diff --git a/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp b/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
index c186b072fca..a238b001972 100644
--- a/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
+++ b/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ QgsGpsInformationWidget::QgsGpsInformationWidget( QgsMapCanvas *mapCanvas, QWidg
     mCbxLeapSeconds->setEnabled( enabled );
     mLeapSeconds->setEnabled( enabled );
     QgsVectorLayer *vlayer = qobject_cast<QgsVectorLayer *>( mMapCanvas->currentLayer() );
-    if ( vlayer )
+    if ( vlayer && ! mPopulatingFields )
     {
       mPreferredTimestampFields[ vlayer->id() ] = mCboTimestampField->currentText();
     }
@@ -1396,6 +1396,7 @@ void QgsGpsInformationWidget::timestampFormatChanged( int index )
 
 void QgsGpsInformationWidget::updateTimestampDestinationFields( QgsMapLayer *mapLayer )
 {
+  mPopulatingFields = true;
   QgsVectorLayer *vlayer = qobject_cast<QgsVectorLayer *>( mapLayer );
   mGboxTimestamp->setEnabled( false );
   mCboTimestampField->clear();
@@ -1415,7 +1416,7 @@ void QgsGpsInformationWidget::updateTimestampDestinationFields( QgsMapLayer *map
     if ( mCboTimestampField->count() > 1 )
     {
       mGboxTimestamp->setEnabled( true );
-      // Set default if stored
+      // Set preferred if stored
       if ( mPreferredTimestampFields.contains( vlayer->id( ) ) )
       {
         int idx { mCboTimestampField->findText( mPreferredTimestampFields[ vlayer->id( ) ] ) };
@@ -1435,6 +1436,7 @@ void QgsGpsInformationWidget::updateTimestampDestinationFields( QgsMapLayer *map
       }
     }
   }
+  mPopulatingFields = false;
 }
 
 void QgsGpsInformationWidget::switchAcquisition()
diff --git a/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.h b/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.h
index 2b14b4775f6..5f740a1c484 100644
--- a/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.h
+++ b/src/app/gps/qgsgpsinformationwidget.h
@@ -131,7 +131,8 @@ class APP_EXPORT QgsGpsInformationWidget: public QWidget, private Ui::QgsGpsInfo
     unsigned int mDistanceThreshold = 0;
     //! Temporary storage of preferred fields
     QMap<QString, QString> mPreferredTimestampFields;
-
+    //! Flag when updating fields
+    bool mPopulatingFields = false;
     friend class TestQgsGpsInformationWidget;
 };
 
diff --git a/tests/src/app/testqgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp b/tests/src/app/testqgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
index 002d74aa18e..66a18ee2f9d 100644
--- a/tests/src/app/testqgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/app/testqgsgpsinformationwidget.cpp
@@ -65,27 +65,30 @@ void TestQgsGpsInformationWidget::testTimestamp()
 {
 
   //create a temporary layer
-  std::unique_ptr< QgsVectorLayer> tempLayer( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=intf:int" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
-  std::unique_ptr< QgsVectorLayer> tempLayerString( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=stringf:string&field=intf:int" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
-  std::unique_ptr< QgsVectorLayer> tempLayerDateTime( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=datetimef:datetime&field=intf:int" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
-      QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
+  QgsVectorLayer *tempLayer( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=intf:int" ),
+                             QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
+                             QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
+  QgsVectorLayer *tempLayerString( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=stringf:string&field=intf:int" ),
+                                   QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
+                                   QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
+  QgsVectorLayer *tempLayerDateTime( new QgsVectorLayer( QStringLiteral( "Point?crs=epsg:4326&field=datetimef:datetime&field=intf:int" ),
+                                     QStringLiteral( "vl" ),
+                                     QStringLiteral( "memory" ) ) );
+
+  QgsProject::instance()->addMapLayers( { tempLayer, tempLayerString, tempLayerDateTime } );
+
   QVERIFY( tempLayer->isValid() );
   QgsMapCanvas *canvas = mQgisApp->mapCanvas();
   QgsGpsInformationWidget widget( canvas );
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayer.get() );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayer );
   QVERIFY( ! widget.mGboxTimestamp->isEnabled() );
 
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerString.get() );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerString );
   QVERIFY( widget.mGboxTimestamp->isEnabled() );
   QVERIFY( widget.mCboTimestampField->findText( QStringLiteral( "stringf" ) ) != -1 );
   QVERIFY( widget.mCboTimestampField->findText( QStringLiteral( "intf" ) ) == -1 );
 
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime.get() );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime );
   QVERIFY( widget.mGboxTimestamp->isEnabled() );
   QVERIFY( widget.mCboTimestampField->findText( QStringLiteral( "datetimef" ) ) != -1 );
   QVERIFY( widget.mCboTimestampField->findText( QStringLiteral( "intf" ) ) == -1 );
@@ -98,11 +101,11 @@ void TestQgsGpsInformationWidget::testTimestamp()
   widget.mCboTimestampFormat->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampFormat->findData( Qt::TimeSpec::TimeZone ) );
   QVERIFY( widget.mCboTimeZones->isEnabled() );
 
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayer.get() );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayer );
   QVERIFY( ! widget.mGboxTimestamp->isEnabled() );
 
   // Test timestamp conversions
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime.get() );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime );
   // 2019/06/19 12:27:34.543[UTC]
   widget.mLastNmeaTime = { 119, 5, 19, 12, 27, 34, 543 };
   QDateTime dateTime( QDate( 2019, 6, 19 ), QTime( 12, 27, 34, 543 ) );
@@ -116,30 +119,43 @@ void TestQgsGpsInformationWidget::testTimestamp()
   QVERIFY( fieldIdx != -1 );
   // UTC
   widget.mCboTimestampFormat->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampFormat->findData( Qt::TimeSpec::UTC ) );
-  QVariant dt { widget.timestamp( tempLayerDateTime.get(), fieldIdx ) };
+  QVariant dt { widget.timestamp( tempLayerDateTime, fieldIdx ) };
   QCOMPARE( dt.toDateTime(), dateTime );
+  QVERIFY( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields.contains( tempLayerDateTime->id() ) );
+  QCOMPARE( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields[ tempLayerDateTime->id() ], QStringLiteral( "datetimef" ) );
 
-  // Test string
-  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerString.get() );
+  // Test store preferred fields
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerString );
   fieldIdx = tempLayerString->fields().indexOf( QStringLiteral( "stringf" ) );
   QVERIFY( fieldIdx != -1 );
   widget.mCboTimestampField->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampField->findText( QStringLiteral( "stringf" ) ) );
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime );
+  QVERIFY( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields.contains( tempLayerDateTime->id() ) );
+  QCOMPARE( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields[ tempLayerString->id() ], QStringLiteral( "stringf" ) );
+  QVERIFY( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields.contains( tempLayerDateTime->id() ) );
+  QCOMPARE( widget.mPreferredTimestampFields[ tempLayerDateTime->id() ], QStringLiteral( "datetimef" ) );
+
+  // Test string
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerString );
   // UTC
   widget.mCboTimestampFormat->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampFormat->findData( Qt::TimeSpec::UTC ) );
-  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString.get(), fieldIdx );
+  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString, fieldIdx );
   QCOMPARE( dt.toString(), dateTime.toString( Qt::DateFormat::ISODate ) );
   // Local Time (not very robust because we cannot change the system timezone and it may be GMT)
   widget.mCboTimestampFormat->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampFormat->findData( Qt::TimeSpec::LocalTime ) );
-  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString.get(), fieldIdx );
+  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString, fieldIdx );
   QDateTime localTime( dateTime.toLocalTime() );
   QCOMPARE( dt.toString(), localTime.toString( Qt::DateFormat::ISODate ) );
   // Timezone
   widget.mCboTimestampFormat->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimestampFormat->findData( Qt::TimeSpec::TimeZone ) );
   widget.mCboTimeZones->setCurrentIndex( widget.mCboTimeZones->findText( QStringLiteral( "Asia/Colombo" ) ) ) ;
   QDateTime tzTime( dateTime.toTimeZone( QTimeZone( QStringLiteral( "Asia/Colombo" ).toUtf8() ) ) );
-  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString.get(), fieldIdx );
+  dt = widget.timestamp( tempLayerString, fieldIdx );
   QCOMPARE( dt.toString(), tzTime.toString( Qt::DateFormat::ISODate ) );
 
+  // Test that preferred field is stored
+  canvas->setCurrentLayer( tempLayerDateTime );
+  QCOMPARE( widget.mCboTimestampField->currentText(), QStringLiteral( "datetimef" ) );
 }
 
 QGSTEST_MAIN( TestQgsGpsInformationWidget )