diff --git a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManager.java b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManager.java
index 087a7ca53e..5413cd92fe 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManager.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManager.java
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ public class KeepAliveManager {
   private final ScheduledExecutorService scheduler;
   private final ManagedClientTransport transport;
   private final Ticker ticker;
+  private final boolean keepAliveDuringTransportIdle;
   private State state = State.IDLE;
   private long nextKeepaliveTime;
   private ScheduledFuture<?> shutdownFuture;
@@ -101,7 +102,8 @@ public class KeepAliveManager {
 
   private enum State {
     /*
-     * Transport has no active rpcs. We don't need to do any keepalives.
+     * We don't need to do any keepalives. This means the transport has no active rpcs and
+     * keepAliveDuringTransportIdle == false.
      */
     IDLE,
     /*
@@ -131,27 +133,34 @@ public class KeepAliveManager {
    * Creates a KeepAliverManager.
    */
   public KeepAliveManager(ManagedClientTransport transport, ScheduledExecutorService scheduler,
-                          long keepAliveDelayInNanos, long keepAliveTimeoutInNanos) {
-    this.transport = Preconditions.checkNotNull(transport, "transport");
-    this.scheduler = Preconditions.checkNotNull(scheduler, "scheduler");
-    this.ticker = SYSTEM_TICKER;
-    // Set a minimum cap on keepalive dealy.
-    this.keepAliveDelayInNanos = Math.max(MIN_KEEPALIVE_DELAY_NANOS, keepAliveDelayInNanos);
-    this.keepAliveTimeoutInNanos = keepAliveTimeoutInNanos;
-    nextKeepaliveTime = ticker.read() + keepAliveDelayInNanos;
+                          long keepAliveDelayInNanos, long keepAliveTimeoutInNanos,
+                          boolean keepAliveDuringTransportIdle) {
+    this(transport, scheduler, SYSTEM_TICKER,
+        // Set a minimum cap on keepalive dealy.
+        Math.max(MIN_KEEPALIVE_DELAY_NANOS, keepAliveDelayInNanos), keepAliveTimeoutInNanos,
+        keepAliveDuringTransportIdle);
   }
 
   @VisibleForTesting
   KeepAliveManager(ManagedClientTransport transport, ScheduledExecutorService scheduler,
-                   Ticker ticker, long keepAliveDelayInNanos, long keepAliveTimeoutInNanos) {
+                   Ticker ticker, long keepAliveDelayInNanos, long keepAliveTimeoutInNanos,
+                   boolean keepAliveDuringTransportIdle) {
     this.transport = Preconditions.checkNotNull(transport, "transport");
     this.scheduler = Preconditions.checkNotNull(scheduler, "scheduler");
     this.ticker = Preconditions.checkNotNull(ticker, "ticker");
     this.keepAliveDelayInNanos = keepAliveDelayInNanos;
     this.keepAliveTimeoutInNanos = keepAliveTimeoutInNanos;
+    this.keepAliveDuringTransportIdle = keepAliveDuringTransportIdle;
     nextKeepaliveTime = ticker.read() + keepAliveDelayInNanos;
   }
 
+  /** Start keepalive monitoring. */
+  public synchronized void onTransportStarted() {
+    if (keepAliveDuringTransportIdle) {
+      onTransportActive();
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Transport has received some data so that we can delay sending keepalives.
    */
@@ -192,13 +201,16 @@ public class KeepAliveManager {
           TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS);
     } else if (state == State.IDLE_AND_PING_SENT) {
       state = State.PING_SENT;
-    }
+    } // Other states are possible when keepAliveDuringTransportIdle == true
   }
 
   /**
    * Transport has finished all streams.
    */
   public synchronized void onTransportIdle() {
+    if (keepAliveDuringTransportIdle) {
+      return;
+    }
     if (state == State.PING_SCHEDULED || state == State.PING_DELAYED) {
       state = State.IDLE;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManagerTest.java b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManagerTest.java
index ee575e18f7..14830c7db4 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManagerTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/io/grpc/internal/KeepAliveManagerTest.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 package io.grpc.internal;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.isA;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doReturn;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
@@ -70,7 +71,8 @@ public final class KeepAliveManagerTest {
   @Before
   public void setUp() {
     MockitoAnnotations.initMocks(this);
-    keepAliveManager = new KeepAliveManager(transport, scheduler, ticker, 1000, 2000);
+    keepAliveManager = new KeepAliveManager(transport, scheduler, ticker, 1000, 2000, false);
+    keepAliveManager.onTransportStarted();
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -261,6 +263,33 @@ public final class KeepAliveManagerTest {
     verify(scheduler, times(1)).schedule(isA(Runnable.class), isA(Long.class), isA(TimeUnit.class));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void transportGoesIdle_doesntCauseIdleWhenEnabled() {
+    keepAliveManager.onTransportShutdown();
+    keepAliveManager = new KeepAliveManager(transport, scheduler, ticker, 1000, 2000, true);
+    keepAliveManager.onTransportStarted();
+
+    // Keepalive scheduling should have started immediately.
+    ArgumentCaptor<Runnable> runnableCaptor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(Runnable.class);
+    verify(scheduler).schedule(runnableCaptor.capture(), isA(Long.class),
+        isA(TimeUnit.class));
+    Runnable sendPing = runnableCaptor.getValue();
+
+    keepAliveManager.onTransportActive();
+
+    // Transport becomes idle. Should not impact the sending of the ping.
+    keepAliveManager.onTransportIdle();
+    sendPing.run();
+    // Ping was sent.
+    verify(transport).ping(isA(ClientTransport.PingCallback.class), isA(Executor.class));
+    // Shutdown is scheduled.
+    verify(scheduler, times(2)).schedule(runnableCaptor.capture(), isA(Long.class),
+        isA(TimeUnit.class));
+    // Shutdown is triggered.
+    runnableCaptor.getValue().run();
+    verify(transport).shutdownNow(any(Status.class));
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void transportGoesIdleAfterPingSent() {
     // Transport becomes active. We should schedule keepalive pings.
diff --git a/netty/src/main/java/io/grpc/netty/NettyClientTransport.java b/netty/src/main/java/io/grpc/netty/NettyClientTransport.java
index 0be1e1f509..0633f39fb0 100644
--- a/netty/src/main/java/io/grpc/netty/NettyClientTransport.java
+++ b/netty/src/main/java/io/grpc/netty/NettyClientTransport.java
@@ -232,7 +232,8 @@ class NettyClientTransport implements ConnectionClientTransport {
 
     if (enableKeepAlive) {
       keepAliveManager = new KeepAliveManager(this, channel.eventLoop(), keepAliveDelayNanos,
-          keepAliveTimeoutNanos);
+          keepAliveTimeoutNanos, false);
+      keepAliveManager.onTransportStarted();
     }
 
     return null;
diff --git a/okhttp/src/main/java/io/grpc/okhttp/OkHttpClientTransport.java b/okhttp/src/main/java/io/grpc/okhttp/OkHttpClientTransport.java
index 225216a497..d9bc926844 100644
--- a/okhttp/src/main/java/io/grpc/okhttp/OkHttpClientTransport.java
+++ b/okhttp/src/main/java/io/grpc/okhttp/OkHttpClientTransport.java
@@ -370,7 +370,8 @@ class OkHttpClientTransport implements ConnectionClientTransport {
     if (enableKeepAlive) {
       scheduler = SharedResourceHolder.get(TIMER_SERVICE);
       keepAliveManager = new KeepAliveManager(this, scheduler, keepAliveDelayNanos,
-          keepAliveTimeoutNanos);
+          keepAliveTimeoutNanos, false);
+      keepAliveManager.onTransportStarted();
     }
 
     frameWriter = new AsyncFrameWriter(this, serializingExecutor);