diff --git a/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/CustodianTaskImpl.java b/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/CustodianTaskImpl.java
index 70a8f106a..348b914f9 100644
--- a/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/CustodianTaskImpl.java
+++ b/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/CustodianTaskImpl.java
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 package org.briarproject.briar.socialbackup.recovery;
 
-import org.briarproject.bramble.api.FormatException;
 import org.briarproject.bramble.api.client.ClientHelper;
 import org.briarproject.bramble.api.crypto.AgreementPublicKey;
 import org.briarproject.bramble.api.data.BdfList;
 import org.briarproject.briar.api.socialbackup.recovery.CustodianTask;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.Socket;
-import java.security.PublicKey;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ public class CustodianTaskImpl implements CustodianTask {
 	private Observer observer;
 	private ClientHelper clientHelper;
 	private InetSocketAddress remoteSocketAddress;
+	private Socket socket = new Socket();
+	private final int TIMEOUT = 120 * 1000;
 
 	@Inject
 	CustodianTaskImpl(ClientHelper clientHelper) {
@@ -34,30 +36,68 @@ public class CustodianTaskImpl implements CustodianTask {
 
 	@Override
 	public void cancel() {
-        cancelled = true;
+		cancelled = true;
+		try {
+			socket.close();
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(
+					State.Failure.Reason.NO_CONNECTION));
+		}
+		observer.onStateChanged(
+				new CustodianTask.State.Failure(State.Failure.Reason.OTHER));
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public void qrCodeDecoded(byte[] qrCodePayloadRaw) {
-	   try {
-		   BdfList qrCodePayload = clientHelper.toList(qrCodePayloadRaw);
-		   AgreementPublicKey publicKey = new AgreementPublicKey(qrCodePayload.getRaw(0));
-		   byte[] addressRaw = qrCodePayload.getRaw(1);
-		   int port = qrCodePayload.getLong(2).intValue();
-		   remoteSocketAddress = new InetSocketAddress(InetAddress.getByAddress(addressRaw), port);
-		   System.out.println(" Qr code decoded " + publicKey.getEncoded().length + " " + remoteSocketAddress);
-		   observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.SendingShard());
-	   } catch (Exception e) {
-	   	   observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(State.Failure.Reason.QR_CODE_INVALID));
-	   	   return;
-	   }
+		try {
+			BdfList qrCodePayload = clientHelper.toList(qrCodePayloadRaw);
+			AgreementPublicKey publicKey =
+					new AgreementPublicKey(qrCodePayload.getRaw(0));
+			byte[] addressRaw = qrCodePayload.getRaw(1);
+			int port = qrCodePayload.getLong(2).intValue();
+			remoteSocketAddress =
+					new InetSocketAddress(InetAddress.getByAddress(addressRaw),
+							port);
+			System.out.println(
+					" Qr code decoded " + publicKey.getEncoded().length + " " +
+							remoteSocketAddress);
+		} catch (Exception e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(
+					State.Failure.Reason.QR_CODE_INVALID));
+			return;
+		}
+		connectAndSendShard();
+	}
 
-	   Socket s = new Socket();
-	   try {
-		   s.connect(remoteSocketAddress, 120 * 1000);
-	   } catch (IOException e) {
-		   observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(State.Failure.Reason.QR_CODE_INVALID));
-	   }
-	   System.out.println("Connected *****");
+	private void connectAndSendShard() {
+		observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.SendingShard());
+		try {
+			socket.connect(remoteSocketAddress, TIMEOUT);
+			OutputStream outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
+			outputStream.write("crunchy".getBytes());
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.ReceivingAck());
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(
+					State.Failure.Reason.QR_CODE_INVALID));
+			return;
+		}
+		System.out.println("Connected *****");
+		receiveAck();
+	}
+
+	private void receiveAck() {
+		try {
+			InputStream inputStream = socket.getInputStream();
+			byte[] ackMessage = new byte[3];
+			int read = inputStream.read(ackMessage);
+			if (read < 0) throw new IOException("Ack not read");
+			System.out.println("ack message: " + new String(ackMessage));
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Success());
+			socket.close();
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new CustodianTask.State.Failure(
+					State.Failure.Reason.QR_CODE_INVALID));
+			return;
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/SecretOwnerTaskImpl.java b/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/SecretOwnerTaskImpl.java
index 4da5659d8..e9f007d4c 100644
--- a/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/SecretOwnerTaskImpl.java
+++ b/briar-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/briar/socialbackup/recovery/SecretOwnerTaskImpl.java
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@ import org.briarproject.bramble.api.lifecycle.IoExecutor;
 import org.briarproject.briar.api.socialbackup.recovery.SecretOwnerTask;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.ServerSocket;
+import java.net.Socket;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
@@ -24,6 +27,10 @@ public class SecretOwnerTaskImpl implements SecretOwnerTask {
 	private boolean cancelled = false;
 	private InetSocketAddress socketAddress;
 	private ClientHelper clientHelper;
+	private final int PORT = 3002;
+	private Observer observer;
+	private ServerSocket serverSocket;
+	private Socket socket;
 
 	@Inject
 	SecretOwnerTaskImpl(CryptoComponent crypto,
@@ -36,15 +43,15 @@ public class SecretOwnerTaskImpl implements SecretOwnerTask {
 
 	@Override
 	public void start(Observer observer, InetAddress inetAddress) {
+		this.observer = observer;
 		if (inetAddress == null) observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
 		System.out.println("InetAddress is " + inetAddress);
-		socketAddress = new InetSocketAddress(inetAddress, 3002);
+		socketAddress = new InetSocketAddress(inetAddress, PORT);
 
 		// start listening on socketAddress
-		ServerSocket ss = null;
 		try {
-			ss = new ServerSocket();
-			ss.bind(socketAddress);
+			serverSocket = new ServerSocket();
+			serverSocket.bind(socketAddress);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
 			// TODO could try incrementing the port number
@@ -61,11 +68,36 @@ public class SecretOwnerTaskImpl implements SecretOwnerTask {
 					new State.Listening(clientHelper.toByteArray(payloadList)));
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
+			return;
+		}
+		receiveShard();
+	}
+
+	private void receiveShard() {
+		try {
+			socket = serverSocket.accept();
+			observer.onStateChanged(new State.ReceivingShard());
+            InputStream inputStream = socket.getInputStream();
+			byte[] payloadRaw = new byte[7];
+			int read = inputStream.read(payloadRaw);
+			if (read < 0) throw new IOException("Payload not read");
+			System.out.println("payload message: " + new String(payloadRaw));
+			OutputStream outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
+			outputStream.write("ack".getBytes());
+			serverSocket.close();
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
 		}
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public void cancel() {
         cancelled = true;
+		try {
+            serverSocket.close();
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
+		}
+		observer.onStateChanged(new State.Failure());
 	}
 }