diff --git a/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/NotificationsModule.kt b/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/NotificationsModule.kt
index 24a55bf..e70350b 100644
--- a/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/NotificationsModule.kt
+++ b/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/NotificationsModule.kt
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class NotificationsModule(
     fun syncService() = syncService
     fun credentialProvider() = credentialsStore
     fun firebasePushTokenUseCase() = firebasePushTokenUseCase
+    fun roomStore() = roomStore
     fun notificationsUseCase() = NotificationsUseCase(
         roomStore,
         NotificationRenderer(notificationManager(), NotificationFactory(iconLoader, context, intentFactory)),
diff --git a/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/PushAndroidService.kt b/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/PushAndroidService.kt
index 8fc6945..9f6bf55 100644
--- a/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/PushAndroidService.kt
+++ b/features/notifications/src/main/kotlin/app/dapk/st/notifications/PushAndroidService.kt
@@ -56,11 +56,8 @@ class PushAndroidService : FirebaseMessagingService() {
     private suspend fun doSync(roomId: RoomId?, eventId: EventId?) {
         when (roomId) {
             null -> {
-                log(PUSH, "empty push payload - triggering a sync if not running")
-                withTimeoutOrNull(60_000) {
-                    log(PUSH, "got empty event, forcing a sync")
-                    module.syncService().startSyncing().first()
-                } ?: log(PUSH, "timed out waiting for sync")
+                log(PUSH, "empty push payload - keeping sync alive until unread changes")
+                waitForUnreadChange(60_000) ?: log(PUSH, "timed out waiting for sync")
             }
             else -> {
                 log(PUSH, "push with eventId payload - keeping sync alive until the event shows up in the sync response")
@@ -82,4 +79,12 @@ class PushAndroidService : FirebaseMessagingService() {
         }
     }
 
+    private suspend fun waitForUnreadChange(timeout: Long): String? {
+        return withTimeoutOrNull(timeout) {
+            combine(module.syncService().startSyncing(), module.roomStore().observeUnread()) { _, unread -> unread }
+                .first()
+            "ignored"
+        }
+    }
+
 }