diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/ServiceSynchronize.java b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/ServiceSynchronize.java
index baaebe6348..54fd635e53 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/ServiceSynchronize.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/ServiceSynchronize.java
@@ -621,6 +621,8 @@ public class ServiceSynchronize extends ServiceBase implements SharedPreferences
 
         liveAccountNetworkState.postDestroy();
 
+        TTSHelper.shutdown();
+
         try {
             stopForeground(true);
         } catch (Throwable ex) {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/TTSHelper.java b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/TTSHelper.java
index dbbc7258fe..0fae06e459 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/TTSHelper.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/TTSHelper.java
@@ -5,42 +5,82 @@ import android.speech.tts.TextToSpeech;
 
 import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
 
 public class TTSHelper {
-    private static boolean initialized;
-    private static TextToSpeech instance;
+    private static Integer status = null;
+    private static TextToSpeech instance = null;
+    private static List<Runnable> queue = new ArrayList<>();
+    private static final Object lock = new Object();
+
+    // https://developer.android.com/reference/android/speech/tts/TextToSpeech
+    // https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2009/09/introduction-to-text-to-speech-in.html
 
     static void speak(
             @NonNull final Context context,
             @NonNull final String utteranceId,
             @NonNull final String text,
             @NonNull final Locale locale) {
-        // https://developer.android.com/reference/android/speech/tts/TextToSpeech
-        // https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2009/09/introduction-to-text-to-speech-in.html
 
-        final Runnable speak = new Runnable() {
+        Runnable speak = new Runnable() {
             @Override
             public void run() {
-                boolean available = (instance.setLanguage(locale) >= 0);
-                EntityLog.log(context, "TTS queued language=" + locale + " available=" + available + " text=" + text);
-                instance.speak(text, TextToSpeech.QUEUE_ADD, null, utteranceId);
+                try {
+                    boolean available = (instance.setLanguage(locale) >= 0);
+                    EntityLog.log(context, "TTS queued" +
+                            " language=" + locale +
+                            " available=" + available +
+                            " utterance=" + utteranceId +
+                            " text=" + text);
+                    instance.speak(text, TextToSpeech.QUEUE_ADD, null, utteranceId);
+                } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                    Log.e(ex);
+                }
             }
         };
 
-        if (initialized) {
-            speak.run();
-            return;
+        synchronized (lock) {
+            if (status == null) {
+                queue.add(speak);
+                if (instance == null)
+                    try {
+                        Log.i("TTS init");
+                        instance = new TextToSpeech(context, new TextToSpeech.OnInitListener() {
+                            @Override
+                            public void onInit(int initStatus) {
+                                synchronized (lock) {
+                                    status = initStatus;
+                                    boolean ok = (status == TextToSpeech.SUCCESS);
+                                    Log.i("TTS status=" + status + " ok=" + ok + " queued=" + queue.size());
+                                    if (ok)
+                                        for (Runnable speak : queue)
+                                            speak.run();
+                                    queue.clear();
+                                }
+                            }
+                        });
+                    } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                        Log.e(ex);
+                        status = TextToSpeech.ERROR;
+                    }
+            } else if (status == TextToSpeech.SUCCESS)
+                speak.run();
         }
+    }
 
-        instance = new TextToSpeech(context, new TextToSpeech.OnInitListener() {
-            @Override
-            public void onInit(int status) {
-                initialized = (status == TextToSpeech.SUCCESS);
-                Log.i("TTS status=" + status + " ok=" + initialized);
-                if (initialized)
-                    speak.run();
-            }
-        });
+    static void shutdown() {
+        synchronized (lock) {
+            if (instance != null)
+                try {
+                    Log.i("TTS shutdown");
+                    instance.shutdown();
+                    instance = null;
+                } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                    Log.e(ex);
+                }
+            status = null;
+        }
     }
 }