diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/StreetCompleteApplication.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/StreetCompleteApplication.kt
index dc4d77aad7d..9591785bc10 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/StreetCompleteApplication.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/StreetCompleteApplication.kt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import androidx.work.ExistingPeriodicWorkPolicy
 import androidx.work.PeriodicWorkRequest
 import androidx.work.WorkManager
 import com.russhwolf.settings.ObservableSettings
+import com.russhwolf.settings.SettingsListener
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.CacheTrimmer
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.CleanerWorker
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.Preloader
@@ -50,9 +51,7 @@ import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.screens.settings.settingsModule
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.screens.user.userScreenModule
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.CrashReportExceptionHandler
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getDefaultTheme
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getSelectedLocale
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getSystemLocales
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.ktx.addedToFront
+import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getSelectedLocales
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.ktx.nowAsEpochMilliseconds
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.logs.AndroidLogger
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.logs.DatabaseLogger
@@ -84,6 +83,8 @@ class StreetCompleteApplication : Application() {
 
     private val applicationScope = CoroutineScope(SupervisorJob() + CoroutineName("Application"))
 
+    private val settingsListeners = mutableListOf<SettingsListener>()
+
     override fun onCreate() {
         super.onCreate()
 
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ class StreetCompleteApplication : Application() {
             userLoginStatusController.logOut()
         }
 
-        setDefaultLocales()
+        updateDefaultLocales()
 
         crashReportExceptionHandler.install()
 
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ class StreetCompleteApplication : Application() {
 
         enqueuePeriodicCleanupWork()
 
-        setDefaultTheme()
+        updateDefaultTheme()
 
         resurveyIntervalsUpdater.update()
 
@@ -161,6 +162,13 @@ class StreetCompleteApplication : Application() {
                 onNewVersion()
             }
         }
+
+        settingsListeners += prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.LANGUAGE_SELECT) {
+            updateDefaultLocales()
+        }
+        settingsListeners += prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.THEME_SELECT) {
+            updateDefaultTheme()
+        }
     }
 
     private fun onNewVersion() {
@@ -187,14 +195,11 @@ class StreetCompleteApplication : Application() {
         }
     }
 
-    private fun setDefaultLocales() {
-        val locale = getSelectedLocale(prefs)
-        if (locale != null) {
-            setDefaultLocales(getSystemLocales().addedToFront(locale))
-        }
+    private fun updateDefaultLocales() {
+        setDefaultLocales(getSelectedLocales(prefs))
     }
 
-    private fun setDefaultTheme() {
+    private fun updateDefaultTheme() {
         val theme = Prefs.Theme.valueOf(prefs.getStringOrNull(Prefs.THEME_SELECT) ?: getDefaultTheme())
         AppCompatDelegate.setDefaultNightMode(theme.appCompatNightMode)
     }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/data/osmnotes/notequests/OsmNoteQuestController.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/data/osmnotes/notequests/OsmNoteQuestController.kt
index b1938d94982..0f2ce9e9c08 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/data/osmnotes/notequests/OsmNoteQuestController.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/data/osmnotes/notequests/OsmNoteQuestController.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.osmnotes.notequests
 
 import com.russhwolf.settings.ObservableSettings
+import com.russhwolf.settings.SettingsListener
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.ApplicationConstants
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.Prefs
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.osm.mapdata.BoundingBox
@@ -29,6 +30,8 @@ class OsmNoteQuestController(
     private val showOnlyNotesPhrasedAsQuestions: Boolean get() =
         !prefs.getBoolean(Prefs.SHOW_NOTES_NOT_PHRASED_AS_QUESTIONS, false)
 
+    private val settingsListener: SettingsListener
+
     private val noteUpdatesListener = object : NotesWithEditsSource.Listener {
         override fun onUpdated(added: Collection<Note>, updated: Collection<Note>, deleted: Collection<Long>) {
             val hiddenNoteIds = getHiddenIds()
@@ -66,7 +69,7 @@ class OsmNoteQuestController(
     init {
         noteSource.addListener(noteUpdatesListener)
         userLoginStatusSource.addListener(userLoginStatusListener)
-        prefs.addBooleanListener(Prefs.SHOW_NOTES_NOT_PHRASED_AS_QUESTIONS, false) {
+        settingsListener = prefs.addBooleanListener(Prefs.SHOW_NOTES_NOT_PHRASED_AS_QUESTIONS, false) {
             // a lot of notes become visible/invisible if this option is changed
             onInvalidated()
         }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/ResurveyIntervalsUpdater.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/ResurveyIntervalsUpdater.kt
index 27c40e395ed..b13dc713f53 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/ResurveyIntervalsUpdater.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/ResurveyIntervalsUpdater.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package de.westnordost.streetcomplete.screens.settings
 
 import com.russhwolf.settings.ObservableSettings
+import com.russhwolf.settings.SettingsListener
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.ApplicationConstants
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.Prefs
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.Prefs.ResurveyIntervals.DEFAULT
@@ -12,19 +13,24 @@ import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.elementfilter.filters.RelativeDate
 /** This class is just to access the user's preference about which multiplier for the resurvey
  *  intervals to use */
 class ResurveyIntervalsUpdater(private val prefs: ObservableSettings) {
-    fun update() {
-        RelativeDate.MULTIPLIER = intervalsPreference.multiplier
-    }
 
-    init {
-        prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.RESURVEY_INTERVALS) { update() }
-    }
+    private val settingsListener: SettingsListener
 
     private val intervalsPreference: Prefs.ResurveyIntervals get() =
         valueOf(prefs.getString(
             Prefs.RESURVEY_INTERVALS,
             ApplicationConstants.DEFAULT_RESURVEY_INTERVALS
         ))
+
+    fun update() {
+        RelativeDate.MULTIPLIER = intervalsPreference.multiplier
+    }
+
+    init {
+        settingsListener = prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.RESURVEY_INTERVALS) { update() }
+    }
+
+
 }
 
 private val Prefs.ResurveyIntervals.multiplier: Float get() = when (this) {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsModule.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsModule.kt
index ab45c5f110c..95c8a3f769e 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsModule.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsModule.kt
@@ -6,5 +6,5 @@ import org.koin.dsl.module
 val settingsModule = module {
     single { ResurveyIntervalsUpdater(get()) }
 
-    viewModel<SettingsViewModel> { SettingsViewModelImpl(get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get()) }
+    viewModel<SettingsViewModel> { SettingsViewModelImpl(get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get(), get()) }
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsViewModel.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsViewModel.kt
index c04f8acaae9..9eaf4d4e706 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsViewModel.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/westnordost/streetcomplete/screens/settings/SettingsViewModel.kt
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package de.westnordost.streetcomplete.screens.settings
 
 import android.content.res.Resources
-import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatDelegate
 import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel
 import com.russhwolf.settings.ObservableSettings
 import com.russhwolf.settings.SettingsListener
@@ -20,11 +19,8 @@ import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.quest.QuestTypeRegistry
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.visiblequests.QuestPreset
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.visiblequests.QuestPresetsSource
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.data.visiblequests.VisibleQuestTypeSource
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getDefaultTheme
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.getSelectedLocales
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.ktx.getYamlObject
 import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.ktx.launch
-import de.westnordost.streetcomplete.util.setDefaultLocales
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers.IO
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableStateFlow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.StateFlow
@@ -102,14 +98,6 @@ class SettingsViewModelImpl(
         osmNoteQuestsHiddenController.addListener(osmNoteQuestsHiddenListener)
         osmQuestsHiddenController.addListener(osmQuestsHiddenListener)
 
-        listeners += prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.THEME_SELECT) { theme ->
-            val themeOrDefault = Prefs.Theme.valueOf(theme ?: getDefaultTheme())
-            AppCompatDelegate.setDefaultNightMode(themeOrDefault.appCompatNightMode)
-        }
-
-        listeners += prefs.addStringOrNullListener(Prefs.LANGUAGE_SELECT) {
-            setDefaultLocales(getSelectedLocales(prefs))
-        }
         listeners += prefs.addIntOrNullListener(Prefs.MAP_TILECACHE_IN_MB) { size ->
             tileCacheSize.value = size ?: ApplicationConstants.DEFAULT_MAP_CACHE_SIZE_IN_MB
         }