diff --git a/packages/pubsub/src/Subscriber.ts b/packages/pubsub/src/Subscriber.ts
index 54aeba4..f583f55 100644
--- a/packages/pubsub/src/Subscriber.ts
+++ b/packages/pubsub/src/Subscriber.ts
@@ -228,9 +228,9 @@ export class Subscriber<T = unknown> {
       this.logger?.info(`PubSub: Subscription ${subscriptionName} is created`)
     } else if (options) {
       const [existingSubscription] = await subscription.getMetadata()
-      if (options.filter != existingSubscription.filter) {
+      if ((options.filter || existingSubscription.filter) && options.filter != existingSubscription.filter) {
         throw new Error(`PubSub: Subscriptions filters are immutable, they can't be changed, subscription: ${subscriptionName},` +
-          ` currentFilter: ${existingSubscription.filter || 'undefined'}, newFilter: ${options.filter || 'undefined'}`)
+          ` currentFilter: ${existingSubscription.filter as string}, newFilter: ${options.filter as string}`)
       }
       if (this.isMetadataChanged(existingSubscription, options)) {
         await subscription.setMetadata(options)
diff --git a/packages/pubsub/src/__tests__/Subscriber.test.ts b/packages/pubsub/src/__tests__/Subscriber.test.ts
index cf0c562..976e66c 100644
--- a/packages/pubsub/src/__tests__/Subscriber.test.ts
+++ b/packages/pubsub/src/__tests__/Subscriber.test.ts
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ describe('Subscriber', () => {
     iamTopicMock.setPolicy.mockReset()
     iamSubscriptionMock.setPolicy.mockReset()
     schemaClientMock.getSchema.mockReset()
+    loggerMock.info.mockReset()
+    loggerMock.warn.mockReset()
+    loggerMock.error.mockReset()
   })
 
   describe('initialize', () => {
@@ -182,6 +185,27 @@ describe('Subscriber', () => {
       processAbortSpy.mockClear()
     })
 
+    it('does not throw when deployed again without filter', async () => {
+      topicMock.exists.mockResolvedValue([true])
+      subscriptionMock.exists.mockResolvedValue([true])
+      // google cloud returns filter as empty string when no filter is set
+      subscriptionMock.getMetadata.mockResolvedValue([{
+        filter: '',
+      }])
+
+      const subscriberWithFilter = new Subscriber({
+          topicName, subscriptionName,
+          subscriptionOptions: {
+            ...subscriptionOptions,
+          },
+        }, clientMock as unknown as PubSub,
+        schemaClientMock as unknown as SchemaServiceClient, undefined as unknown as SubscriberClient, loggerMock)
+
+      await subscriberWithFilter.initialize()
+
+      expect(loggerMock.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    })
+
     it('updates metadata if backoff has changed', async () => {
       topicMock.exists.mockResolvedValue([true])
       subscriptionMock.exists.mockResolvedValue([true])