diff --git a/app/rest/response_json.h b/app/rest/response_json.h
index 237e0a2aee..cd484e2030 100644
--- a/app/rest/response_json.h
+++ b/app/rest/response_json.h
@@ -102,6 +102,12 @@ class ResponseJson : public Response {
     Response::MarkCompleted();
   }
 
+  // When the response fails, ensure that application_data_ is set.
+  void MarkFailed() override {
+    application_data_.reset(new FbsTypeT());
+    Response::MarkFailed();
+  }
+
  protected:
   // The FlatBuffer parser used to parse the response JSON string.
   flatbuffers::unique_ptr<flatbuffers::Parser> parser_;
diff --git a/release_build_files/readme.md b/release_build_files/readme.md
index 37796c1a8c..09cddbb702 100644
--- a/release_build_files/readme.md
+++ b/release_build_files/readme.md
@@ -567,6 +567,12 @@ workflow use only during the development of your app, not for publicly shipping
 code.
 
 ## Release Notes
+### Next Release
+-   Changes
+    -   Auth (Desktop): Fixed a crash in `error_code()` when a request
+        is cancelled or times out.
+        ([#737](https://github.com/firebase/firebase-cpp-sdk/issues/737))
+
 ### 8.7.0
 -   Changes
     -   Firestore: Released to general availability for Android and iOS (desktop
@@ -666,7 +672,7 @@ code.
         ([#429](https://github.com/firebase/firebase-cpp-sdk/pull/429)).
     -   AdMob (iOS): Temporarily pinned AdMob dependency to a special version of the
         Google-Mobile-Ads-SDK Cocoapod, "7.69.0-cppsdk", to maintain compatibility
-	with version 8.x of the Firebase iOS SDK.
+        with version 8.x of the Firebase iOS SDK.
     -   General (iOS): A Database URL is no longer required to be present in
         GoogleService-Info.plist when not using the Real Time Database.
     -   Firestore: Added `Firestore::LoadBundle` to enable loading Firestore Data