diff --git a/libnm/nm-client.c b/libnm/nm-client.c
index cffb7bdd97..d5146106b2 100644
--- a/libnm/nm-client.c
+++ b/libnm/nm-client.c
@@ -2210,13 +2210,26 @@ nm_client_reload_connections (NMClient *client,
                               GCancellable *cancellable,
                               GError **error)
 {
-	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_CLIENT (client), FALSE);
+	gs_unref_variant GVariant *ret = NULL;
 
-	if (!_nm_client_check_nm_running (client, error))
+	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_CLIENT (client), FALSE);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (!cancellable || G_IS_CANCELLABLE (cancellable), FALSE);
+
+	ret = _nm_object_dbus_call_sync (client,
+	                                 cancellable,
+	                                 NM_DBUS_PATH_SETTINGS,
+	                                 NM_DBUS_INTERFACE_SETTINGS,
+	                                 "ReloadConnections",
+	                                 g_variant_new ("()"),
+	                                 G_VARIANT_TYPE ("(b)"),
+	                                 G_DBUS_CALL_FLAGS_NONE,
+	                                 NM_DBUS_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MSEC,
+	                                 TRUE,
+	                                 error);
+	if (!ret)
 		return FALSE;
 
-	return nm_remote_settings_reload_connections (NM_CLIENT_GET_PRIVATE (client)->settings,
-	                                              cancellable, error);
+	return TRUE;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/libnm/nm-remote-settings.c b/libnm/nm-remote-settings.c
index d6be171df9..e6055726e7 100644
--- a/libnm/nm-remote-settings.c
+++ b/libnm/nm-remote-settings.c
@@ -394,28 +394,6 @@ nm_remote_settings_add_connection2 (NMRemoteSettings *self,
 	}
 }
 
-gboolean
-nm_remote_settings_reload_connections (NMRemoteSettings *settings,
-                                       GCancellable *cancellable,
-                                       GError **error)
-{
-	NMRemoteSettingsPrivate *priv;
-	gboolean success;
-
-	g_return_val_if_fail (NM_IS_REMOTE_SETTINGS (settings), FALSE);
-
-	priv = NM_REMOTE_SETTINGS_GET_PRIVATE (settings);
-
-	if (!nmdbus_settings_call_reload_connections_sync (priv->proxy, &success,
-	                                                   cancellable, error)) {
-		if (error && *error)
-			g_dbus_error_strip_remote_error (*error);
-		return FALSE;
-	}
-
-	return TRUE;
-}
-
 static void
 reload_connections_cb (GObject *proxy, GAsyncResult *result, gpointer user_data)
 {
diff --git a/libnm/nm-remote-settings.h b/libnm/nm-remote-settings.h
index 636a497db7..c78f00e9bd 100644
--- a/libnm/nm-remote-settings.h
+++ b/libnm/nm-remote-settings.h
@@ -75,11 +75,6 @@ void nm_remote_settings_add_connection2 (NMRemoteSettings *self,
                                          NMRemoteSettingAddConnection2Callback callback,
                                          gpointer user_data);
 
-_NM_DEPRECATED_SYNC_METHOD_INTERNAL
-gboolean nm_remote_settings_reload_connections        (NMRemoteSettings *settings,
-                                                       GCancellable *cancellable,
-                                                       GError **error);
-
 void     nm_remote_settings_reload_connections_async  (NMRemoteSettings *settings,
                                                        GCancellable *cancellable,
                                                        GAsyncReadyCallback callback,