diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/database/v1/stub/DatabaseAdminStubSettings.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/database/v1/stub/DatabaseAdminStubSettings.java
index b0bac76fc0a1..0b131a4a3e5a 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/database/v1/stub/DatabaseAdminStubSettings.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/database/v1/stub/DatabaseAdminStubSettings.java
@@ -297,7 +297,9 @@ public String extractNextToken(ListDatabasesResponse payload) {
 
             @Override
             public Iterable<Database> extractResources(ListDatabasesResponse payload) {
-              return payload.getDatabasesList();
+              return payload.getDatabasesList() != null
+                  ? payload.getDatabasesList()
+                  : ImmutableList.<Database>of();
             }
           };
 
diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/instance/v1/stub/InstanceAdminStubSettings.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/instance/v1/stub/InstanceAdminStubSettings.java
index 7a33417a3bdb..7aa44918a333 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/instance/v1/stub/InstanceAdminStubSettings.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/admin/instance/v1/stub/InstanceAdminStubSettings.java
@@ -314,7 +314,9 @@ public String extractNextToken(ListInstanceConfigsResponse payload) {
 
             @Override
             public Iterable<InstanceConfig> extractResources(ListInstanceConfigsResponse payload) {
-              return payload.getInstanceConfigsList();
+              return payload.getInstanceConfigsList() != null
+                  ? payload.getInstanceConfigsList()
+                  : ImmutableList.<InstanceConfig>of();
             }
           };
 
@@ -348,7 +350,9 @@ public String extractNextToken(ListInstancesResponse payload) {
 
             @Override
             public Iterable<Instance> extractResources(ListInstancesResponse payload) {
-              return payload.getInstancesList();
+              return payload.getInstancesList() != null
+                  ? payload.getInstancesList()
+                  : ImmutableList.<Instance>of();
             }
           };
 
diff --git a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/v1/stub/SpannerStubSettings.java b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/v1/stub/SpannerStubSettings.java
index 6cf3c210e11f..f9d42de35cfd 100644
--- a/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/v1/stub/SpannerStubSettings.java
+++ b/google-cloud-clients/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/v1/stub/SpannerStubSettings.java
@@ -300,7 +300,9 @@ public String extractNextToken(ListSessionsResponse payload) {
 
             @Override
             public Iterable<Session> extractResources(ListSessionsResponse payload) {
-              return payload.getSessionsList();
+              return payload.getSessionsList() != null
+                  ? payload.getSessionsList()
+                  : ImmutableList.<Session>of();
             }
           };
 
@@ -380,6 +382,17 @@ public static class Builder extends StubSettings.Builder<SpannerStubSettings, Bu
               .setTotalTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(600000L))
               .build();
       definitions.put("default", settings);
+      settings =
+          RetrySettings.newBuilder()
+              .setInitialRetryDelay(Duration.ofMillis(1000L))
+              .setRetryDelayMultiplier(1.3)
+              .setMaxRetryDelay(Duration.ofMillis(32000L))
+              .setInitialRpcTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(120000L))
+              .setRpcTimeoutMultiplier(1.0)
+              .setMaxRpcTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(120000L))
+              .setTotalTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(1200000L))
+              .build();
+      definitions.put("streaming", settings);
       settings =
           RetrySettings.newBuilder()
               .setInitialRetryDelay(Duration.ofMillis(1000L))
@@ -483,7 +496,7 @@ private static Builder initDefaults(Builder builder) {
       builder
           .executeStreamingSqlSettings()
           .setRetryableCodes(RETRYABLE_CODE_DEFINITIONS.get("non_idempotent"))
-          .setRetrySettings(RETRY_PARAM_DEFINITIONS.get("default"));
+          .setRetrySettings(RETRY_PARAM_DEFINITIONS.get("streaming"));
 
       builder
           .readSettings()
@@ -493,7 +506,7 @@ private static Builder initDefaults(Builder builder) {
       builder
           .streamingReadSettings()
           .setRetryableCodes(RETRYABLE_CODE_DEFINITIONS.get("non_idempotent"))
-          .setRetrySettings(RETRY_PARAM_DEFINITIONS.get("default"));
+          .setRetrySettings(RETRY_PARAM_DEFINITIONS.get("streaming"));
 
       builder
           .beginTransactionSettings()