" } dataset from app")
 
             return if (appIsDevicePreferred) {
@@ -128,13 +128,16 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
                 Timber.d(
                     "Thread: device ${if (coreIsDevicePreferred) "prefers" else "doesn't prefer" } core preferred dataset",
                 )
-                val appIsDevicePreferred = coreIsDevicePreferred || appAddedIsPreferredCredentials(context)
+                val appPreferredCredential = if (coreIsDevicePreferred) null else appAddedPreferredCredential(context)
+                val appIsDevicePreferred = coreIsDevicePreferred || appPreferredCredential != null
                 Timber.d(
                     "Thread: device ${if (appIsDevicePreferred) "prefers" else "doesn't prefer" } dataset from app",
                 )
 
                 var exportFromDevice = false
                 var updated: Boolean? = null
+                var deviceNowPrefersCore: Boolean? = null
+                var devicePreferredNetworkName: String? = null
                 if (!coreIsDevicePreferred) {
                     if (appIsDevicePreferred) {
                         // Update or remove the device preferred credential to match core state.
@@ -169,6 +172,27 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
                                     )
                                 }
                                 Timber.d("Thread update device completed: deleted ${localIds.size} datasets, updated 1")
+                                // ThreadNetworkClient.addCredentials does not promote the new
+                                // credential to preferred. Verify what Play Services chose so the
+                                // caller can report honestly instead of assuming success.
+                                deviceNowPrefersCore = try {
+                                    isPreferredDatasetByDevice(context, coreThreadDataset.datasetId, serverId)
+                                } catch (e: Exception) {
+                                    Timber.w(e, "Unable to verify preferred dataset after import")
+                                    null
+                                }
+                                Timber.d(
+                                    "Thread: after import device ${
+                                        when (deviceNowPrefersCore) {
+                                            true -> "now prefers"
+                                            false -> "still doesn't prefer"
+                                            null -> "preference state unknown for"
+                                        }
+                                    } core preferred dataset",
+                                )
+                                if (deviceNowPrefersCore == false) {
+                                    devicePreferredNetworkName = appAddedPreferredCredential(context)?.networkName
+                                }
                                 true
                             } else { // Core prefers imported from other app, this shouldn't be managed by HA
                                 localIds.forEach { baId ->
@@ -197,6 +221,8 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
                     matches = coreIsDevicePreferred,
                     fromApp = appIsDevicePreferred,
                     updated = updated,
+                    deviceNowPrefersCore = deviceNowPrefersCore,
+                    devicePreferredNetworkName = devicePreferredNetworkName,
                     exportIntent = if (exportFromDevice) deviceThreadIntent else null,
                 )
             } catch (e: Exception) {
@@ -205,6 +231,8 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
                     matches = null,
                     fromApp = null,
                     updated = null,
+                    deviceNowPrefersCore = null,
+                    devicePreferredNetworkName = null,
                     exportIntent = null,
                 )
             }
@@ -262,7 +290,8 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
         }
     }
 
-    private suspend fun appAddedIsPreferredCredentials(context: Context): Boolean {
+    @OptIn(ExperimentalStdlibApi::class)
+    private suspend fun appAddedPreferredCredential(context: Context): ThreadNetworkCredentials? {
         val appCredentials = suspendCoroutine { cont ->
             ThreadNetwork.getNetworkClient(context)
                 .allCredentials
@@ -270,20 +299,17 @@ class ThreadManagerImpl @Inject constructor(
                 .addOnFailureListener { cont.resume(null) }
         }
         return try {
-            appCredentials?.any {
-                val isPreferred = isPreferredCredentials(context, it)
-                if (isPreferred) {
-                    Timber.d(
-                        "Thread device prefers app added dataset: ${it.networkName} (PAN ${it.panId}, EXTPAN ${String(
-                            it.extendedPanId,
-                        )})",
-                    )
-                }
-                isPreferred
-            } ?: false
+            appCredentials?.firstOrNull { isPreferredCredentials(context, it) }?.also {
+                Timber.d(
+                    "Thread device prefers app added dataset: %s (PAN %s, EXTPAN %s)",
+                    it.networkName,
+                    it.panId,
+                    it.extendedPanId.toHexString(HexFormat.UpperCase),
+                )
+            }
         } catch (e: Exception) {
             Timber.e(e, "Thread app added credentials preferred check failed")
-            false
+            null
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/settings/developer/DeveloperSettingsPresenterImpl.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/settings/developer/DeveloperSettingsPresenterImpl.kt
index 47edcd6ddd9..63703acd15b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/settings/developer/DeveloperSettingsPresenterImpl.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/settings/developer/DeveloperSettingsPresenterImpl.kt
@@ -100,10 +100,21 @@ class DeveloperSettingsPresenterImpl @Inject constructor(
                         } else if (syncResult.matches == true) {
                             view.onThreadDebugResult(context.getString(commonR.string.thread_debug_result_match), true)
                         } else if (syncResult.fromApp == true && syncResult.updated == true) {
-                            view.onThreadDebugResult(
-                                context.getString(commonR.string.thread_debug_result_updated),
-                                true,
-                            )
+                            val message = if (syncResult.deviceNowPrefersCore == false) {
+                                val base = context.getString(commonR.string.thread_debug_result_updated_not_preferred)
+                                val name = syncResult.devicePreferredNetworkName
+                                if (name != null) {
+                                    "$base ${context.getString(
+                                        commonR.string.thread_debug_result_mismatch_detail,
+                                        name,
+                                    )}"
+                                } else {
+                                    base
+                                }
+                            } else {
+                                context.getString(commonR.string.thread_debug_result_updated)
+                            }
+                            view.onThreadDebugResult(message, syncResult.deviceNowPrefersCore != false)
                         } else if (syncResult.fromApp == true && syncResult.updated == false) {
                             view.onThreadDebugResult(
                                 context.getString(commonR.string.thread_debug_result_removed),
diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManager.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManager.kt
index 3af998d53ff..8bd7ad762d2 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManager.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/homeassistant/companion/android/thread/ThreadManager.kt
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ interface ThreadManager {
             val matches: Boolean?,
             val fromApp: Boolean?,
             val updated: Boolean?,
+            val deviceNowPrefersCore: Boolean?,
+            val devicePreferredNetworkName: String?,
             val exportIntent: IntentSender?,
         ) : SyncResult()
         object NoneHaveCredentials : SyncResult()
diff --git a/common/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/common/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index 8f2e214a324..0d38e7ecfbb 100644
--- a/common/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/common/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -1178,6 +1178,7 @@
     <string name="thread_debug_result_removed">Removed old network from Home Assistant on this device</string>
     <string name="thread_debug_result_unsupported_server">The Home Assistant server does not support Thread</string>
     <string name="thread_debug_result_updated">Updated network from Home Assistant on this device</string>
+    <string name="thread_debug_result_updated_not_preferred">Updated network from Home Assistant on this device, but the device still prefers a different network</string>
     <string name="thread_debug_summary">Manually update device and server Thread credentials and verify results</string>
     <string name="thread_export_success">Imported credential</string>
     <string name="thread_export_none">You don\'t have any credentials to import.</string>