diff --git a/Classes/Notifications/NotificationModelController.swift b/Classes/Notifications/NotificationModelController.swift
index b581b951e..c0549a946 100644
--- a/Classes/Notifications/NotificationModelController.swift
+++ b/Classes/Notifications/NotificationModelController.swift
@@ -52,7 +52,11 @@ final class NotificationModelController {
         completion: @escaping (Result<([NotificationViewModel], Int?)>) -> Void
         ) {
         // hack to prevent double-fetching notifications when awaking from bg fetch
-        guard UIApplication.shared.applicationState != .background else { return }
+        guard UIApplication.shared.applicationState != .background else {
+            // return success to avoid error states
+            completion(.success(([], nil)))
+            return
+        }
 
         let badge = githubClient.badge
         let contentSizeCategory = UIContentSizeCategory.preferred
diff --git a/Classes/View Controllers/SplitViewControllerDelegate.swift b/Classes/View Controllers/SplitViewControllerDelegate.swift
index d94ecabe6..d60e704de 100644
--- a/Classes/View Controllers/SplitViewControllerDelegate.swift	
+++ b/Classes/View Controllers/SplitViewControllerDelegate.swift	
@@ -31,11 +31,16 @@ final class SplitViewControllerDelegate: UISplitViewControllerDelegate {
             let primaryNav = tab.selectedViewController as? UINavigationController,
             let secondaryNav = secondaryViewController as? UINavigationController {
 
-            // remove any placeholder VCs from the stack
-            primaryNav.viewControllers += secondaryNav.viewControllers.filter {
+            let collapsedControllers = secondaryNav.viewControllers.filter {
                 $0.hidesBottomBarWhenPushed = true
+                // remove any placeholder VCs from the stack
                 return ($0 is SplitPlaceholderViewController) == false
             }
+            // avoid setting view controllers b/c can result in viewDidLoad being called
+            // https://github.com/GitHawkApp/GitHawk/issues/2230
+            if collapsedControllers.count > 0 {
+                primaryNav.viewControllers += collapsedControllers
+            }
         }
 
         return true