diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/core/GestureHandler.kt b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/core/GestureHandler.kt
index 1b6c7a9d1e..980ff0d3e4 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/core/GestureHandler.kt
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/core/GestureHandler.kt
@@ -237,6 +237,9 @@ open class GestureHandler {
     return localPointerId
   }
 
+  val hasTrackedPointers: Boolean
+    get() = trackedPointersIDsCount > 0
+
   fun startTrackingPointer(pointerId: Int) {
     if (isTrackingPointer(pointerId)) {
       return
@@ -801,10 +804,6 @@ open class GestureHandler {
   protected open fun onCancel() {}
   protected open fun onFail() {}
 
-  fun recordHandlerIfNotPresent() {
-    hostDetectorView?.recordHandlerIfNotPresent(this)
-  }
-
   private fun isButtonInConfig(clickedButton: Int): Boolean {
     if (mouseButton == 0) {
       return clickedButton == MotionEvent.BUTTON_PRIMARY
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/react/RNGestureHandlerModule.kt b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/react/RNGestureHandlerModule.kt
index 61dbfef0f6..30cce31994 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/react/RNGestureHandlerModule.kt
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/android/src/main/java/com/swmansion/gesturehandler/react/RNGestureHandlerModule.kt
@@ -146,11 +146,15 @@ class RNGestureHandlerModule(reactContext: ReactApplicationContext?) :
 
     registry.getHandler(handlerTag)?.let { handler ->
       if (newState == GestureHandler.STATE_ACTIVE) {
+        // The first touch event reaches JS before the handler begins, so a handler
+        // that already tracks a pointer may still be UNDETERMINED here.
+        if (handler.hasTrackedPointers && handler.state == GestureHandler.STATE_UNDETERMINED) {
+          handler.begin()
+        }
+
         if (handler.state != GestureHandler.STATE_BEGAN) {
-          // We don't allow activation of gestures which haven't received any touches
           return
         }
-        handler.recordHandlerIfNotPresent()
       }
 
       when (newState) {