diff --git a/clientapi/producers/syncapi.go b/clientapi/producers/syncapi.go
index 814dd70a6..047e787c0 100644
--- a/clientapi/producers/syncapi.go
+++ b/clientapi/producers/syncapi.go
@@ -182,11 +182,9 @@ func (p *SyncAPIProducer) SendPresence(
 	m := nats.NewMsg(p.TopicPresenceEvent)
 	m.Header.Set(jetstream.UserID, userID)
 	m.Header.Set("presence", presence)
-	nilMsg := statusMsg == nil
-	if !nilMsg {
+	if statusMsg != nil {
 		m.Header.Set("status_msg", *statusMsg)
 	}
-	m.Header.Set("status_msg_nil", strconv.FormatBool(nilMsg))
 
 	m.Header.Set("last_active_ts", strconv.Itoa(int(gomatrixserverlib.AsTimestamp(time.Now()))))
 
diff --git a/federationapi/consumers/presence.go b/federationapi/consumers/presence.go
index 2c5cc5e9c..8439cc6e8 100644
--- a/federationapi/consumers/presence.go
+++ b/federationapi/consumers/presence.go
@@ -84,10 +84,8 @@ func (t *OutputPresenceConsumer) onMessage(ctx context.Context, msg *nats.Msg) b
 	}
 
 	presence := msg.Header.Get("presence")
-	statusMsg := msg.Header.Get("status_msg")
-	nilStatusMsg, _ := strconv.ParseBool(msg.Header.Get("status_msg_nil"))
-	ts, err := strconv.Atoi(msg.Header.Get("last_active_ts"))
 
+	ts, err := strconv.Atoi(msg.Header.Get("last_active_ts"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return true
 	}
@@ -101,9 +99,10 @@ func (t *OutputPresenceConsumer) onMessage(ctx context.Context, msg *nats.Msg) b
 		return true
 	}
 
-	newStatusMsg := &statusMsg
-	if nilStatusMsg {
-		newStatusMsg = nil
+	var statusMsg *string = nil
+	if data, ok := msg.Header["status_msg"]; ok && len(data) > 0 {
+		status := msg.Header.Get("status_msg")
+		statusMsg = &status
 	}
 
 	p := types.Presence{LastActiveTS: gomatrixserverlib.Timestamp(ts)}
@@ -114,7 +113,7 @@ func (t *OutputPresenceConsumer) onMessage(ctx context.Context, msg *nats.Msg) b
 				CurrentlyActive: p.CurrentlyActive(),
 				LastActiveAgo:   p.LastActiveAgo(),
 				Presence:        presence,
-				StatusMsg:       newStatusMsg,
+				StatusMsg:       statusMsg,
 				UserID:          userID,
 			},
 		},
diff --git a/federationapi/producers/syncapi.go b/federationapi/producers/syncapi.go
index 81c289f27..e80d50521 100644
--- a/federationapi/producers/syncapi.go
+++ b/federationapi/producers/syncapi.go
@@ -154,7 +154,6 @@ func (p *SyncAPIProducer) SendPresence(
 	if statusMsg != nil {
 		m.Header.Set("status_msg", *statusMsg)
 	}
-	m.Header.Set("status_msg_nil", strconv.FormatBool(statusMsg == nil))
 	lastActiveTS := gomatrixserverlib.AsTimestamp(time.Now().Add(-(time.Duration(lastActiveAgo) * time.Millisecond)))
 
 	m.Header.Set("last_active_ts", strconv.Itoa(int(lastActiveTS)))
diff --git a/syncapi/consumers/presence.go b/syncapi/consumers/presence.go
index f768d72cd..e4be2477d 100644
--- a/syncapi/consumers/presence.go
+++ b/syncapi/consumers/presence.go
@@ -124,10 +124,8 @@ func (s *PresenceConsumer) Start() error {
 func (s *PresenceConsumer) onMessage(ctx context.Context, msg *nats.Msg) bool {
 	userID := msg.Header.Get(jetstream.UserID)
 	presence := msg.Header.Get("presence")
-	statusMsg := msg.Header.Get("status_msg")
 	timestamp := msg.Header.Get("last_active_ts")
 	fromSync, _ := strconv.ParseBool(msg.Header.Get("from_sync"))
-	nilStatusMsg, _ := strconv.ParseBool(msg.Header.Get("status_msg_nil"))
 
 	logrus.Debugf("syncAPI received presence event: %+v", msg.Header)
 
@@ -136,12 +134,13 @@ func (s *PresenceConsumer) onMessage(ctx context.Context, msg *nats.Msg) bool {
 		return true
 	}
 
-	newStatusMsg := &statusMsg
-	if nilStatusMsg {
-		newStatusMsg = nil
+	var statusMsg *string = nil
+	if data, ok := msg.Header["status_msg"]; ok && len(data) > 0 {
+		newMsg := msg.Header.Get("status_msg")
+		statusMsg = &newMsg
 	}
 
-	pos, err := s.db.UpdatePresence(ctx, userID, presence, newStatusMsg, gomatrixserverlib.Timestamp(ts), fromSync)
+	pos, err := s.db.UpdatePresence(ctx, userID, presence, statusMsg, gomatrixserverlib.Timestamp(ts), fromSync)
 	if err != nil {
 		return true
 	}
diff --git a/syncapi/producers/federationapi_presence.go b/syncapi/producers/federationapi_presence.go
index 09b6a9271..980e793d6 100644
--- a/syncapi/producers/federationapi_presence.go
+++ b/syncapi/producers/federationapi_presence.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type FederationAPIPresenceProducer struct {
 }
 
 func (f *FederationAPIPresenceProducer) SendPresence(
-	userID, presence string,
+	userID, presence string, statusMsg *string,
 ) error {
 	msg := nats.NewMsg(f.Topic)
 	msg.Header.Set(jetstream.UserID, userID)
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ func (f *FederationAPIPresenceProducer) SendPresence(
 	msg.Header.Set("from_sync", "true") // only update last_active_ts and presence
 	msg.Header.Set("last_active_ts", strconv.Itoa(int(gomatrixserverlib.AsTimestamp(time.Now()))))
 
+	if statusMsg != nil {
+		msg.Header.Set("status_msg", *statusMsg)
+	}
+
 	_, err := f.JetStream.PublishMsg(msg)
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go b/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
index 7fa943b3d..e1004dd7e 100644
--- a/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
+++ b/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package sync
 
 import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ type RequestPool struct {
 }
 
 type PresencePublisher interface {
-	SendPresence(userID, presence string) error
+	SendPresence(userID, presence string, statusMsg *string) error
 }
 
 // NewRequestPool makes a new RequestPool
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@ func NewRequestPool(
 		producer: producer,
 	}
 	go rp.cleanLastSeen()
-	go rp.cleanPresence(time.Minute * 5)
+	go rp.cleanPresence(db, time.Minute*5)
 	return rp
 }
 
@@ -92,12 +94,12 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) cleanLastSeen() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (rp *RequestPool) cleanPresence(cleanupTime time.Duration) {
+func (rp *RequestPool) cleanPresence(db storage.Presence, cleanupTime time.Duration) {
 	for {
 		rp.presence.Range(func(key interface{}, v interface{}) bool {
 			p := v.(types.Presence)
 			if time.Since(p.LastActiveTS.Time()) > cleanupTime {
-				rp.updatePresence("unavailable", p.UserID)
+				rp.updatePresence(db, "unavailable", p.UserID)
 				rp.presence.Delete(key)
 			}
 			return true
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) cleanPresence(cleanupTime time.Duration) {
 }
 
 // updatePresence sends presence updates to the SyncAPI and FederationAPI
-func (rp *RequestPool) updatePresence(presence string, userID string) {
+func (rp *RequestPool) updatePresence(db storage.Presence, presence string, userID string) {
 	if rp.cfg.Matrix.DisablePresence {
 		return
 	}
@@ -132,7 +134,13 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) updatePresence(presence string, userID string) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := rp.producer.SendPresence(userID, strings.ToLower(presence)); err != nil {
+	// ensure we also send the current status_msg to federated servers and not nil
+	dbPresence, err := db.GetPresence(context.Background(), userID)
+	if err != nil && err != sql.ErrNoRows {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if err := rp.producer.SendPresence(userID, strings.ToLower(presence), dbPresence.ClientFields.StatusMsg); err != nil {
 		logrus.WithError(err).Error("Unable to publish presence message from sync")
 		return
 	}
@@ -214,7 +222,7 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request, device *userapi.
 	defer activeSyncRequests.Dec()
 
 	rp.updateLastSeen(req, device)
-	rp.updatePresence(req.FormValue("set_presence"), device.UserID)
+	rp.updatePresence(rp.db, req.FormValue("set_presence"), device.UserID)
 
 	waitingSyncRequests.Inc()
 	defer waitingSyncRequests.Dec()
diff --git a/syncapi/sync/requestpool_test.go b/syncapi/sync/requestpool_test.go
index 256e31d4e..f2e89bd99 100644
--- a/syncapi/sync/requestpool_test.go
+++ b/syncapi/sync/requestpool_test.go
@@ -1,22 +1,43 @@
 package sync
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/setup/config"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/types"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 )
 
 type dummyPublisher struct {
 	count int
 }
 
-func (d *dummyPublisher) SendPresence(userID, presence string) error {
+func (d *dummyPublisher) SendPresence(userID, presence string, statusMsg *string) error {
 	d.count++
 	return nil
 }
 
+type dummyDB struct{}
+
+func (d dummyDB) UpdatePresence(ctx context.Context, userID, presence string, statusMsg *string, lastActiveTS gomatrixserverlib.Timestamp, fromSync bool) (types.StreamPosition, error) {
+	return 0, nil
+}
+
+func (d dummyDB) GetPresence(ctx context.Context, userID string) (*types.Presence, error) {
+	return &types.Presence{}, nil
+}
+
+func (d dummyDB) PresenceAfter(ctx context.Context, after types.StreamPosition) (map[string]*types.Presence, error) {
+	return map[string]*types.Presence{}, nil
+}
+
+func (d dummyDB) MaxStreamPositionForPresence(ctx context.Context) (types.StreamPosition, error) {
+	return 0, nil
+}
+
 func TestRequestPool_updatePresence(t *testing.T) {
 	type args struct {
 		presence string
@@ -89,11 +110,12 @@ func TestRequestPool_updatePresence(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	go rp.cleanPresence(time.Millisecond * 50)
+	db := dummyDB{}
+	go rp.cleanPresence(db, time.Millisecond*50)
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			beforeCount := publisher.count
-			rp.updatePresence(tt.args.presence, tt.args.userID)
+			rp.updatePresence(db, tt.args.presence, tt.args.userID)
 			if tt.wantIncrease && publisher.count <= beforeCount {
 				t.Fatalf("expected count to increase: %d <= %d", publisher.count, beforeCount)
 			}