diff --git a/driver/lib/driver.ts b/driver/lib/driver.ts
index 1a869e05..b4939e29 100644
--- a/driver/lib/driver.ts
+++ b/driver/lib/driver.ts
@@ -238,12 +238,19 @@ class FlutterDriver extends BaseDriver<FluttertDriverConstraints> {
   public async executeCommand(cmd: string, ...args: [string, [{skipAttachObservatoryUrl: string; any: any}]]) {
     if (new RegExp(/^[\s]*mobile:[\s]*(activateApp|launchApp)$/).test(args[0])) {
       const {skipAttachObservatoryUrl = false} = args[1][0];
-      await this.proxydriver?.executeCommand(cmd, ...args);
-      if (skipAttachObservatoryUrl) {
+      // This bypasses BaseDriver.executeCommand, so pause the FlutterDriver CommandTimeout here:
+      // the reconnect can wait for the observatory URL much longer than newCommandTimeout.
+      await this.clearNewCommandTimeout();
+      try {
+        await this.proxydriver?.executeCommand(cmd, ...args);
+        if (skipAttachObservatoryUrl) {
+          return;
+        }
+        await reConnectFlutterDriver.bind(this)(this.internalCaps);
         return;
+      } finally {
+        await this.startNewCommandTimeout();
       }
-      await reConnectFlutterDriver.bind(this)(this.internalCaps);
-      return;
     } else if (new RegExp(/^[\s]*mobile:[\s]*terminateApp$/).test(args[0])) {
       // to make the behavior as same as this.terminateApp
       return await this.proxydriver?.executeCommand(cmd, ...args);
diff --git a/driver/test/mobile-launch-app.test.mjs b/driver/test/mobile-launch-app.test.mjs
index 5e3e0a7e..f0368ebd 100644
--- a/driver/test/mobile-launch-app.test.mjs
+++ b/driver/test/mobile-launch-app.test.mjs
@@ -5,34 +5,59 @@ import {FlutterDriver} from '../build/lib/driver.js';
 
 const noopLog = {info() {}, debug() {}, warn() {}, error() {}, errorWithException() {}};
 
+// Records the order of proxy calls and newCommandTimeout changes.
+function fakeDriver() {
+  const events = [];
+  return {
+    events,
+    log: noopLog,
+    currentContext: 'FLUTTER',
+    internalCaps: {platformName: 'iOS'},
+    proxydriver: {executeCommand: mock.fn(async () => events.push('proxy'))},
+    clearNewCommandTimeout: async () => events.push('clearTimeout'),
+    startNewCommandTimeout: async () => events.push('startTimeout'),
+  };
+}
+
 // The reconnect that follows the launch fails right away here because no device-log monitor
 // was started, which shows that the driver tried to re-attach to the Dart VM.
 it('forwards mobile: launchApp to XCUITest from the FLUTTER context and reconnects', async () => {
-  const proxydriver = {executeCommand: mock.fn(async () => {})};
+  const driver = fakeDriver();
   const params = {bundleId: 'com.example.app', arguments: ['--vm-service-port=9123']};
 
   await assert.rejects(
-    FlutterDriver.prototype.executeCommand.call(
-      {log: noopLog, currentContext: 'FLUTTER', internalCaps: {platformName: 'iOS'}, proxydriver},
-      'execute',
-      'mobile: launchApp',
-      [params],
-    ),
+    FlutterDriver.prototype.executeCommand.call(driver, 'execute', 'mobile: launchApp', [params]),
     /mandatory syslog service/,
   );
 
-  assert.deepEqual(proxydriver.executeCommand.mock.calls[0].arguments, ['execute', 'mobile: launchApp', [params]]);
+  assert.deepEqual(driver.proxydriver.executeCommand.mock.calls[0].arguments, [
+    'execute',
+    'mobile: launchApp',
+    [params],
+  ]);
 });
 
 it('skips the reconnect for mobile: launchApp when skipAttachObservatoryUrl is set', async () => {
-  const proxydriver = {executeCommand: mock.fn(async () => {})};
+  const driver = fakeDriver();
 
-  await FlutterDriver.prototype.executeCommand.call(
-    {log: noopLog, currentContext: 'FLUTTER', internalCaps: {platformName: 'iOS'}, proxydriver},
-    'execute',
-    'mobile: launchApp',
-    [{bundleId: 'com.example.app', skipAttachObservatoryUrl: true}],
+  await FlutterDriver.prototype.executeCommand.call(driver, 'execute', 'mobile: launchApp', [
+    {bundleId: 'com.example.app', skipAttachObservatoryUrl: true},
+  ]);
+
+  assert.equal(driver.proxydriver.executeCommand.mock.callCount(), 1);
+});
+
+// The reconnect can wait for the observatory URL far longer than newCommandTimeout, so the
+// timeout must be paused for the whole command and restarted even when the reconnect fails.
+it('pauses newCommandTimeout while launching and reconnecting', async () => {
+  const driver = fakeDriver();
+
+  await assert.rejects(
+    FlutterDriver.prototype.executeCommand.call(driver, 'execute', 'mobile: activateApp', [
+      {bundleId: 'com.example.app'},
+    ]),
+    /mandatory syslog service/,
   );
 
-  assert.equal(proxydriver.executeCommand.mock.callCount(), 1);
+  assert.deepEqual(driver.events, ['clearTimeout', 'proxy', 'startTimeout']);
 });