diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/interactor/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractor.kt b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/interactor/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractor.kt
index 9a69e26488d97..95acc0b8564ef 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/interactor/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractor.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/interactor/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractor.kt
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import javax.inject.Inject
 import kotlin.reflect.KClass
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.combine
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.onStart
 
 @SysUISingleton
 class KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractor
@@ -88,7 +89,15 @@ constructor(
         position: KeyguardQuickAffordancePosition
     ): Flow<KeyguardQuickAffordanceModel> {
         val configs = registry.getAll(position)
-        return combine(configs.map { config -> config.state }) { states ->
+        return combine(
+            configs.map { config ->
+                // We emit an initial "Hidden" value to make sure that there's always an initial
+                // value and avoid subtle bugs where the downstream isn't receiving any values
+                // because one config implementation is not emitting an initial value. For example,
+                // see b/244296596.
+                config.state.onStart { emit(KeyguardQuickAffordanceConfig.State.Hidden) }
+            }
+        ) { states ->
             val index = states.indexOfFirst { it is KeyguardQuickAffordanceConfig.State.Visible }
             if (index != -1) {
                 val visibleState = states[index] as KeyguardQuickAffordanceConfig.State.Visible
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/usecase/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest.kt b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/usecase/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest.kt
index d3fc29f1a0f17..19d841222a01c 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/usecase/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/domain/usecase/KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest.kt
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.launchIn
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.onEach
 import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runBlockingTest
+import kotlinx.coroutines.yield
 import org.junit.Before
 import org.junit.Test
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith
@@ -110,6 +111,10 @@ class KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest : SysuiTestCase() {
                 .quickAffordance(KeyguardQuickAffordancePosition.BOTTOM_START)
                 .onEach { latest = it }
                 .launchIn(this)
+        // The interactor has an onStart { emit(Hidden) } to cover for upstream configs that don't
+        // produce an initial value. We yield to give the coroutine time to emit the first real
+        // value from our config.
+        yield()
 
         assertThat(latest).isInstanceOf(KeyguardQuickAffordanceModel.Visible::class.java)
         val visibleModel = latest as KeyguardQuickAffordanceModel.Visible
@@ -136,6 +141,10 @@ class KeyguardQuickAffordanceInteractorTest : SysuiTestCase() {
                 .quickAffordance(KeyguardQuickAffordancePosition.BOTTOM_END)
                 .onEach { latest = it }
                 .launchIn(this)
+        // The interactor has an onStart { emit(Hidden) } to cover for upstream configs that don't
+        // produce an initial value. We yield to give the coroutine time to emit the first real
+        // value from our config.
+        yield()
 
         assertThat(latest).isInstanceOf(KeyguardQuickAffordanceModel.Visible::class.java)
         val visibleModel = latest as KeyguardQuickAffordanceModel.Visible
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/ui/viewmodel/KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest.kt b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/ui/viewmodel/KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest.kt
index 14b85b8b5e565..c612091382db7 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/ui/viewmodel/KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest.kt
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/keyguard/ui/viewmodel/KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest.kt
@@ -224,7 +224,10 @@ class KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest : SysuiTestCase() {
         repository.setAnimateDozingTransitions(false)
         yield()
 
-        assertThat(values).isEqualTo(listOf(false, true, false))
+        // Note the extra false value in the beginning. This is to cover for the initial value
+        // inserted by the quick affordance interactor which it does to cover for config
+        // implementations that don't emit an initial value.
+        assertThat(values).isEqualTo(listOf(false, false, true, false))
         job.cancel()
     }
 
@@ -372,6 +375,10 @@ class KeyguardBottomAreaViewModelTest : SysuiTestCase() {
 
         var latest: KeyguardQuickAffordanceViewModel? = null
         val job = underTest.startButton.onEach { latest = it }.launchIn(this)
+        // The interactor has an onStart { emit(Hidden) } to cover for upstream configs that don't
+        // produce an initial value. We yield to give the coroutine time to emit the first real
+        // value from our config.
+        yield()
 
         assertQuickAffordanceViewModel(
             viewModel = latest,