diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
index 2f13c5d..3139e4d 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
@@ -472,6 +472,10 @@
     public void onDestroy() {
         mAppTransitionManager.onActivityDestroyed();
         if (mUnfoldTransitionProgressProvider != null) {
+            if (FeatureFlags.RECEIVE_UNFOLD_EVENTS_FROM_SYSUI.get()) {
+                SystemUiProxy.INSTANCE.get(this).setUnfoldAnimationListener(null);
+            }
+
             mUnfoldTransitionProgressProvider.destroy();
         }
 
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/util/LauncherUnfoldAnimationController.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/util/LauncherUnfoldAnimationController.java
index 6d15e8b..e0b5272 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/util/LauncherUnfoldAnimationController.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/util/LauncherUnfoldAnimationController.java
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@
     private final NaturalRotationUnfoldProgressProvider mNaturalOrientationProgressProvider;
     private final UnfoldMoveFromCenterHotseatAnimator mUnfoldMoveFromCenterHotseatAnimator;
     private final UnfoldMoveFromCenterWorkspaceAnimator mUnfoldMoveFromCenterWorkspaceAnimator;
+    private final TransitionStatusProvider mExternalTransitionStatusProvider =
+            new TransitionStatusProvider();
     private PreemptiveUnfoldTransitionProgressProvider mPreemptiveProgressProvider = null;
     private Boolean mIsTablet = null;
 
@@ -88,6 +90,8 @@
                     unfoldTransitionProgressProvider);
         }
 
+        unfoldTransitionProgressProvider.addCallback(mExternalTransitionStatusProvider);
+
         mUnfoldMoveFromCenterHotseatAnimator = new UnfoldMoveFromCenterHotseatAnimator(launcher,
                 windowManager, rotationChangeProvider);
         mUnfoldMoveFromCenterWorkspaceAnimator = new UnfoldMoveFromCenterWorkspaceAnimator(launcher,
@@ -166,11 +170,26 @@
         }
 
         if (mIsTablet != null && dp.isTablet != mIsTablet) {
-            if (dp.isTablet && SystemUiProxy.INSTANCE.get(mLauncher).isActive()) {
+            // We should preemptively start the animation only if:
+            // - We changed to the unfolded screen
+            // - SystemUI IPC connection is alive, so we won't end up in a situation that we won't
+            //   receive transition progress events from SystemUI later because there was no
+            //   IPC connection established (e.g. because of SystemUI crash)
+            // - SystemUI has not already sent unfold animation progress events. This might happen
+            //   if Launcher was not open during unfold, in this case we receive the configuration
+            //   change only after we went back to home screen and we don't want to start the
+            //   animation in this case.
+            if (dp.isTablet
+                    && SystemUiProxy.INSTANCE.get(mLauncher).isActive()
+                    && !mExternalTransitionStatusProvider.hasRun()) {
                 // Preemptively start the unfold animation to make sure that we have drawn
                 // the first frame of the animation before the screen gets unblocked
                 preemptivelyStartAnimationOnNextFrame();
             }
+
+            if (!dp.isTablet) {
+                mExternalTransitionStatusProvider.onFolded();
+            }
         }
 
         mIsTablet = dp.isTablet;
@@ -222,4 +241,48 @@
             HOTSEAT_SCALE_PROPERTY.setValue(mLauncher.getHotseat(), value);
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Class to track the current status of the external transition provider (the events are coming
+     * from the SystemUI side through IPC), it allows to check if the transition has already
+     * finished or currently running on the SystemUI side since last unfold.
+     */
+    private static class TransitionStatusProvider implements TransitionProgressListener {
+
+        private boolean mHasRun = false;
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTransitionStarted() {
+            markAsRun();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTransitionProgress(float progress) {
+            markAsRun();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void onTransitionFinished() {
+            markAsRun();
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Called when the device is folded, so we can reset the status of the animation
+         */
+        public void onFolded() {
+            mHasRun = false;
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Returns true if there was an animation already (or it is currently running) after
+         * unfolding the device
+         */
+        public boolean hasRun() {
+            return mHasRun;
+        }
+
+        private void markAsRun() {
+            mHasRun = true;
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/com/android/launcher3/config/FeatureFlags.java b/src/com/android/launcher3/config/FeatureFlags.java
index b255ea8..76574b6 100644
--- a/src/com/android/launcher3/config/FeatureFlags.java
+++ b/src/com/android/launcher3/config/FeatureFlags.java
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@
             "Enable widget transition animation when resizing the widgets");
 
     public static final BooleanFlag PREEMPTIVE_UNFOLD_ANIMATION_START = getDebugFlag(270397209,
-            "PREEMPTIVE_UNFOLD_ANIMATION_START", DISABLED,
+            "PREEMPTIVE_UNFOLD_ANIMATION_START", ENABLED,
             "Enables starting the unfold animation preemptively when unfolding, without"
                     + "waiting for SystemUI and then merging the SystemUI progress whenever we "
                     + "start receiving the events");