diff --git a/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/AbstractRestrictBackgroundNetworkTestCase.java b/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/AbstractRestrictBackgroundNetworkTestCase.java
index 106a49c..9acfc19 100644
--- a/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/AbstractRestrictBackgroundNetworkTestCase.java
+++ b/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/AbstractRestrictBackgroundNetworkTestCase.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 import static com.android.cts.net.hostside.NetworkPolicyTestUtils.isBatterySaverSupported;
 import static com.android.cts.net.hostside.NetworkPolicyTestUtils.isDozeModeSupported;
 import static com.android.cts.net.hostside.NetworkPolicyTestUtils.restrictBackgroundValueToString;
+import static com.android.cts.net.hostside.NetworkPolicyTestUtils.setRestrictBackgroundInternal;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
@@ -187,6 +188,12 @@
         mServiceClient.bind();
         mPowerManager = mContext.getSystemService(PowerManager.class);
         executeShellCommand("cmd netpolicy start-watching " + mUid);
+        // Some of the test cases assume that Data saver mode is initially disabled, which might not
+        // always be the case. Therefore, explicitly disable it before running the tests.
+        // Invoke setRestrictBackgroundInternal() directly instead of going through
+        // setRestrictBackground(), as some devices do not fully support the Data saver mode but
+        // still have certain parts of it enabled by default.
+        setRestrictBackgroundInternal(false);
         setAppIdle(false);
         mLock = mPowerManager.newWakeLock(PowerManager.PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK, TAG);
 
diff --git a/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/NetworkPolicyTestUtils.java b/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/NetworkPolicyTestUtils.java
index 12b186f..5331601 100644
--- a/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/NetworkPolicyTestUtils.java
+++ b/tests/cts/hostside/app/src/com/android/cts/net/hostside/NetworkPolicyTestUtils.java
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@
         setRestrictBackgroundInternal(enabled);
     }
 
-    private static void setRestrictBackgroundInternal(boolean enabled) {
+    static void setRestrictBackgroundInternal(boolean enabled) {
         executeShellCommand("cmd netpolicy set restrict-background " + enabled);
         final String output = executeShellCommand("cmd netpolicy get restrict-background");
         final String expectedSuffix = enabled ? "enabled" : "disabled";