diff --git a/device/iot-device-client/src/main/java/com/microsoft/azure/sdk/iot/device/DeviceIO.java b/device/iot-device-client/src/main/java/com/microsoft/azure/sdk/iot/device/DeviceIO.java
index 45d1ac171a..427320adf0 100644
--- a/device/iot-device-client/src/main/java/com/microsoft/azure/sdk/iot/device/DeviceIO.java
+++ b/device/iot-device-client/src/main/java/com/microsoft/azure/sdk/iot/device/DeviceIO.java
@@ -135,35 +135,39 @@ private void startWorkerThreads()
     {
         // while startWorkerThreads should never be called when threads are already active, it doesn't hurt to double
         // check that any previous thread pools have been shut down.
-        stopWorkerThreads();
+        stopSendAndReceiveThreads();
 
         log.debug("Starting worker threads");
 
         this.sendTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
         this.receiveTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
-        this.reconnectTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
 
         // Note that even though these threads are scheduled at a fixed interval, the sender/receiver threads will wait
         // if no messages are available to process. These waiting threads will still count against the pool size defined above,
         // so threads will not be needlessly scheduled during times when this SDK has no messages to process.
 
-        // the scheduler waits until each execution is finished before
-        // scheduling the next one, so executions of a given task
+        // the scheduler waits until each execution is finished before scheduling the next one, so executions of a given task
         // will never overlap.
 
         // Note that this is scheduleWithFixedDelay, not scheduleAtFixedRate. There is no reason to spawn a new
         // send/receive thread until after the previous one has finished.
         this.sendTaskScheduler.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this.sendTask, 0,
-                sendPeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+            sendPeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
         this.receiveTaskScheduler.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this.receiveTask, 0,
+            receivePeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+
+        // This is only set to null if the client as a whole has been closed. This thread pool stays active through disconnected_retrying.
+        if (this.reconnectTaskScheduler == null)
+        {
+            this.reconnectTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
+            this.reconnectTaskScheduler.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this.reconnectTask, 0,
                 receivePeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
-        this.reconnectTaskScheduler.scheduleWithFixedDelay(this.reconnectTask, 0,
-                receivePeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+        }
 
         this.state = IotHubConnectionStatus.CONNECTED;
     }
 
-    private void stopWorkerThreads()
+    private void stopSendAndReceiveThreads()
     {
         if (this.sendTaskScheduler != null)
         {
@@ -266,11 +270,8 @@ void setReceivePeriodInMilliseconds(long newIntervalInMilliseconds)
             // close the old scheduler and start a new one with the new receive period
             this.receiveTaskScheduler.shutdown();
             this.receiveTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
-            this.receiveTaskScheduler.scheduleAtFixedRate(
-                this.receiveTask,
-                0,
-                this.receivePeriodInMilliseconds,
-                TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+            this.receiveTaskScheduler.scheduleAtFixedRate(this.receiveTask, 0,
+                this.receivePeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
         }
     }
 
@@ -294,11 +295,8 @@ void setSendPeriodInMilliseconds(long newIntervalInMilliseconds)
             // close the old scheduler and start a new one with the new send period
             this.sendTaskScheduler.shutdown();
             this.sendTaskScheduler = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(1);
-            this.sendTaskScheduler.scheduleAtFixedRate(
-                this.sendTask,
-                0,
-                this.sendPeriodInMilliseconds,
-                TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+            this.sendTaskScheduler.scheduleAtFixedRate(this.sendTask, 0,
+                this.sendPeriodInMilliseconds, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
         }
     }
 
@@ -336,7 +334,7 @@ void setMultiplexingConnectionStateCallback(IotHubConnectionStatusChangeCallback
 
     /*
      * IotHubTransport layer will notify this layer when the connection is established and when it is lost. This layer should start/stop
-     * the send/receive threads accordingly
+     * the send/receive/reconnect threads accordingly.
      */
     @Override
     public void onStatusChanged(ConnectionStatusChangeContext connectionStatusChangeContext)
@@ -347,23 +345,24 @@ public void onStatusChanged(ConnectionStatusChangeContext connectionStatusChange
 
         if (status == this.state)
         {
-            // no change in status, so no need to start/stop worker threads.
+            // No change in status, so no need to start/stop worker threads.
             return;
         }
 
         if (status == IotHubConnectionStatus.DISCONNECTED || status == IotHubConnectionStatus.DISCONNECTED_RETRYING)
         {
-            // No need to keep spawning send/receive tasks during reconnection or when the client is closed
-            this.stopWorkerThreads();
+            // No need to keep spawning send/receive tasks during reconnection or when the client is closed.
+            this.stopSendAndReceiveThreads();
 
             if (status == IotHubConnectionStatus.DISCONNECTED)
             {
+                // Stop reconnect task only when the client as a whole has been closed.
                 this.stopReconnectThreads();
             }
         }
         else if (status == IotHubConnectionStatus.CONNECTED)
         {
-            // Restart the task scheduler so that send/receive tasks start spawning again
+            // Restart the task scheduler so that send/receive tasks start spawning again.
             this.startWorkerThreads();
         }