diff --git a/deltachat-ffi/deltachat.h b/deltachat-ffi/deltachat.h
index eeee972e1..256b7569e 100644
--- a/deltachat-ffi/deltachat.h
+++ b/deltachat-ffi/deltachat.h
@@ -3296,12 +3296,30 @@ void           dc_accounts_maybe_network_lost    (dc_accounts_t* accounts);
  * without forgetting to create notifications caused by timing race conditions.
  *
  * @memberof dc_accounts_t
+ * @param accounts The account manager as created by dc_accounts_new().
  * @param timeout The timeout in seconds
  * @return Return 1 if DC_EVENT_ACCOUNTS_BACKGROUND_FETCH_DONE was emitted and 0 otherwise.
  */
 int            dc_accounts_background_fetch    (dc_accounts_t* accounts, uint64_t timeout);
 
 
+/**
+ * Stop ongoing background fetch.
+ *
+ * Calling this function allows to stop dc_accounts_background_fetch() early.
+ * dc_accounts_background_fetch() will then return immediately
+ * and emit DC_EVENT_ACCOUNTS_BACKGROUND_FETCH_DONE unless
+ * if it has failed and returned 0.
+ *
+ * If there is no ongoing dc_accounts_background_fetch() call,
+ * calling this function does nothing.
+ *
+ * @memberof dc_accounts_t
+ * @param accounts The account manager as created by dc_accounts_new().
+ */
+void           dc_accounts_stop_background_fetch (dc_accounts_t *accounts);
+
+
 /**
  * Sets device token for Apple Push Notification service.
  * Returns immediately.
diff --git a/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs b/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
index c6eae57a7..4cd4637f3 100644
--- a/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
+++ b/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
@@ -5027,6 +5027,17 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn dc_accounts_background_fetch(
     1
 }
 
+#[no_mangle]
+pub unsafe extern "C" fn dc_accounts_stop_background_fetch(accounts: *mut dc_accounts_t) {
+    if accounts.is_null() {
+        eprintln!("ignoring careless call to dc_accounts_stop_background_fetch()");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    let accounts = &*accounts;
+    block_on(accounts.read()).stop_background_fetch();
+}
+
 #[no_mangle]
 pub unsafe extern "C" fn dc_accounts_set_push_device_token(
     accounts: *mut dc_accounts_t,
diff --git a/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api.rs b/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api.rs
index 4f22d8510..1603f341a 100644
--- a/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api.rs
+++ b/deltachat-jsonrpc/src/api.rs
@@ -283,6 +283,11 @@ impl CommandApi {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    async fn stop_background_fetch(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        self.accounts.read().await.stop_background_fetch();
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     // ---------------------------------------------
     // Methods that work on individual accounts
     // ---------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/accounts.rs b/src/accounts.rs
index eaa656384..7ae4deed9 100644
--- a/src/accounts.rs
+++ b/src/accounts.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@
 use std::collections::{BTreeMap, BTreeSet};
 use std::future::Future;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use anyhow::{Context as _, Result, bail, ensure};
+use async_channel::{self, Receiver, Sender};
+use futures::FutureExt as _;
+use futures_lite::FutureExt as _;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use tokio::fs;
 use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
@@ -41,6 +45,13 @@ pub struct Accounts {
 
     /// Push notification subscriber shared between accounts.
     push_subscriber: PushSubscriber,
+
+    /// Channel sender to cancel ongoing background_fetch().
+    ///
+    /// If background_fetch() is not running, this is `None`.
+    /// New background_fetch() should not be started if this
+    /// contains `Some`.
+    background_fetch_interrupt_sender: Arc<parking_lot::Mutex<Option<Sender<()>>>>,
 }
 
 impl Accounts {
@@ -96,6 +107,7 @@ impl Accounts {
             events,
             stockstrings,
             push_subscriber,
+            background_fetch_interrupt_sender: Default::default(),
         })
     }
 
@@ -352,6 +364,11 @@ impl Accounts {
     ///
     /// This is an auxiliary function and not part of public API.
     /// Use [Accounts::background_fetch] instead.
+    ///
+    /// This function is cancellation-safe.
+    /// It is intended to be cancellable,
+    /// either because of the timeout or because background
+    /// fetch was explicitly cancelled.
     async fn background_fetch_no_timeout(accounts: Vec<Context>, events: Events) {
         let n_accounts = accounts.len();
         events.emit(Event {
@@ -378,14 +395,33 @@ impl Accounts {
     }
 
     /// Auxiliary function for [Accounts::background_fetch].
+    ///
+    /// Runs `background_fetch` until it finishes
+    /// or until the timeout.
+    ///
+    /// Produces `AccountsBackgroundFetchDone` event in every case
+    /// and clears [`Self::background_fetch_interrupt_sender`]
+    /// so a new background fetch can be started.
+    ///
+    /// This function is not cancellation-safe.
+    /// Cancelling it before it returns may result
+    /// in not being able to run any new background fetch
+    /// if interrupt sender was not cleared.
     async fn background_fetch_with_timeout(
         accounts: Vec<Context>,
         events: Events,
         timeout: std::time::Duration,
+        interrupt_sender: Arc<parking_lot::Mutex<Option<Sender<()>>>>,
+        interrupt_receiver: Option<Receiver<()>>,
     ) {
+        let Some(interrupt_receiver) = interrupt_receiver else {
+            // Nothing to do if we got no interrupt receiver.
+            return;
+        };
         if let Err(_err) = tokio::time::timeout(
             timeout,
-            Self::background_fetch_no_timeout(accounts, events.clone()),
+            Self::background_fetch_no_timeout(accounts, events.clone())
+                .race(interrupt_receiver.recv().map(|_| ())),
         )
         .await
         {
@@ -398,10 +434,16 @@ impl Accounts {
             id: 0,
             typ: EventType::AccountsBackgroundFetchDone,
         });
+        (*interrupt_sender.lock()) = None;
     }
 
     /// Performs a background fetch for all accounts in parallel with a timeout.
     ///
+    /// Ongoing background fetch can also be cancelled manually
+    /// by calling `stop_background_fetch()`, in which case it will
+    /// return immediately even before the timeout expiration
+    /// or finishing fetching.
+    ///
     /// The `AccountsBackgroundFetchDone` event is emitted at the end,
     /// process all events until you get this one and you can safely return to the background
     /// without forgetting to create notifications caused by timing race conditions.
@@ -414,7 +456,39 @@ impl Accounts {
     ) -> impl Future<Output = ()> + use<> {
         let accounts: Vec<Context> = self.accounts.values().cloned().collect();
         let events = self.events.clone();
-        Self::background_fetch_with_timeout(accounts, events, timeout)
+        let (sender, receiver) = async_channel::bounded(1);
+        let receiver = {
+            let mut lock = self.background_fetch_interrupt_sender.lock();
+            if (*lock).is_some() {
+                // Another background_fetch() is already running,
+                // return immeidately.
+                None
+            } else {
+                *lock = Some(sender);
+                Some(receiver)
+            }
+        };
+        Self::background_fetch_with_timeout(
+            accounts,
+            events,
+            timeout,
+            self.background_fetch_interrupt_sender.clone(),
+            receiver,
+        )
+    }
+
+    /// Interrupts ongoing background_fetch() call,
+    /// making it return early.
+    ///
+    /// This method allows to cancel background_fetch() early,
+    /// e.g. on Android, when `Service.onTimeout` is called.
+    ///
+    /// If there is no ongoing background_fetch(), does nothing.
+    pub fn stop_background_fetch(&self) {
+        let mut lock = self.background_fetch_interrupt_sender.lock();
+        if let Some(sender) = lock.take() {
+            sender.try_send(()).ok();
+        }
     }
 
     /// Emits a single event.