diff --git a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/AllApps.java b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/AllApps.java
index e32250eaa5..1cb6b2debf 100644
--- a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/AllApps.java
+++ b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/AllApps.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
 import androidx.test.uiautomator.By;
 import androidx.test.uiautomator.BySelector;
 import androidx.test.uiautomator.Direction;
+import androidx.test.uiautomator.StaleObjectException;
 import androidx.test.uiautomator.UiObject2;
 
 import com.android.launcher3.testing.TestProtocol;
@@ -61,7 +62,13 @@ public class AllApps extends LauncherInstrumentation.VisibleContainer {
 
     private boolean hasClickableIcon(UiObject2 allAppsContainer, UiObject2 appListRecycler,
             BySelector appIconSelector, int displayBottom) {
-        final UiObject2 icon = appListRecycler.findObject(appIconSelector);
+        final UiObject2 icon;
+        try {
+            icon = appListRecycler.findObject(appIconSelector);
+        } catch (StaleObjectException e) {
+            mLauncher.fail("All apps recycler disappeared from screen");
+            return false;
+        }
         if (icon == null) {
             LauncherInstrumentation.log("hasClickableIcon: icon not visible");
             return false;
diff --git a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
index 96e82224b1..c05fc57582 100644
--- a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
+++ b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
         }
     }
 
-    private void fail(String message) {
+    void fail(String message) {
         checkForAnomaly();
         Assert.fail(formatSystemHealthMessage(formatErrorWithEvents(
                 "http://go/tapl test failure:\nSummary: " + getContextDescription()
@@ -1449,6 +1449,9 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
     Rect getVisibleBounds(UiObject2 object) {
         try {
             return object.getVisibleBounds();
+        } catch (StaleObjectException e) {
+            fail("Object " + object + " disappeared from screen");
+            return null;
         } catch (Throwable t) {
             fail(t.toString());
             return null;