diff --git a/apps/user_status/appinfo/info.xml b/apps/user_status/appinfo/info.xml
index 23f07eb325ae2..b99639c5fb0f1 100644
--- a/apps/user_status/appinfo/info.xml
+++ b/apps/user_status/appinfo/info.xml
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 		<navigation>
 			<id>user_status-menuitem</id>
 			<name>User status</name>
-			<route />
 			<order>1</order>
 			<type>settings</type>
 		</navigation>
diff --git a/lib/private/App/InfoParser.php b/lib/private/App/InfoParser.php
index 9d57ef95688d3..7267b58cfbc23 100644
--- a/lib/private/App/InfoParser.php
+++ b/lib/private/App/InfoParser.php
@@ -225,6 +225,11 @@ public function parse($file) {
 	 * @return bool
 	 */
 	private function isNavigationItem($data): bool {
+		// Allow settings navigation items with no route entry
+		$type = $data['type'] ?? 'link';
+		if ($type === 'settings') {
+			return isset($data['name']);
+		}
 		return isset($data['name'], $data['route']);
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/private/NavigationManager.php b/lib/private/NavigationManager.php
index b78d9fa1ed81e..e3d5ac752d804 100644
--- a/lib/private/NavigationManager.php
+++ b/lib/private/NavigationManager.php
@@ -301,10 +301,12 @@ private function init() {
 				continue;
 			}
 			foreach ($info['navigations']['navigation'] as $key => $nav) {
+				$nav['type'] = $nav['type'] ?? 'link';
 				if (!isset($nav['name'])) {
 					continue;
 				}
-				if (!isset($nav['route'])) {
+				// Allow settings navigation items with no route entry, all other types require one
+				if (!isset($nav['route']) && $nav['type'] !== 'settings') {
 					continue;
 				}
 				$role = isset($nav['@attributes']['role']) ? $nav['@attributes']['role'] : 'all';
@@ -314,8 +316,8 @@ private function init() {
 				$l = $this->l10nFac->get($app);
 				$id = $nav['id'] ?? $app . ($key === 0 ? '' : $key);
 				$order = isset($nav['order']) ? $nav['order'] : 100;
-				$type = isset($nav['type']) ? $nav['type'] : 'link';
-				$route = $nav['route'] !== '' ? $this->urlGenerator->linkToRoute($nav['route']) : '';
+				$type = $nav['type'];
+				$route = !empty($nav['route']) ? $this->urlGenerator->linkToRoute($nav['route']) : '';
 				$icon = isset($nav['icon']) ? $nav['icon'] : 'app.svg';
 				foreach ([$icon, "$app.svg"] as $i) {
 					try {
diff --git a/resources/app-info-shipped.xsd b/resources/app-info-shipped.xsd
index 031579ad5a374..c11264142ebfb 100644
--- a/resources/app-info-shipped.xsd
+++ b/resources/app-info-shipped.xsd
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@
         <xs:sequence>
             <xs:element name="id" type="id" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="name" type="non-empty-string" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1"/>
-            <xs:element name="route" type="route" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1"/>
+            <xs:element name="route" type="route" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="icon" type="xs:anyURI" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="order" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="type" type="navigation-type" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
diff --git a/resources/app-info.xsd b/resources/app-info.xsd
index 1c7cc5c47e432..191c8ed7c5b0b 100644
--- a/resources/app-info.xsd
+++ b/resources/app-info.xsd
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@
         <xs:sequence>
             <xs:element name="id" type="id" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="name" type="non-empty-string" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1"/>
-            <xs:element name="route" type="route" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1"/>
+            <xs:element name="route" type="route" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="icon" type="xs:anyURI" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="order" type="xs:int" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
             <xs:element name="type" type="navigation-type" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>