diff --git a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/binding.dart b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/binding.dart
index bf91401a70..3654918ae7 100644
--- a/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/binding.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/binding.dart
@@ -736,12 +736,6 @@ mixin WidgetsBinding on BindingBase, SchedulerBinding, GestureBinding, RendererB
     ).attachToRenderTree(buildOwner, renderViewElement);
   }
 
-  /// Whether the [renderViewElement] has been initialized.
-  ///
-  /// This will be false until [runApp] is called (or [WidgetTester.pumpWidget]
-  /// is called in the context of a [TestWidgetsFlutterBinding]).
-  bool get isRootWidgetAttached => _renderViewElement != null;
-
   @override
   Future<void> performReassemble() {
     assert(() {
diff --git a/packages/flutter_driver/lib/src/extension/extension.dart b/packages/flutter_driver/lib/src/extension/extension.dart
index 1e1f1b63ae..894d6f9da8 100644
--- a/packages/flutter_driver/lib/src/extension/extension.dart
+++ b/packages/flutter_driver/lib/src/extension/extension.dart
@@ -175,8 +175,6 @@ class FlutterDriverExtension {
   /// the result into a subclass of [Result], but that's not strictly required.
   @visibleForTesting
   Future<Map<String, dynamic>> call(Map<String, String> params) async {
-    assert(WidgetsBinding.instance.isRootWidgetAttached,
-        'No root widget is attached; have you remembered to call runApp()?');
     final String commandKind = params['command'];
     try {
       final CommandHandlerCallback commandHandler = _commandHandlers[commandKind];