diff --git a/core/java/android/app/ActivityThread.java b/core/java/android/app/ActivityThread.java
index 3224d41422291..10d76f750ac5c 100644
--- a/core/java/android/app/ActivityThread.java
+++ b/core/java/android/app/ActivityThread.java
@@ -1640,6 +1640,10 @@ public final class ActivityThread {
         return sCurrentActivityThread;
     }
 
+    public static boolean isSystem() {
+        return (sCurrentActivityThread != null) ? sCurrentActivityThread.mSystemThread : false;
+    }
+
     public static String currentOpPackageName() {
         ActivityThread am = currentActivityThread();
         return (am != null && am.getApplication() != null)
diff --git a/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java b/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
index 2cfc1fa48f674..031854a6a69aa 100644
--- a/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
+++ b/core/java/android/app/PendingIntent.java
@@ -25,11 +25,13 @@ import android.content.IIntentReceiver;
 import android.content.IIntentSender;
 import android.content.IntentSender;
 import android.os.Bundle;
+import android.os.Looper;
 import android.os.RemoteException;
 import android.os.Handler;
 import android.os.IBinder;
 import android.os.Parcel;
 import android.os.Parcelable;
+import android.os.Process;
 import android.os.UserHandle;
 import android.util.AndroidException;
 
@@ -206,10 +208,20 @@ public final class PendingIntent implements Parcelable {
         private int mResultCode;
         private String mResultData;
         private Bundle mResultExtras;
+        private static Handler sDefaultSystemHandler;
         FinishedDispatcher(PendingIntent pi, OnFinished who, Handler handler) {
             mPendingIntent = pi;
             mWho = who;
-            mHandler = handler;
+            if (handler == null && ActivityThread.isSystem()) {
+                // We assign a default handler for the system process to avoid deadlocks when
+                // processing receivers in various components that hold global service locks.
+                if (sDefaultSystemHandler == null) {
+                    sDefaultSystemHandler = new Handler(Looper.getMainLooper());
+                }
+                mHandler = sDefaultSystemHandler;
+            } else {
+                mHandler = handler;
+            }
         }
         public void performReceive(Intent intent, int resultCode, String data,
                 Bundle extras, boolean serialized, boolean sticky, int sendingUser) {