diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/AbsSwipeUpHandler.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/AbsSwipeUpHandler.java
index bc06944..e218db1 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/AbsSwipeUpHandler.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/AbsSwipeUpHandler.java
@@ -249,6 +249,8 @@
     private RunningWindowAnim[] mRunningWindowAnim;
     // Possible second animation running at the same time as mRunningWindowAnim
     private Animator mParallelRunningAnim;
+    // Current running divider animation
+    private ValueAnimator mDividerAnimator;
     private boolean mIsMotionPaused;
     private boolean mHasMotionEverBeenPaused;
 
@@ -831,8 +833,8 @@
         // Notify when the animation starts
         flushOnRecentsAnimationAndLauncherBound();
 
-        TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps,
-                false /*shown*/, true /*animate*/);
+        // Start hiding the divider
+        setDividerShown(false /* shown */, false /* immediate */);
 
         // Only add the callback to enable the input consumer after we actually have the controller
         mStateCallback.runOnceAtState(STATE_APP_CONTROLLER_RECEIVED | STATE_GESTURE_STARTED,
@@ -849,8 +851,7 @@
         mStateCallback.setStateOnUiThread(STATE_GESTURE_CANCELLED | STATE_HANDLER_INVALIDATED);
 
         if (mRecentsAnimationTargets != null) {
-            TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps,
-                    true /*shown*/, true /*animate*/);
+            setDividerShown(true /* shown */, false /* immediate */);
         }
 
         // Defer clearing the controller and the targets until after we've updated the state
@@ -1000,8 +1001,7 @@
                     mStateCallback.setState(STATE_RESUME_LAST_TASK);
                 }
                 if (mRecentsAnimationTargets != null) {
-                    TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps,
-                            true /*shown*/, false /*animate*/);
+                    setDividerShown(true /* shown */, true /* immediate */);
                 }
                 break;
         }
@@ -1653,8 +1653,7 @@
         mActivityInterface.onTransitionCancelled(wasVisible, mGestureState.getEndTarget());
 
         if (mRecentsAnimationTargets != null) {
-            TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps,
-                    true /*shown*/, false /*animate*/);
+            setDividerShown(true /* shown */, true /* immediate */);
         }
 
         // Leave the pending invisible flag, as it may be used by wallpaper open animation.
@@ -1920,8 +1919,7 @@
     @Override
     public void onRecentsAnimationFinished(RecentsAnimationController controller) {
         if (!controller.getFinishTargetIsLauncher()) {
-            TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps,
-                    true /*shown*/, true /*animate*/);
+            setDividerShown(true /* shown */, false /* immediate */);
         }
         mRecentsAnimationController = null;
         mRecentsAnimationTargets = null;
@@ -2026,6 +2024,19 @@
         return scaleProgress;
     }
 
+    private void setDividerShown(boolean shown, boolean immediate) {
+        if (mDividerAnimator != null) {
+            mDividerAnimator.cancel();
+        }
+        mDividerAnimator = TaskViewUtils.createSplitAuxiliarySurfacesAnimator(
+                mRecentsAnimationTargets.nonApps, shown, (dividerAnimator) -> {
+                    dividerAnimator.start();
+                    if (immediate) {
+                        dividerAnimator.end();
+                    }
+                });
+    }
+
     /**
      * Used for winscope tracing, see launcher_trace.proto
      * @see com.android.systemui.shared.tracing.ProtoTraceable#writeToProto
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskViewUtils.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskViewUtils.java
index 5b69aeb..e67b0a5 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskViewUtils.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskViewUtils.java
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.function.Consumer;
 
 /**
  * Utility class for helpful methods related to {@link TaskView} objects and their tasks.
@@ -554,8 +555,16 @@
                 nonAppTargets, depthController, pa);
         if (launcherClosing) {
             // TODO(b/182592057): differentiate between "restore split" vs "launch fullscreen app"
-            TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(nonAppTargets,
-                    true /*shown*/, true /*animate*/, pa);
+            TaskViewUtils.createSplitAuxiliarySurfacesAnimator(nonAppTargets, true /*shown*/,
+                    (dividerAnimator) -> {
+                        // If split apps are launching, we want to delay showing the divider bar
+                        // until the very end once the apps are mostly in place. This is because we
+                        // aren't moving the divider leash in the relative position with the
+                        // launching apps.
+                        dividerAnimator.setStartDelay(pa.getDuration()
+                                - SPLIT_DIVIDER_ANIM_DURATION);
+                        pa.add(dividerAnimator);
+                    });
         }
 
         Animator childStateAnimation = null;
@@ -610,16 +619,17 @@
         anim.addListener(windowAnimEndListener);
     }
 
-    public static void setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(RemoteAnimationTargetCompat[] nonApps,
-            boolean shown, boolean animate) {
-        setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(nonApps, shown, animate,null);
-    }
-
-    private static void setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(
-            @NonNull RemoteAnimationTargetCompat[] nonApps, boolean shown, boolean animate,
-            @Nullable PendingAnimation splitLaunchAnimation) {
+    /**
+     * Creates an animation to show/hide the auxiliary surfaces (aka. divider bar), only calling
+     * {@param animatorHandler} if there are valid surfaces to animate.
+     *
+     * @return the animator animating the surfaces
+     */
+    public static ValueAnimator createSplitAuxiliarySurfacesAnimator(
+            RemoteAnimationTargetCompat[] nonApps, boolean shown,
+            Consumer<ValueAnimator> animatorHandler) {
         if (nonApps == null || nonApps.length == 0) {
-            return;
+            return null;
         }
 
         SurfaceControl.Transaction t = new SurfaceControl.Transaction();
@@ -634,20 +644,7 @@
             }
         }
         if (!hasSurfaceToAnimate) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        if (!animate) {
-            for (SurfaceControl leash : auxiliarySurfaces) {
-                t.setAlpha(leash, shown ? 1 : 0);
-                if (shown) {
-                    t.show(leash);
-                } else {
-                    t.hide(leash);
-                }
-            }
-            t.apply();
-            return;
+            return null;
         }
 
         ValueAnimator dockFadeAnimator = ValueAnimator.ofFloat(0f, 1f);
@@ -684,15 +681,7 @@
             }
         });
         dockFadeAnimator.setDuration(SPLIT_DIVIDER_ANIM_DURATION);
-        if (splitLaunchAnimation != null) {
-            // If split apps are launching, we want to delay showing the divider bar until the very
-            // end once the apps are mostly in place. This is because we aren't moving the divider
-            // leash in the relative position with the launching apps.
-            dockFadeAnimator.setStartDelay(
-                    splitLaunchAnimation.getDuration() - SPLIT_DIVIDER_ANIM_DURATION);
-            splitLaunchAnimation.add(dockFadeAnimator);
-        } else {
-            dockFadeAnimator.start();
-        }
+        animatorHandler.accept(dockFadeAnimator);
+        return dockFadeAnimator;
     }
 }
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/views/RecentsView.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/views/RecentsView.java
index 1d14bad..2a2d1dd 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/views/RecentsView.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/views/RecentsView.java
@@ -4297,9 +4297,12 @@
             if (isSuccess) {
                 if (tv.getTaskIds()[1] != -1) {
                     // TODO(b/194414938): make this part of the animations instead.
-                    TaskViewUtils.setSplitAuxiliarySurfacesShown(mRemoteTargetHandles[0]
-                            .getTransformParams().getTargetSet().nonApps,
-                            true /*shown*/, false /*animate*/);
+                    TaskViewUtils.createSplitAuxiliarySurfacesAnimator(
+                            mRemoteTargetHandles[0].getTransformParams().getTargetSet().nonApps,
+                            true /*shown*/, (dividerAnimator) -> {
+                                dividerAnimator.start();
+                                dividerAnimator.end();
+                            });
                 }
                 if (ENABLE_QUICKSTEP_LIVE_TILE.get() && tv.isRunningTask()) {
                     finishRecentsAnimation(false /* toRecents */, null);