diff --git a/core/java/android/app/Instrumentation.java b/core/java/android/app/Instrumentation.java
index e9d63d2bc7882..8d1076ea12779 100644
--- a/core/java/android/app/Instrumentation.java
+++ b/core/java/android/app/Instrumentation.java
@@ -138,6 +138,20 @@ public class Instrumentation {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns if it is being called in an instrumentation environment.
+     *
+     * @hide
+     */
+    public boolean isInstrumenting() {
+        // Check if we have an instrumentation context, as init should only get called by
+        // the system in startup processes that are being instrumented.
+        if (mInstrContext == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Called when the instrumentation is starting, before any application code
      * has been loaded.  Usually this will be implemented to simply call
diff --git a/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java b/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
index 269ccb169774c..b055c6768e7ba 100644
--- a/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
+++ b/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import android.os.RemoteException;
 import android.os.UserHandle;
 import android.util.AndroidException;
 import android.util.ArraySet;
+import android.util.Log;
 import android.util.proto.ProtoOutputStream;
 
 import com.android.internal.os.IResultReceiver;
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
  * FLAG_ONE_SHOT, <b>both</b> FLAG_ONE_SHOT and FLAG_NO_CREATE need to be supplied.
  */
 public final class PendingIntent implements Parcelable {
+    private static final String TAG = "PendingIntent";
     private final IIntentSender mTarget;
     private IResultReceiver mCancelReceiver;
     private IBinder mWhitelistToken;
@@ -350,9 +352,18 @@ public final class PendingIntent implements Parcelable {
                 "Cannot set both FLAG_IMMUTABLE and FLAG_MUTABLE for PendingIntent");
         }
 
+        // TODO(b/178092897) Remove the below instrumentation check and enforce
+        // the explicit mutability requirement for apps under instrumentation.
+        ActivityThread thread = ActivityThread.currentActivityThread();
+        Instrumentation mInstrumentation = thread.getInstrumentation();
+
         if (Compatibility.isChangeEnabled(PENDING_INTENT_EXPLICIT_MUTABILITY_REQUIRED)
                 && !flagImmutableSet && !flagMutableSet) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException(msg);
+            if (!mInstrumentation.isInstrumenting()) {
+                throw new IllegalArgumentException(msg);
+            } else {
+                Log.e(TAG, msg);
+            }
         }
     }