diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimController.java b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimController.java
index b3e8dc402f287..e3319e5ef200b 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimController.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimController.java
@@ -111,6 +111,20 @@ public class ScrimController implements ViewTreeObserver.OnPreDrawListener, Dump
      */
     private boolean mTransitioningToFullShade;
 
+    /**
+     * Is there currently an unocclusion animation running. Used to avoid bright flickers
+     * of the notification scrim.
+     */
+    private boolean mUnOcclusionAnimationRunning;
+
+    /**
+     * Set whether an unocclusion animation is currently running on the notification panel. Used
+     * to avoid bright flickers of the notification scrim.
+     */
+    public void setUnocclusionAnimationRunning(boolean unocclusionAnimationRunning) {
+        mUnOcclusionAnimationRunning = unocclusionAnimationRunning;
+    }
+
     @IntDef(prefix = {"VISIBILITY_"}, value = {
             TRANSPARENT,
             SEMI_TRANSPARENT,
@@ -436,6 +450,7 @@ public class ScrimController implements ViewTreeObserver.OnPreDrawListener, Dump
 
     public void onExpandingFinished() {
         mTracking = false;
+        setUnocclusionAnimationRunning(false);
     }
 
     @VisibleForTesting
@@ -679,6 +694,10 @@ public class ScrimController implements ViewTreeObserver.OnPreDrawListener, Dump
             if (mKeyguardOccluded) {
                 mNotificationsAlpha = 0;
             }
+            if (mUnOcclusionAnimationRunning && mState == ScrimState.KEYGUARD) {
+                // We're unoccluding the keyguard and don't want to have a bright flash.
+                mNotificationsAlpha = 0f;
+            }
         }
 
         assertAlphasValid();
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBar.java b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBar.java
index 30ea084b77282..0cfdf79b54971 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBar.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBar.java
@@ -3092,6 +3092,7 @@ public class StatusBar extends SystemUI implements
     public void animateKeyguardUnoccluding() {
         mNotificationPanelViewController.setExpandedFraction(0f);
         mCommandQueueCallbacks.animateExpandNotificationsPanel();
+        mScrimController.setUnocclusionAnimationRunning(true);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -3755,10 +3756,8 @@ public class StatusBar extends SystemUI implements
             ScrimState state = mStatusBarKeyguardViewManager.bouncerNeedsScrimming()
                     ? ScrimState.BOUNCER_SCRIMMED : ScrimState.BOUNCER;
             mScrimController.transitionTo(state);
-        } else if (isInLaunchTransition()
-                || mLaunchCameraWhenFinishedWaking
-                || launchingAffordanceWithPreview) {
-            // TODO(b/170133395) Investigate whether Emergency Gesture flag should be included here.
+        } else if (launchingAffordanceWithPreview) {
+            // We want to avoid animating when launching with a preview.
             mScrimController.transitionTo(ScrimState.UNLOCKED, mUnlockScrimCallback);
         } else if (mBrightnessMirrorVisible) {
             mScrimController.transitionTo(ScrimState.BRIGHTNESS_MIRROR);
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimControllerTest.java b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimControllerTest.java
index 30fc13b168f36..195390347d1c3 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimControllerTest.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/ScrimControllerTest.java
@@ -1138,6 +1138,19 @@ public class ScrimControllerTest extends SysuiTestCase {
         assertAlphaAfterExpansion(mNotificationsScrim, /* alpha */ 0.47f, /* expansion */ 0.2f);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testNotificationTransparency_unnocclusion() {
+        mScrimController.transitionTo(ScrimState.KEYGUARD);
+        mScrimController.setUnocclusionAnimationRunning(true);
+
+        assertAlphaAfterExpansion(mNotificationsScrim, /* alpha */ 0.0f, /* expansion */ 0.0f);
+        assertAlphaAfterExpansion(mNotificationsScrim, /* alpha */ 0.0f, /* expansion */ 1.0f);
+
+        // Verify normal behavior after
+        mScrimController.setUnocclusionAnimationRunning(false);
+        assertAlphaAfterExpansion(mNotificationsScrim, /* alpha */ 0.2f, /* expansion */ 0.4f);
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testNotificationTransparency_inKeyguardState() {
         mScrimController.transitionTo(ScrimState.KEYGUARD);
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBarTest.java b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBarTest.java
index 6c59c3e27f238..71c61ab7f9b76 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBarTest.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/StatusBarTest.java
@@ -774,6 +774,30 @@ public class StatusBarTest extends SysuiTestCase {
         verify(mScrimController).transitionTo(eq(ScrimState.UNLOCKED), any());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testTransitionLaunch_goesToUnlocked() {
+        mStatusBar.setBarStateForTest(StatusBarState.KEYGUARD);
+        mStatusBar.showKeyguardImpl();
+
+        // Starting a pulse should change the scrim controller to the pulsing state
+        when(mNotificationPanelViewController.isLaunchTransitionRunning()).thenReturn(true);
+        when(mNotificationPanelViewController.isLaunchingAffordanceWithPreview()).thenReturn(true);
+        mStatusBar.updateScrimController();
+        verify(mScrimController).transitionTo(eq(ScrimState.UNLOCKED), any());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testTransitionLaunch_noPreview_doesntGoUnlocked() {
+        mStatusBar.setBarStateForTest(StatusBarState.KEYGUARD);
+        mStatusBar.showKeyguardImpl();
+
+        // Starting a pulse should change the scrim controller to the pulsing state
+        when(mNotificationPanelViewController.isLaunchTransitionRunning()).thenReturn(true);
+        when(mNotificationPanelViewController.isLaunchingAffordanceWithPreview()).thenReturn(false);
+        mStatusBar.updateScrimController();
+        verify(mScrimController).transitionTo(eq(ScrimState.KEYGUARD));
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void testSetOccluded_propagatesToScrimController() {
         mStatusBar.setOccluded(true);