diff --git a/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/ImmichApp.kt b/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/ImmichApp.kt
index 5a3b0e1f3d..4474c63e09 100644
--- a/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/ImmichApp.kt
+++ b/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/ImmichApp.kt
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 package app.alextran.immich
 
 import android.app.Application
+import android.os.Handler
+import android.os.Looper
 import androidx.work.Configuration
 import androidx.work.WorkManager
+import app.alextran.immich.background.BackgroundEngineLock
 import app.alextran.immich.background.BackgroundWorkerApiImpl
 
 class ImmichApp : Application() {
@@ -17,6 +20,11 @@ class ImmichApp : Application() {
     // As a workaround, we also run a backup check when initializing the application
 
     ContentObserverWorker.startBackupWorker(context = this, delayMilliseconds = 0)
-    BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.enqueueBackgroundWorker(this)
+    Handler(Looper.getMainLooper()).postDelayed({
+      // We can only check the engine count and not the status of the lock here,
+      // as the previous start might have been killed without unlocking.
+      if (BackgroundEngineLock.connectEngines > 0) return@postDelayed
+      BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.enqueueBackgroundWorker(this)
+    }, 5000)
   }
 }
diff --git a/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/background/BackgroundEngineLock.kt b/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/background/BackgroundEngineLock.kt
index d8afe32b5c..504267a4e5 100644
--- a/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/background/BackgroundEngineLock.kt
+++ b/mobile/android/app/src/main/kotlin/app/alextran/immich/background/BackgroundEngineLock.kt
@@ -8,43 +8,46 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger
 private const val TAG = "BackgroundEngineLock"
 
 class BackgroundEngineLock(context: Context) : BackgroundWorkerLockApi, FlutterPlugin {
-    private val ctx: Context = context.applicationContext
+  private val ctx: Context = context.applicationContext
 
-    companion object {
+  companion object {
 
-        private var engineCount = AtomicInteger(0)
+    private var engineCount = AtomicInteger(0)
 
-        private fun checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(ctx: Context) {
-            // work manager task is running while the main app is opened, cancel the worker
-            if (BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).isLocked() &&
-                engineCount.get() > 1 &&
-                BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.isBackgroundWorkerRunning()
-            ) {
-                Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is locked, cancelling the background worker")
-                BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.cancelBackgroundWorker(ctx)
-            }
-        }
+    val connectEngines: Int
+      get() = engineCount.get()
+
+    private fun checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(ctx: Context) {
+      // work manager task is running while the main app is opened, cancel the worker
+      if (BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).isLocked() &&
+        connectEngines > 1 &&
+        BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.isBackgroundWorkerRunning()
+      ) {
+        Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is locked, cancelling the background worker")
+        BackgroundWorkerApiImpl.cancelBackgroundWorker(ctx)
+      }
     }
+  }
 
-    override fun lock() {
-        BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).setLocked(true)
-        checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(ctx)
-        Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is locked")
-    }
+  override fun lock() {
+    BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).setLocked(true)
+    checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(ctx)
+    Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is locked")
+  }
 
-    override fun unlock() {
-        BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).setLocked(false)
-        Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is unlocked")
-    }
+  override fun unlock() {
+    BackgroundWorkerPreferences(ctx).setLocked(false)
+    Log.i(TAG, "Background worker is unlocked")
+  }
 
-    override fun onAttachedToEngine(binding: FlutterPlugin.FlutterPluginBinding) {
-        checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(binding.applicationContext)
-        engineCount.incrementAndGet()
-        Log.i(TAG, "Flutter engine attached. Attached Engines count: $engineCount")
-    }
+  override fun onAttachedToEngine(binding: FlutterPlugin.FlutterPluginBinding) {
+    checkAndEnforceBackgroundLock(binding.applicationContext)
+    engineCount.incrementAndGet()
+    Log.i(TAG, "Flutter engine attached. Attached Engines count: $engineCount")
+  }
 
-    override fun onDetachedFromEngine(binding: FlutterPlugin.FlutterPluginBinding) {
-        engineCount.decrementAndGet()
-        Log.i(TAG, "Flutter engine detached. Attached Engines count: $engineCount")
-    }
+  override fun onDetachedFromEngine(binding: FlutterPlugin.FlutterPluginBinding) {
+    engineCount.decrementAndGet()
+    Log.i(TAG, "Flutter engine detached. Attached Engines count: $engineCount")
+  }
 }