diff --git a/src/calls-settings.c b/src/calls-settings.c
index ca34fda..2816f64 100644
--- a/src/calls-settings.c
+++ b/src/calls-settings.c
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ struct _CallsSettings {
   GObject    parent_instance;
 
   GSettings *settings;
+
+  GStrv      autoload_plugins;
+  GStrv      preferred_audio_codecs;
 };
 
 G_DEFINE_TYPE (CallsSettings, calls_settings, G_TYPE_OBJECT)
@@ -126,10 +129,14 @@ calls_settings_constructed (GObject *object)
 
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (calls_settings_parent_class)->constructed (object);
 
-  g_settings_bind (self->settings, "auto-use-default-origins",
-                   self, "auto-use-default-origins", G_SETTINGS_BIND_DEFAULT);
+  /**
+   * The country code is the only persistent setting which should be written
+   * from within Calls (by looking at the MCC of the network the modem is connected to)
+   */
   g_settings_bind (self->settings, "country-code",
                    self, "country-code", G_SETTINGS_BIND_DEFAULT);
+  g_settings_bind (self->settings, "auto-use-default-origins",
+                   self, "auto-use-default-origins", G_SETTINGS_BIND_DEFAULT);
   g_settings_bind (self->settings, "autoload-plugins",
                    self, "autoload-plugins", G_SETTINGS_BIND_DEFAULT);
   g_settings_bind (self->settings, "preferred-audio-codecs",
@@ -163,27 +170,27 @@ calls_settings_class_init (CallsSettingsClass *klass)
                           "auto use default origins",
                           "Automatically use default origins",
                           TRUE,
-                          G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+                          G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS | G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY);
   props[PROP_COUNTRY_CODE] =
     g_param_spec_string ("country-code",
                          "country code",
                          "The country code (usually from the modem)",
                          "",
-                         G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+                         G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS | G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY);
 
   props[PROP_AUTOLOAD_PLUGINS] =
     g_param_spec_boxed ("autoload-plugins",
                         "autoload plugins",
                         "The plugins to automatically load on startup",
                         G_TYPE_STRV,
-                        G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+                        G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS | G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY);
 
   props[PROP_PREFERRED_AUDIO_CODECS] =
     g_param_spec_boxed ("preferred-audio-codecs",
                         "Preferred audio codecs",
                         "The audio codecs to prefer for VoIP calls",
                         G_TYPE_STRV,
-                        G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS);
+                        G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS | G_PARAM_EXPLICIT_NOTIFY);
 
   g_object_class_install_properties (object_class, PROP_LAST_PROP, props);
 }
@@ -296,7 +303,7 @@ calls_settings_get_autoload_plugins (CallsSettings *self)
 /**
  * calls_settings_set_autoload_plugins:
  * @self: A #CallsSettings
- * @plugins: (nullable) (array zero-terminated=1): The plugins to autoload
+ * @plugins: (array zero-terminated=1): The plugins to autoload
  *
  * Sets the plugins that should be loaded on startup.
  */
@@ -304,9 +311,22 @@ void
 calls_settings_set_autoload_plugins (CallsSettings      *self,
                                      const char * const *plugins)
 {
-  g_return_if_fail (CALLS_IS_SETTINGS (self));
+  gboolean initial = TRUE;
 
-  g_settings_set_strv (G_SETTINGS (self->settings), "autoload-plugins", plugins);
+  g_return_if_fail (CALLS_IS_SETTINGS (self));
+  g_return_if_fail (plugins);
+
+  if (self->autoload_plugins) {
+    initial = FALSE;
+    if (g_strv_equal (plugins, (const char * const *) self->autoload_plugins))
+      return;
+  }
+
+  g_free (self->autoload_plugins);
+  self->autoload_plugins = g_strdupv ((char **) plugins);
+
+  if (!initial)
+    g_object_notify_by_pspec (G_OBJECT (self), props[PROP_AUTOLOAD_PLUGINS]);
 }
 
 
@@ -322,13 +342,13 @@ calls_settings_get_preferred_audio_codecs (CallsSettings *self)
 {
   g_return_val_if_fail (CALLS_IS_SETTINGS (self), NULL);
 
-  return g_settings_get_strv (self->settings, "preferred-audio-codecs");
+  return g_strdupv (self->preferred_audio_codecs);
 }
 
 /**
  * calls_settings_set_preferred_audio_codecs:
  * @self: A #CallsSettings
- * @codecs: (nullable) (array zero-terminated=1): The preferred codecs
+ * @codecs: (array zero-terminated=1): The preferred codecs
  *
  * Set the preferred audio codecs for VoIP calls.
  */
@@ -336,7 +356,21 @@ void
 calls_settings_set_preferred_audio_codecs (CallsSettings      *self,
                                            const char * const *codecs)
 {
-  g_return_if_fail (CALLS_IS_SETTINGS (self));
+  gboolean initial = TRUE;
 
-  g_settings_set_strv (self->settings, "preferred-audio-codecs", codecs);
+  g_return_if_fail (CALLS_IS_SETTINGS (self));
+  g_return_if_fail (codecs);
+
+  if (self->preferred_audio_codecs) {
+    initial = FALSE;
+
+    if (g_strv_equal (codecs, (const char * const *) self->preferred_audio_codecs))
+      return;
+  }
+
+  g_free (self->preferred_audio_codecs);
+  self->preferred_audio_codecs = g_strdupv ((char **) codecs);
+
+  if (!initial)
+    g_object_notify_by_pspec (G_OBJECT (self), props[PROP_PREFERRED_AUDIO_CODECS]);
 }