diff --git a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
index bc8602c940..416c193cfc 100644
--- a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
+++ b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
 import android.util.Log;
 
-import androidx.test.uiautomator.By;
 import androidx.test.uiautomator.UiDevice;
 
 import com.android.launcher3.tapl.LauncherInstrumentation;
@@ -217,12 +216,7 @@ public class NavigationModeSwitchRule implements TestRule {
 
     private static void assertTrue(LauncherInstrumentation launcher, String message,
             boolean condition, Description description) {
-        if (launcher.getDevice().hasObject(By.textStartsWith(""))) {
-            // The condition above is "screen is not empty". We are not treating
-            // "Screen is empty" as an anomaly here. It's an acceptable state when
-            // Launcher just starts under instrumentation.
-            launcher.checkForAnomaly();
-        }
+        launcher.checkForAnomaly(true);
         if (!condition) {
             final AssertionError assertionError = new AssertionError(message);
             if (description != null) {
diff --git a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/Wait.java b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/Wait.java
index fe6143c681..8b5e1970de 100644
--- a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/Wait.java
+++ b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/Wait.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class Wait {
             throw new RuntimeException(t);
         }
         Log.d("Wait", "atMost: timed out: " + SystemClock.uptimeMillis());
-        launcher.checkForAnomaly();
+        launcher.checkForAnomaly(false);
         Assert.fail(message.get());
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
index 2ca40d8229..f273d6f34b 100644
--- a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
+++ b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
 
     public boolean isTwoPanels() {
         return getTestInfo(TestProtocol.REQUEST_IS_TWO_PANELS)
-            .getBoolean(TestProtocol.TEST_INFO_RESPONSE_FIELD);
+                .getBoolean(TestProtocol.TEST_INFO_RESPONSE_FIELD);
     }
 
     private void setForcePauseTimeout(long timeout) {
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
         }
     }
 
-    private String getSystemAnomalyMessage() {
+    private String getSystemAnomalyMessage(boolean ignoreNavmodeChangeStates) {
         try {
             {
                 final StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
@@ -402,16 +402,18 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
 
             if (hasSystemUiObject("keyguard_status_view")) return "Phone is locked";
 
-            final String visibleApps = mDevice.findObjects(getAnyObjectSelector())
-                    .stream()
-                    .map(LauncherInstrumentation::getApplicationPackageSafe)
-                    .distinct()
-                    .filter(pkg -> pkg != null)
-                    .collect(Collectors.joining(","));
-            if (SYSTEMUI_PACKAGE.equals(visibleApps)) return "Only System UI views are visible";
+            if (!ignoreNavmodeChangeStates) {
+                final String visibleApps = mDevice.findObjects(getAnyObjectSelector())
+                        .stream()
+                        .map(LauncherInstrumentation::getApplicationPackageSafe)
+                        .distinct()
+                        .filter(pkg -> pkg != null)
+                        .collect(Collectors.joining(","));
+                if (SYSTEMUI_PACKAGE.equals(visibleApps)) return "Only System UI views are visible";
 
-            if (!mDevice.wait(Until.hasObject(getAnyObjectSelector()), WAIT_TIME_MS)) {
-                return "Screen is empty";
+                if (!mDevice.wait(Until.hasObject(getAnyObjectSelector()), WAIT_TIME_MS)) {
+                    return "Screen is empty";
+                }
             }
 
             final String navigationModeError = getNavigationModeMismatchError(true);
@@ -423,8 +425,12 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
         return null;
     }
 
-    public void checkForAnomaly() {
-        final String systemAnomalyMessage = getSystemAnomalyMessage();
+    private void checkForAnomaly() {
+        checkForAnomaly(false);
+    }
+
+    public void checkForAnomaly(boolean ignoreNavmodeChangeStates) {
+        final String systemAnomalyMessage = getSystemAnomalyMessage(ignoreNavmodeChangeStates);
         if (systemAnomalyMessage != null) {
             Assert.fail(formatSystemHealthMessage(formatErrorWithEvents(
                     "http://go/tapl : Tests are broken by a non-Launcher system error: "
@@ -756,7 +762,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
 
                 if (hasLauncherObject(CONTEXT_MENU_RES_ID)) {
                     GestureScope gestureScope = gestureStartFromLauncher
-                            ? (isTablet()? GestureScope.INSIDE : GestureScope.INSIDE_TO_OUTSIDE)
+                            ? (isTablet() ? GestureScope.INSIDE : GestureScope.INSIDE_TO_OUTSIDE)
                             : GestureScope.OUTSIDE_WITH_PILFER;
                     linearGesture(
                             displaySize.x / 2, displaySize.y - 1,