diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController.java
index cbb991da82..b29ce6be14 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController.java
@@ -133,11 +133,20 @@ public class KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController {
         GroupTask task = mControllerCallbacks.getTaskAt(index);
         if (task == null) {
             return Math.max(0, index);
-        } else if (mOnDesktop) {
+        }
+        Task task2 = task.task2;
+        int runningTaskId = ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().getRunningTask().taskId;
+        if (runningTaskId == task.task1.key.id
+                || (task2 != null && runningTaskId == task2.key.id)) {
+            // Ignore attempts to run the selected task if it is already running.
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        if (mOnDesktop) {
             UI_HELPER_EXECUTOR.execute(() ->
                     SystemUiProxy.INSTANCE.get(mKeyboardQuickSwitchView.getContext())
                             .showDesktopApp(task.task1.key.id));
-        } else if (task.task2 == null) {
+        } else if (task2 == null) {
             UI_HELPER_EXECUTOR.execute(() ->
                     ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().startActivityFromRecents(
                             task.task1.key,
@@ -145,8 +154,7 @@ public class KeyboardQuickSwitchViewController {
                                     taskView == null ? mKeyboardQuickSwitchView : taskView, null)
                                     .options));
         } else {
-            mControllers.uiController.launchSplitTasks(
-                    taskView == null ? mKeyboardQuickSwitchView : taskView, task);
+            mControllers.uiController.launchSplitTasks(task);
         }
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/LauncherTaskbarUIController.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/LauncherTaskbarUIController.java
index 09376d7af8..9b7f808114 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/LauncherTaskbarUIController.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/LauncherTaskbarUIController.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import android.animation.AnimatorSet;
 import android.os.RemoteException;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.TaskTransitionSpec;
-import android.view.View;
 import android.view.WindowManagerGlobal;
 
 import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
@@ -389,8 +388,8 @@ public class LauncherTaskbarUIController extends TaskbarUIController {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull View taskView, @NonNull GroupTask groupTask) {
-        mLauncher.launchSplitTasks(taskView, groupTask);
+    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull GroupTask groupTask) {
+        mLauncher.launchSplitTasks(groupTask);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/TaskbarUIController.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/TaskbarUIController.java
index 445b312424..aee3c6fb60 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/TaskbarUIController.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/taskbar/TaskbarUIController.java
@@ -297,11 +297,9 @@ public class TaskbarUIController {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Launches the focused task in splitscreen.
-     *
-     * No-op if the view is not yet open.
+     * Launches the given task in split-screen.
      */
-    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull View taskview, @NonNull GroupTask groupTask) { }
+    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull GroupTask groupTask) { }
 
     /**
      * Returns the matching view (if any) in the taskbar.
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
index 165ed807e5..dc82151b7e 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/launcher3/uioverrides/QuickstepLauncher.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import static android.app.ActivityTaskManager.INVALID_TASK_ID;
 import static android.os.Trace.TRACE_TAG_APP;
 import static android.view.WindowManager.LayoutParams.PRIVATE_FLAG_OPTIMIZE_MEASURE;
 import static android.view.accessibility.AccessibilityEvent.TYPE_VIEW_FOCUSED;
+
 import static com.android.app.animation.Interpolators.EMPHASIZED;
 import static com.android.launcher3.LauncherConstants.SavedInstanceKeys.PENDING_SPLIT_SELECT_INFO;
 import static com.android.launcher3.LauncherConstants.SavedInstanceKeys.RUNTIME_STATE;
@@ -34,8 +35,6 @@ import static com.android.launcher3.LauncherState.OVERVIEW;
 import static com.android.launcher3.LauncherState.OVERVIEW_MODAL_TASK;
 import static com.android.launcher3.LauncherState.OVERVIEW_SPLIT_SELECT;
 import static com.android.launcher3.compat.AccessibilityManagerCompat.sendCustomAccessibilityEvent;
-import static com.android.launcher3.config.FeatureFlags.ENABLE_HOME_TRANSITION_LISTENER;
-import static com.android.launcher3.config.FeatureFlags.ENABLE_SPLIT_FROM_WORKSPACE_TO_WORKSPACE;
 import static com.android.launcher3.logging.StatsLogManager.LauncherEvent.LAUNCHER_APP_LAUNCH_TAP;
 import static com.android.launcher3.model.data.ItemInfo.NO_MATCHING_ID;
 import static com.android.launcher3.popup.QuickstepSystemShortcut.getSplitSelectShortcutByPosition;
@@ -1259,24 +1258,19 @@ public class QuickstepLauncher extends Launcher {
 
     /**
      * Launches the given {@link GroupTask} in splitscreen.
-     *
-     * If the second split task is missing, launches the first task normally.
      */
-    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull View taskView, @NonNull GroupTask groupTask) {
-        if (groupTask.task2 == null) {
-            UI_HELPER_EXECUTOR.execute(() ->
-                    ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().startActivityFromRecents(
-                            groupTask.task1.key,
-                            getActivityLaunchOptions(taskView, null).options));
-            return;
-        }
+    public void launchSplitTasks(@NonNull GroupTask groupTask) {
+        // Top/left and bottom/right tasks respectively.
+        Task task1 = groupTask.task1;
+        // task2 should never be null when calling this method. Allow a crash to catch invalid calls
+        Task task2 = groupTask.task2;
         mSplitSelectStateController.launchExistingSplitPair(
                 null /* launchingTaskView */,
-                groupTask.task1.key.id,
-                groupTask.task2.key.id,
+                task1.key.id,
+                task2.key.id,
                 SplitConfigurationOptions.STAGE_POSITION_TOP_OR_LEFT,
                 /* callback= */ success -> mSplitSelectStateController.resetState(),
-                /* freezeTaskList= */ true,
+                /* freezeTaskList= */ false,
                 groupTask.mSplitBounds == null
                         ? SNAP_TO_50_50
                         : groupTask.mSplitBounds.snapPosition);
diff --git a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskThumbnailCache.java b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskThumbnailCache.java
index e5fca4bb24..9e2159516f 100644
--- a/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskThumbnailCache.java
+++ b/quickstep/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskThumbnailCache.java
@@ -195,11 +195,15 @@ public class TaskThumbnailCache {
             return null;
         }
 
-        CancellableTask<ThumbnailData> request = new CancellableTask<ThumbnailData>() {
+        CancellableTask<ThumbnailData> request = new CancellableTask<>() {
             @Override
             public ThumbnailData getResultOnBg() {
-                return ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().getTaskThumbnail(
+                ThumbnailData thumbnailData = ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().getTaskThumbnail(
                         key.id, lowResolution);
+                if (thumbnailData.thumbnail != null) {
+                    return thumbnailData;
+                }
+                return ActivityManagerWrapper.getInstance().takeTaskThumbnail(key.id);
             }
 
             @Override