diff --git a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/interactive_viewer.dart b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/interactive_viewer.dart
index a6c784ef49..7e47be3368 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/interactive_viewer.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/interactive_viewer.dart
@@ -684,6 +684,22 @@ class _InteractiveViewerState extends State<InteractiveViewer> with TickerProvid
     }
   }
 
+  // Decide which type of gesture this is by comparing the amount of scale
+  // and rotation in the gesture, if any. Scale starts at 1 and rotation
+  // starts at 0. Pan will have no scale and no rotation because it uses only one
+  // finger.
+  _GestureType _getGestureType(ScaleUpdateDetails details) {
+    final double scale = !widget.scaleEnabled ? 1.0 : details.scale;
+    final double rotation = !_rotateEnabled ? 0.0 : details.rotation;
+    if ((scale - 1).abs() > rotation.abs()) {
+      return _GestureType.scale;
+    } else if (rotation != 0.0) {
+      return _GestureType.rotate;
+    } else {
+      return _GestureType.pan;
+    }
+  }
+
   // Handle the start of a gesture. All of pan, scale, and rotate are handled
   // with GestureDetector's scale gesture.
   void _onScaleStart(ScaleStartDetails details) {
@@ -723,23 +739,23 @@ class _InteractiveViewerState extends State<InteractiveViewer> with TickerProvid
     final Offset focalPointScene = _transformationController.toScene(
       details.localFocalPoint,
     );
-    _gestureType ??= _getGestureType(
-      !widget.scaleEnabled ? 1.0 : details.scale,
-      !_rotateEnabled ? 0.0 : details.rotation,
-    );
-    if (_gestureType == _GestureType.pan) {
-      _panAxis ??= _getPanAxis(_referenceFocalPoint, focalPointScene);
-    }
 
+    if (_gestureType == _GestureType.pan) {
+      // When a gesture first starts, it sometimes has no change in scale and
+      // rotation despite being a two-finger gesture. Here the gesture is
+      // allowed to be reinterpreted as its correct type after originally
+      // being marked as a pan.
+      _gestureType = _getGestureType(details);
+    } else {
+      _gestureType ??= _getGestureType(details);
+    }
     if (!_gestureIsSupported(_gestureType)) {
       return;
     }
 
     switch (_gestureType) {
       case _GestureType.scale:
-        if (_scaleStart == null) {
-          return;
-        }
+        assert(_scaleStart != null);
         // details.scale gives us the amount to change the scale as of the
         // start of this gesture, so calculate the amount to scale as of the
         // previous call to _onScaleUpdate.
@@ -789,9 +805,14 @@ class _InteractiveViewerState extends State<InteractiveViewer> with TickerProvid
         return;
 
       case _GestureType.pan:
-        if (_referenceFocalPoint == null || details.scale != 1.0) {
+        assert(_referenceFocalPoint != null);
+        // details may have a change in scale here when scaleEnabled is false.
+        // In an effort to keep the behavior similar whether or not scaleEnabled
+        // is true, these gestures are thrown away.
+        if (details.scale != 1.0) {
           return;
         }
+        _panAxis ??= _getPanAxis(_referenceFocalPoint, focalPointScene);
         // Translate so that the same point in the scene is underneath the
         // focal point before and after the movement.
         final Offset translationChange = focalPointScene - _referenceFocalPoint;
@@ -1082,20 +1103,6 @@ double _getFinalTime(double velocity, double drag) {
   return math.log(effectivelyMotionless / velocity) / math.log(drag / 100);
 }
 
-// Decide which type of gesture this is by comparing the amount of scale
-// and rotation in the gesture, if any. Scale starts at 1 and rotation
-// starts at 0. Pan will have 0 scale and 0 rotation because it uses only one
-// finger.
-_GestureType _getGestureType(double scale, double rotation) {
-  if ((scale - 1).abs() > rotation.abs()) {
-    return _GestureType.scale;
-  } else if (rotation != 0) {
-    return _GestureType.rotate;
-  } else {
-    return _GestureType.pan;
-  }
-}
-
 // Return the translation from the given Matrix4 as an Offset.
 Offset _getMatrixTranslation(Matrix4 matrix) {
   final Vector3 nextTranslation = matrix.getTranslation();
diff --git a/packages/flutter/test/widgets/interactive_viewer_test.dart b/packages/flutter/test/widgets/interactive_viewer_test.dart
index b5d88ca7eb..74292112d2 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/test/widgets/interactive_viewer_test.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/test/widgets/interactive_viewer_test.dart
@@ -672,6 +672,63 @@ void main() {
       await tester.pumpAndSettle();
       expect(transformationController.value, equals(Matrix4.identity()));
     });
+
+    testWidgets('gesture can start as pan and become scale', (WidgetTester tester) async {
+      final TransformationController transformationController = TransformationController();
+      const double boundaryMargin = 50.0;
+      await tester.pumpWidget(
+        MaterialApp(
+          home: Scaffold(
+            body: Center(
+              child: InteractiveViewer(
+                boundaryMargin: const EdgeInsets.all(boundaryMargin),
+                transformationController: transformationController,
+                child: Container(width: 200.0, height: 200.0),
+              ),
+            ),
+          ),
+        ),
+      );
+
+      Vector3 translation = transformationController.value.getTranslation();
+      expect(translation.x, 0.0);
+      expect(translation.y, 0.0);
+
+      // Start a pan gesture.
+      final Offset childCenter = tester.getCenter(find.byType(Container));
+      final TestGesture gesture = await tester.createGesture();
+      await gesture.down(childCenter);
+      await tester.pump();
+      await gesture.moveTo(Offset(
+        childCenter.dx + 5.0,
+        childCenter.dy + 5.0,
+      ));
+      await tester.pump();
+      translation = transformationController.value.getTranslation();
+      expect(translation.x, greaterThan(0.0));
+      expect(translation.y, greaterThan(0.0));
+
+      // Put another finger down and turn it into a scale gesture.
+      final TestGesture gesture2 = await tester.createGesture();
+      await gesture2.down(Offset(
+        childCenter.dx - 5.0,
+        childCenter.dy - 5.0,
+      ));
+      await tester.pump();
+      await gesture.moveTo(Offset(
+        childCenter.dx + 25.0,
+        childCenter.dy + 25.0,
+      ));
+      await gesture2.moveTo(Offset(
+        childCenter.dx - 25.0,
+        childCenter.dy - 25.0,
+      ));
+      await tester.pump();
+      await gesture.up();
+      await gesture2.up();
+      await tester.pumpAndSettle();
+      expect(transformationController.value.getMaxScaleOnAxis(), greaterThan(1.0));
+    });
   });
 
   group('getNearestPointOnLine', () {