diff --git a/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/LocalTestCollection.kt b/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/LocalTestCollection.kt
index 6841f7743..9b1d60cf5 100644
--- a/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/LocalTestCollection.kt
+++ b/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/LocalTestCollection.kt
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ package at.bitfire.davdroid.sync
 import at.bitfire.davdroid.db.SyncState
 import at.bitfire.davdroid.resource.LocalCollection
 
-class LocalTestCollection: LocalCollection<LocalTestResource> {
+class LocalTestCollection(
+    override val collectionUrl: String = "http://example.com/test/"
+): LocalCollection<LocalTestResource> {
 
     override val tag = "LocalTestCollection"
-    override val collectionUrl: String
-        get() = "https://example.com"
     override val title = "Local Test Collection"
 
     override var lastSyncState: SyncState? = null
diff --git a/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/SyncerTest.kt b/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/SyncerTest.kt
index 017c369dd..20f2e2277 100644
--- a/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/SyncerTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/androidTest/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/SyncerTest.kt
@@ -89,9 +89,11 @@ class SyncerTest {
 
         // Should delete the localCollection if dbCollection (remote) does not exist
         val localCollections = mutableListOf(localCollection)
-        syncer.updateCollections(localCollections, dbCollections = emptyMap())
+        val result = syncer.updateCollections(mockk(), localCollections, emptyMap())
         verify(exactly = 1) { localCollection.deleteCollection() }
-        assertTrue(localCollections.isEmpty())
+
+        // Updated local collection list should be empty
+        assertTrue(result.isEmpty())
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -101,27 +103,28 @@ class SyncerTest {
         val dbCollections = mapOf("http://update.the/collection".toHttpUrl() to dbCollection)
         every { dbCollection.url } returns "http://update.the/collection".toHttpUrl()
         every { localCollection.collectionUrl } returns "http://update.the/collection"
+        every { localCollection.title } returns "The Local Collection"
 
-        // Should update the localCollection if it exists ...
-        val localCollections = mutableListOf(localCollection)
-        val newCollections = syncer.updateCollections(localCollections, dbCollections)
+        // Should update the localCollection if it exists
+        val result = syncer.updateCollections(mockk(), listOf(localCollection), dbCollections)
         verify(exactly = 1) { syncer.update(localCollection, dbCollection) }
-        // ... and remove it from the "new found" collections which are to be created
-        assertArrayEquals(arrayOf(localCollection), localCollections.toTypedArray())
-        assertTrue(newCollections.isEmpty())
+
+        // Updated local collection list should be same as input
+        assertArrayEquals(arrayOf(localCollection), result.toTypedArray())
     }
 
     @Test
     fun testUpdateCollections_findsNewCollection() {
         val dbCollection = mockk<Collection>()
-        val dbCollections = mapOf("http://newly.found/collection".toHttpUrl() to dbCollection)
         every { dbCollection.url } returns "http://newly.found/collection".toHttpUrl()
+        val dbCollections = mapOf(dbCollection.url to dbCollection)
 
         // Should return the new collection, because it was not updated
-        val localCollections = mutableListOf<LocalTestCollection>()
-        val newCollections = syncer.updateCollections(localCollections, dbCollections)
-        assertEquals(dbCollection, newCollections["http://newly.found/collection".toHttpUrl()])
-        assertTrue(localCollections.isEmpty())
+        val result = syncer.updateCollections(mockk(), emptyList(), dbCollections)
+
+        // Updated local collection list contain new entry
+        assertEquals(1, result.size)
+        assertEquals(dbCollection.url.toString(), result[0].collectionUrl)
     }
 
 
@@ -130,12 +133,11 @@ class SyncerTest {
         val provider = mockk<ContentProviderClient>()
         val localCollection = mockk<LocalTestCollection>()
         val dbCollection = mockk<Collection>()
-        val dbCollections = mapOf("http://newly.found/collection".toHttpUrl() to dbCollection)
         every { syncer.create(provider, dbCollection) } returns localCollection
         every { dbCollection.url } returns "http://newly.found/collection".toHttpUrl()
 
         // Should return list of newly created local collections
-        val newLocalCollections = syncer.createLocalCollections(provider, dbCollections)
+        val newLocalCollections = syncer.createLocalCollections(provider, listOf(dbCollection))
         assertEquals(listOf(localCollection), newLocalCollections)
     }
 
@@ -190,7 +192,7 @@ class SyncerTest {
             emptyList()
 
         override fun create(provider: ContentProviderClient, remoteCollection: Collection): LocalTestCollection =
-            LocalTestCollection()
+            LocalTestCollection(remoteCollection.url.toString())
 
         override fun syncCollection(
             provider: ContentProviderClient,
diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/Syncer.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/Syncer.kt
index 49b4c6d12..6f76ff54d 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/Syncer.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/at/bitfire/davdroid/sync/Syncer.kt
@@ -124,14 +124,15 @@ abstract class Syncer<CollectionType: LocalCollection<*>>(
     /**
      * Updates and deletes local collections. Specifically:
      *
-     * - Deletes local collections if corresponding database collections are missing.
      * - Updates local collections with possibly new info from corresponding database collections.
-     * - Determines new database collections to be also created as local collections.
+     * - Deletes local collections if corresponding database collections are missing.
+     * - Creates local collections if database collections without local match are available.
      *
-     * @param localCollections The local collections to be updated or deleted.
-     * @param dbCollections The database collections possibly containing new information
+     * @param provider Content provider client, used to create local collections
+     * @param localCollections The current local collections
+     * @param dbCollections The current database collections, possibly containing new information
      *
-     * @return New found database collections to be created in provider
+     * @return Updated list of local collections (obsolete collections removed, new collections added)
      */
     @VisibleForTesting
     internal fun updateCollections(
@@ -140,37 +141,43 @@ abstract class Syncer<CollectionType: LocalCollection<*>>(
         dbCollections: Map<HttpUrl, Collection>
     ): List<CollectionType> {
         // create mutable copies of input
-        val newLocalCollections = localCollections.toMutableList()
+        val updatedLocalCollections = localCollections.toMutableList()
         val newDbCollections = dbCollections.toMutableMap()
 
         for (localCollection in localCollections) {
             val dbCollection = dbCollections[localCollection.collectionUrl?.toHttpUrlOrNull()]
             if (dbCollection == null) {
-                // Collection not available in db = on server (anymore), delete
-                logger.info("Deleting local collection ${localCollection.title}")
+                // Collection not available in db = on server (anymore), delete and remove from the updated list
+                logger.fine("Deleting local collection ${localCollection.title}")
                 localCollection.deleteCollection()
-                newLocalCollections -= localCollection
+                updatedLocalCollections -= localCollection
             } else {
                 // Collection exists locally, update local collection and remove it from "to be created" map
+                logger.fine("Updating local collection ${localCollection.title} with $dbCollection")
                 update(localCollection, dbCollection)
                 newDbCollections -= dbCollection.url
             }
         }
 
         // Create local collections which are in DB, but don't exist locally yet
-        val newProviderCollections = createLocalCollections(provider, newDbCollections.values.toList())
-        newLocalCollections.addAll(newProviderCollections) // Add the newly created collections
+        if (newDbCollections.isNotEmpty()) {
+            val toBeCreated = newDbCollections.values.toList()
+            logger.log(Level.FINE, "Creating new local collections", toBeCreated.toTypedArray())
+            val newLocalCollections = createLocalCollections(provider, toBeCreated)
+            // Add the newly created collections to the updated list
+            updatedLocalCollections.addAll(newLocalCollections)
+        }
 
-        return newLocalCollections
+        return updatedLocalCollections
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates new local collections from database collections.
      *
-     * @param provider Content provider client to access local collections.
-     * @param dbCollections Database collections to be created as local collections.
+     * @param provider Content provider client to access local collections
+     * @param dbCollections Database collections to be created as local collections
      *
-     * @return Newly created local collections.
+     * @return Newly created local collections
      */
     @VisibleForTesting
     internal fun createLocalCollections(