diff --git a/compiler-rt/lib/asan/asan_rtl.cpp b/compiler-rt/lib/asan/asan_rtl.cpp
index 35b785a79e3ef..f0bbbf32e6a64 100644
--- a/compiler-rt/lib/asan/asan_rtl.cpp
+++ b/compiler-rt/lib/asan/asan_rtl.cpp
@@ -445,6 +445,9 @@ static void AsanInitInternal() {
   allocator_options.SetFrom(flags(), common_flags());
   InitializeAllocator(allocator_options);
 
+  if (SANITIZER_START_BACKGROUND_THREAD_IN_ASAN_INTERNAL)
+    MaybeStartBackgroudThread();
+
   // On Linux AsanThread::ThreadStart() calls malloc() that's why asan_inited
   // should be set to 1 prior to initializing the threads.
   asan_inited = 1;
diff --git a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_allocator.cpp b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_allocator.cpp
index fd54357adbe44..c5a5fb7371dd9 100644
--- a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_allocator.cpp
+++ b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_allocator.cpp
@@ -189,8 +189,6 @@ bool AllocatorMayReturnNull() {
 void SetAllocatorMayReturnNull(bool may_return_null) {
   atomic_store(&allocator_may_return_null, may_return_null,
                memory_order_relaxed);
-  if (SANITIZER_START_BACKGROUND_THREAD_IN_ASAN_INTERNAL)
-    MaybeStartBackgroudThread();
 }
 
 void PrintHintAllocatorCannotReturnNull() {
diff --git a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_common_libcdep.cpp b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_common_libcdep.cpp
index 13624a83865d7..271d733be6b0b 100644
--- a/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_common_libcdep.cpp
+++ b/compiler-rt/lib/sanitizer_common/sanitizer_common_libcdep.cpp
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ static struct BackgroudThreadStarted {
 } background_thread_strarter UNUSED;
 #    pragma clang diagnostic pop
 #  endif
+#else
+void MaybeStartBackgroudThread() {}
 #endif
 
 void WriteToSyslog(const char *msg) {