diff --git a/syncapi/streams/streams.go b/syncapi/streams/streams.go
index 780104405..caa428827 100644
--- a/syncapi/streams/streams.go
+++ b/syncapi/streams/streams.go
@@ -130,3 +130,29 @@ func ToToken(provider StreamProvider, position types.StreamPosition) types.Strea
 	}
 	return types.StreamingToken{}
 }
+
+func IncrementalPositions(provider StreamProvider, current, since types.StreamingToken) (types.StreamPosition, types.StreamPosition) {
+	switch t := provider.(type) {
+	case *PDUStreamProvider:
+		return current.PDUPosition, since.PDUPosition
+	case *TypingStreamProvider:
+		return current.TypingPosition, since.TypingPosition
+	case *ReceiptStreamProvider:
+		return current.ReceiptPosition, since.ReceiptPosition
+	case *SendToDeviceStreamProvider:
+		return current.SendToDevicePosition, since.SendToDevicePosition
+	case *InviteStreamProvider:
+		return current.InvitePosition, since.InvitePosition
+	case *AccountDataStreamProvider:
+		return current.AccountDataPosition, since.AccountDataPosition
+	case *DeviceListStreamProvider:
+		return current.DeviceListPosition, since.DeviceListPosition
+	case *NotificationDataStreamProvider:
+		return current.NotificationDataPosition, since.NotificationDataPosition
+	case *PresenceStreamProvider:
+		return current.PresencePosition, since.PresencePosition
+	default:
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("unknown stream provider: %T", t))
+	}
+	return 0, 0
+}
diff --git a/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go b/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
index 899793b31..766c58737 100644
--- a/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
+++ b/syncapi/sync/requestpool.go
@@ -329,6 +329,17 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request, device *userapi.
 			return f(snapshot)
 		}
 
+		allStreams := []streams.StreamProvider{
+			rp.streams.DeviceListStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.TypingStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.ReceiptStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.InviteStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.SendToDeviceStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.AccountDataStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.NotificationDataStreamProvider,
+			rp.streams.PresenceStreamProvider,
+		}
+
 		if syncReq.Since.IsEmpty() {
 			// Complete sync
 			// The PDU stream needs to be the very first stream to get the data,
@@ -342,16 +353,6 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request, device *userapi.
 				},
 			)
 			syncReq.Response.NextBatch.PDUPosition = pduPos
-			allStreams := []streams.StreamProvider{
-				rp.streams.DeviceListStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.TypingStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.ReceiptStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.InviteStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.SendToDeviceStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.AccountDataStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.NotificationDataStreamProvider,
-				rp.streams.PresenceStreamProvider,
-			}
 
 			streamPosCh := make(chan streamPosResponse, len(allStreams))
 			wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
@@ -361,7 +362,7 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request, device *userapi.
 			for _, s := range allStreams {
 				go func(stream streams.StreamProvider) {
 					streamPos := withTransaction(
-						0,
+						0, // we're doing an initial sync
 						func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
 							return stream.CompleteSync(
 								syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
@@ -380,88 +381,46 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request, device *userapi.
 			}
 		} else {
 			// Incremental sync
-			syncReq.Response.NextBatch = types.StreamingToken{
-				PDUPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.PDUPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.PDUStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.PDUPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().PDUPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				TypingPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.TypingPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.TypingStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.TypingPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().TypingPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				ReceiptPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.ReceiptPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.ReceiptStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.ReceiptPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().ReceiptPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				InvitePosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.InvitePosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.InviteStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.InvitePosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().InvitePosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				SendToDevicePosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.SendToDevicePosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.SendToDeviceStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.SendToDevicePosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().SendToDevicePosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				AccountDataPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.AccountDataPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.AccountDataStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.AccountDataPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().AccountDataPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				NotificationDataPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.NotificationDataPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.NotificationDataStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.NotificationDataPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().NotificationDataPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				DeviceListPosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.DeviceListPosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.DeviceListStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.DeviceListPosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().DeviceListPosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
-				PresencePosition: withTransaction(
-					syncReq.Since.PresencePosition,
-					func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
-						return rp.streams.PresenceStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
-							syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
-							syncReq.Since.PresencePosition, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition().PresencePosition,
-						)
-					},
-				),
+			// The PDU stream needs to be the very first stream to get the data,
+			// as it sets values the other streams need
+			current, since := streams.IncrementalPositions(rp.streams.PDUStreamProvider, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition(), syncReq.Since)
+			pduPos := withTransaction(
+				since,
+				func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
+					return rp.streams.PDUStreamProvider.IncrementalSync(
+						syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
+						since, current,
+					)
+				},
+			)
+			syncReq.Response.NextBatch.PDUPosition = pduPos
+
+			streamPosCh := make(chan streamPosResponse, len(allStreams))
+			wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+			wg.Add(len(allStreams))
+
+			// fan out stream calculations
+			for _, s := range allStreams {
+				go func(stream streams.StreamProvider) {
+					current, since := streams.IncrementalPositions(stream, rp.Notifier.CurrentPosition(), syncReq.Since)
+					streamPos := withTransaction(
+						since,
+						func(txn storage.DatabaseTransaction) types.StreamPosition {
+							return stream.IncrementalSync(
+								syncReq.Context, txn, syncReq,
+								since, current,
+							)
+						},
+					)
+					streamPosCh <- streamPosResponse{provider: stream, pos: streamPos}
+					wg.Done()
+				}(s)
+			}
+			// Wait for all streams to finish their work
+			wg.Wait()
+			close(streamPosCh)
+			for resp := range streamPosCh {
+				syncReq.Response.NextBatch.ApplyUpdates(streams.ToToken(resp.provider, resp.pos))
 			}
 			// it's possible for there to be no updates for this user even though since < current pos,
 			// e.g busy servers with a quiet user. In this scenario, we don't want to return a no-op