diff --git a/lib/adminlib.php b/lib/adminlib.php
index 1f731a46f6e..902b5f2b720 100644
--- a/lib/adminlib.php
+++ b/lib/adminlib.php
@@ -8404,10 +8404,12 @@ function admin_get_root($reload=false, $requirefulltree=true) {
  * @return array $settingsoutput The names and values of the changed settings
  */
 function admin_apply_default_settings($node=null, $unconditional=true, $admindefaultsettings=array(), $settingsoutput=array()) {
+    $counter = 0;
 
     if (is_null($node)) {
         core_plugin_manager::reset_caches();
         $node = admin_get_root(true, true);
+        $counter = count($settingsoutput);
     }
 
     if ($node instanceof admin_category) {
@@ -8420,7 +8422,7 @@ function admin_apply_default_settings($node=null, $unconditional=true, $admindef
 
     } else if ($node instanceof admin_settingpage) {
         foreach ($node->settings as $setting) {
-            if (!$unconditional and !is_null($setting->get_setting())) {
+            if (!$unconditional && !is_null($setting->get_setting())) {
                 // Do not override existing defaults.
                 continue;
             }
@@ -8446,7 +8448,7 @@ function admin_apply_default_settings($node=null, $unconditional=true, $admindef
     }
 
     // Call this function recursively until all settings are processed.
-    if (($node instanceof admin_root) && (!empty($admindefaultsettings))) {
+    if (($node instanceof admin_root) && ($counter != count($settingsoutput))) {
         $settingsoutput = admin_apply_default_settings(null, $unconditional, $admindefaultsettings, $settingsoutput);
     }
     // Just in case somebody modifies the list of active plugins directly.
diff --git a/mod/forum/tests/mail_test.php b/mod/forum/tests/mail_test.php
index 7688acbf1df..c7f4a44d2a1 100644
--- a/mod/forum/tests/mail_test.php
+++ b/mod/forum/tests/mail_test.php
@@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ class mod_forum_mail_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $htmlbase['user']['mailformat'] = 1;
         $htmlbase['expectations'][0]['contents'] = array(
             '~{\$a',
-            '~&(amp|lt|gt|quot|\#039);(?!course)',
+            '~&(amp|lt|gt|quot|\#039);(?!course|lang|version|iosappid|androidappid)',
             '<div class="attachments">( *\n *)?<a href',
             '<div class="subject">\n.*Hello Moodle', '>Moodle Forum', '>Welcome.*Moodle', '>Love Moodle', '>1\d1');
         $htmlcases['HTML mail without ampersands, quotes or lt/gt'] = array('data' => $htmlbase);
@@ -1121,7 +1121,7 @@ class mod_forum_mail_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $newcase['expectations'][0]['subject'] = '.*101.*HTML text and image';
         $newcase['expectations'][0]['contents'] = array(
             '~{\$a',
-            '~&(amp|lt|gt|quot|\#039);(?!course)',
+            '~&(amp|lt|gt|quot|\#039);(?!course|lang|version|iosappid|androidappid)',
             '<div class="attachments">( *\n *)?<a href',
             '<div class="subject">\n.*HTML text and image', '>Moodle Forum',
             '<p>Welcome to Moodle, '