diff --git a/Libraries/WebSocket/RCTReconnectingWebSocket.m b/Libraries/WebSocket/RCTReconnectingWebSocket.m
index 57e9071b652de9..caaf891d7bbeaa 100644
--- a/Libraries/WebSocket/RCTReconnectingWebSocket.m
+++ b/Libraries/WebSocket/RCTReconnectingWebSocket.m
@@ -148,9 +148,9 @@ - (void)reconnect
 {
   __weak RCTSRWebSocket *socket = _socket;
   dispatch_after(dispatch_time(DISPATCH_TIME_NOW, (int64_t)(2 * NSEC_PER_SEC)), dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
-    // Only reconnect if the observer wasn't stoppped while we were waiting
-    if (socket) {
-      [self start];
+    [self start];
+    if (!socket) {
+      [self reconnect];
     }
   });
 }