diff --git a/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegate.kt b/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegate.kt
index d2d72a1f557..3d857bb1965 100644
--- a/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegate.kt
+++ b/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegate.kt
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ class BlankFormListMenuDelegate(
     private var syncing = false
 
     init {
-        viewModel.isSyncingWithServer().observe(activity) { syncing: Boolean ->
-            this.syncing = syncing
+        viewModel.isLoading.observe(activity) { isLoading: Boolean ->
+            this.syncing = isLoading
             activity.invalidateOptionsMenu()
         }
 
diff --git a/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModel.kt b/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModel.kt
index e3c81da7d3c..706dc496c37 100644
--- a/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModel.kt
+++ b/collect_app/src/main/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModel.kt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import android.app.Application
 import android.net.Uri
 import androidx.lifecycle.LiveData
 import androidx.lifecycle.MutableLiveData
+import androidx.lifecycle.Observer
 import androidx.lifecycle.Transformations
 import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel
 import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModelProvider
@@ -51,13 +52,12 @@ class BlankFormListViewModel(
 
     private val isFormLoadingRunning = MutableNonNullLiveData(false)
     private val isSyncingWithStorageRunning = MutableNonNullLiveData(false)
-    private val isSyncingWithServerRunning = MutableNonNullLiveData(false)
 
     val isLoading: LiveData<Boolean> = Transformations.map(
         LiveDataUtils.zip3(
             isFormLoadingRunning,
             isSyncingWithStorageRunning,
-            isSyncingWithServerRunning,
+            syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId),
         )
     ) { (one, two, three) -> one || two || three }
 
@@ -81,9 +81,17 @@ class BlankFormListViewModel(
             return generalSettings.getBoolean(ProjectKeys.KEY_HIDE_OLD_FORM_VERSIONS)
         }
 
+    private val syncWithServerObserver = Observer<Boolean> {
+        if (!it) {
+            loadFromDatabase()
+        }
+    }
+
     init {
         loadFromDatabase()
         syncWithStorage()
+
+        syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId).observeForever(syncWithServerObserver)
     }
 
     fun getAllForms(): List<BlankFormListItem> {
@@ -165,15 +173,6 @@ class BlankFormListViewModel(
         ) == FormUpdateMode.MATCH_EXACTLY
     }
 
-    fun isSyncingWithServer(): LiveData<Boolean> {
-        return Transformations.map(
-            syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId)
-        ) { isSyncing ->
-            isSyncingWithServerRunning.value = isSyncing
-            isSyncing
-        }
-    }
-
     fun isOutOfSyncWithServer(): LiveData<Boolean> {
         return Transformations.map(
             syncRepository.getSyncError(projectId)
@@ -244,4 +243,9 @@ class BlankFormListViewModel(
             ) as T
         }
     }
+
+    override fun onCleared() {
+        super.onCleared()
+        syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId).removeObserver(syncWithServerObserver)
+    }
 }
diff --git a/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest.kt b/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest.kt
index 610df86485f..794f4631e10 100644
--- a/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest.kt
+++ b/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest.kt
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest {
     @Before
     fun setup() {
         whenever(networkStateProvider.isDeviceOnline).thenReturn(true)
-        whenever(viewModel.isSyncingWithServer()).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(false))
+        whenever(viewModel.isLoading).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(false))
         whenever(viewModel.isOutOfSyncWithServer()).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(false))
 
         activity = CollectHelpers.createThemedActivity(FragmentActivity::class.java)
@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ class BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun `onPrepareOptionsMenu when syncing disables refresh button`() {
-        whenever(viewModel.isSyncingWithServer()).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(true))
+    fun `onPrepareOptionsMenu when loading disables refresh button`() {
+        whenever(viewModel.isLoading).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(true))
 
         val menuDelegate = createMenuDelegate()
         val menu = createdMenu()
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ class BlankFormListMenuDelegateTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun `onPrepareOptionsMenu when not syncing enables refresh button`() {
+    fun `onPrepareOptionsMenu when not loading enables refresh button`() {
         val menuDelegate = createMenuDelegate()
         val menu = createdMenu()
 
diff --git a/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModelTest.kt b/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModelTest.kt
index b13461f951e..a78405795f2 100644
--- a/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModelTest.kt
+++ b/collect_app/src/test/java/org/odk/collect/android/formlists/blankformlist/BlankFormListViewModelTest.kt
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ class BlankFormListViewModelTest {
         doReturn(true).whenever(formsUpdater).matchFormsWithServer(projectId)
         val result = viewModel.syncWithServer()
         scheduler.runBackground()
+        scheduler.runBackground()
         assertThat(result.value, `is`(true))
     }
 
@@ -88,6 +89,7 @@ class BlankFormListViewModelTest {
         doReturn(false).whenever(formsUpdater).matchFormsWithServer(projectId)
         val result = viewModel.syncWithServer()
         scheduler.runBackground()
+        scheduler.runBackground()
         assertThat(result.value, `is`(false))
     }
 
@@ -107,19 +109,6 @@ class BlankFormListViewModelTest {
         assertThat(viewModel.isMatchExactlyEnabled(), `is`(true))
     }
 
-    @Test
-    fun `isSyncingWithServer follows repository isSyncing`() {
-        createViewModel()
-
-        val liveData = MutableLiveData(true)
-        whenever(syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId)).thenReturn(liveData)
-
-        val isSyncing = viewModel.isSyncingWithServer()
-        assertThat(isSyncing.getOrAwaitValue(), `is`(true))
-        liveData.value = false
-        assertThat(isSyncing.getOrAwaitValue(), `is`(false))
-    }
-
     @Test
     fun `isOutOfSyncWithServer follows repository syncError`() {
         createViewModel()
@@ -188,6 +177,28 @@ class BlankFormListViewModelTest {
         assertFormItem(viewModel.formsToDisplay.value!![1], form(dbId = 2, formId = "2"))
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `after finished syncing with server forms should be loaded from database`() {
+        createViewModel(false)
+        val liveData = MutableLiveData(true)
+        whenever(syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId)).thenReturn(liveData)
+
+        scheduler.runBackground() // load from database
+        scheduler.runBackground() // sync with storage
+
+        assertThat(viewModel.formsToDisplay.value!!.size, equalTo(0))
+
+        saveForms(
+            form(dbId = 1, formId = "1")
+        )
+
+        liveData.value = false
+
+        scheduler.runBackground() // load from database after syncing with server
+
+        assertThat(viewModel.formsToDisplay.value!!.size, equalTo(1))
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `deleted forms should be ignored`() {
         saveForms(
@@ -494,6 +505,7 @@ class BlankFormListViewModelTest {
     }
 
     private fun createViewModel(runAllBackgroundTasks: Boolean = true, shouldHideOldFormVersions: Boolean = true) {
+        whenever(syncRepository.isSyncing(projectId)).thenReturn(MutableLiveData(false))
         whenever(changeLockProvider.getFormLock(projectId)).thenReturn(changeLock)
         generalSettings.save(ProjectKeys.KEY_HIDE_OLD_FORM_VERSIONS, shouldHideOldFormVersions)