diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 683fd39ff..6af077194 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ edition = "2018"
 license = "MPL-2.0"
 
 [profile.release]
-lto = true
+# lto = true
 
 [dependencies]
 deltachat_derive = { path = "./deltachat_derive" }
diff --git a/python/src/deltachat/testplugin.py b/python/src/deltachat/testplugin.py
index 2e575b79a..02ed54309 100644
--- a/python/src/deltachat/testplugin.py
+++ b/python/src/deltachat/testplugin.py
@@ -104,9 +104,10 @@ def pytest_report_header(config, startdir):
         ac.shutdown(False)
     finally:
         os.remove(t)
-    summary.extend(['Deltachat core={} sqlite={}'.format(
+    summary.extend(['Deltachat core={} sqlite={} journal_mode={}'.format(
          info['deltachat_core_version'],
          info['sqlite_version'],
+         info['journal_mode'],
      )])
 
     cfg = config.option.liveconfig
diff --git a/src/sql.rs b/src/sql.rs
index c5927aa04..e65d5a470 100644
--- a/src/sql.rs
+++ b/src/sql.rs
@@ -422,7 +422,9 @@ fn open(
         // but even if execute() would handle errors more gracefully, we should continue on errors -
         // systems might not be able to handle WAL, in which case the standard-journal is used.
         // that may be not optimal, but better than not working at all :)
-        sql.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL;", NO_PARAMS).ok();
+        if std::env::var("DCC_WAL").is_ok() {
+            sql.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL;", NO_PARAMS).ok();
+        }
 
         let mut exists_before_update = false;
         let mut dbversion_before_update = 0;