diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b2eac9637..a3e07b24e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 ## Unreleased
 
 ### Changes
+- refactorings #3437
 
 ### Fixes
 
diff --git a/src/scheduler.rs b/src/scheduler.rs
index aeaf2d32e..069e5dd89 100644
--- a/src/scheduler.rs
+++ b/src/scheduler.rs
@@ -324,29 +324,25 @@ async fn smtp_loop(ctx: Context, started: Sender<()>, smtp_handlers: SmtpConnect
 
         let mut timeout = None;
         loop {
-            match send_smtp_messages(&ctx, &mut connection).await {
-                Err(err) => {
-                    warn!(ctx, "send_smtp_messages failed: {:#}", err);
-                    timeout = Some(timeout.map_or(30, |timeout: u64| timeout.saturating_mul(3)))
-                }
-                Ok(ratelimited) => {
-                    if ratelimited {
-                        let duration_until_can_send = ctx.ratelimit.read().await.until_can_send();
-                        info!(
-                            ctx,
-                            "smtp got rate limited, waiting for {} until can send again",
-                            duration_to_str(duration_until_can_send)
-                        );
-                        tokio::time::timeout(duration_until_can_send, async {
-                            idle_interrupt_receiver.recv().await.unwrap_or_default()
-                        })
-                        .await
-                        .unwrap_or_default();
-                        continue;
-                    } else {
-                        timeout = None;
-                    }
+            if let Err(err) = send_smtp_messages(&ctx, &mut connection).await {
+                warn!(ctx, "send_smtp_messages failed: {:#}", err);
+                timeout = Some(timeout.map_or(30, |timeout: u64| timeout.saturating_mul(3)))
+            } else {
+                let duration_until_can_send = ctx.ratelimit.read().await.until_can_send();
+                if !duration_until_can_send.is_zero() {
+                    info!(
+                        ctx,
+                        "smtp got rate limited, waiting for {} until can send again",
+                        duration_to_str(duration_until_can_send)
+                    );
+                    tokio::time::timeout(duration_until_can_send, async {
+                        idle_interrupt_receiver.recv().await.unwrap_or_default()
+                    })
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap_or_default();
+                    continue;
                 }
+                timeout = None;
             }
 
             // Fake Idle
diff --git a/src/smtp.rs b/src/smtp.rs
index 3a4fe5f1c..a3affdfce 100644
--- a/src/smtp.rs
+++ b/src/smtp.rs
@@ -477,21 +477,17 @@ pub(crate) async fn send_msg_to_smtp(
 }
 
 /// Attempts to send queued MDNs.
-///
-/// Returns true if there are more MDNs to send, but rate limiter does not
-/// allow to send them. Returns false if there are no more MDNs to send.
-/// If sending an MDN fails, returns an error.
-async fn send_mdns(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp) -> Result<bool> {
+async fn send_mdns(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp) -> Result<()> {
     loop {
         if !context.ratelimit.read().await.can_send() {
             info!(context, "Ratelimiter does not allow sending MDNs now");
-            return Ok(true);
+            return Ok(());
         }
 
         let more_mdns = send_mdn(context, connection).await?;
         if !more_mdns {
             // No more MDNs to send.
-            return Ok(false);
+            return Ok(());
         }
     }
 }
@@ -500,10 +496,8 @@ async fn send_mdns(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp) -> Result<bool> {
 ///
 /// Logs and ignores SMTP errors to ensure that a single SMTP message constantly failing to be sent
 /// does not block other messages in the queue from being sent.
-///
-/// Returns true if sending was ratelimited, false otherwise. Errors are propagated to the caller.
-pub(crate) async fn send_smtp_messages(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp) -> Result<bool> {
-    let mut ratelimited = if context.ratelimit.read().await.can_send() {
+pub(crate) async fn send_smtp_messages(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp) -> Result<()> {
+    let ratelimited = if context.ratelimit.read().await.can_send() {
         // add status updates and sync messages to end of sending queue
         context.flush_status_updates().await?;
         context.send_sync_msg().await?;
@@ -538,12 +532,11 @@ pub(crate) async fn send_smtp_messages(context: &Context, connection: &mut Smtp)
     // do not attempt to send MDNs if ratelimited happend before on status-updates/sync:
     // instead, let the caller recall this function so that more important status-updates/sync are sent out.
     if !ratelimited {
-        ratelimited = send_mdns(context, connection)
+        send_mdns(context, connection)
             .await
             .context("failed to send MDNs")?;
     }
-
-    Ok(ratelimited)
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Tries to send MDN for message `msg_id` to `contact_id`.