diff --git a/src/util/adb.js b/src/util/adb.js
index 5f18230ad5..77315022e6 100644
--- a/src/util/adb.js
+++ b/src/util/adb.js
@@ -271,8 +271,14 @@ export default class ADBUtils {
       value: `-profile ${deviceProfileDir}`,
     }];
 
-    const component = apkComponent ?
-      `${apk}/.${apkComponent}` : `${apk}/.App`;
+    if (!apkComponent) {
+      apkComponent = '.App';
+    } else if (!apkComponent.includes('.')) {
+      apkComponent = `.${apkComponent}`;
+    }
+    // if `apkComponent` starts with a '.', then adb will expand
+    // the following to: `${apk}/${apk}.${apkComponent}`
+    const component = `${apk}/${apkComponent}`;
 
     await wrapADBCall(async () => {
       await adbClient.startActivity(deviceId, {
diff --git a/tests/unit/test-util/test.adb.js b/tests/unit/test-util/test.adb.js
index a86f4bb3eb..7fc35e589a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test-util/test.adb.js
+++ b/tests/unit/test-util/test.adb.js
@@ -733,7 +733,7 @@ describe('utils/adb', () => {
            adb.fakeADBClient.startActivity, 'device1', expectedAdbParams);
        });
 
-    it('starts a given APK component', async () => {
+    it('starts a given APK component without a period', async () => {
       const adb = getFakeADBKit({
         adbClient: {
           startActivity: sinon.spy(() => Promise.resolve()),
@@ -765,7 +765,41 @@ describe('utils/adb', () => {
           wait: true,
         }
       );
+    });
+
+    it('starts a given APK component with a period', async () => {
+      const adb = getFakeADBKit({
+        adbClient: {
+          startActivity: sinon.spy(() => Promise.resolve()),
+        },
+        adbkitUtil: {
+          readAll: sinon.spy(() => Promise.resolve(Buffer.from('\n'))),
+        },
+      });
+      const adbUtils = new ADBUtils({adb});
+
+      const promise = adbUtils.startFirefoxAPK(
+        'device1',
+        'org.mozilla.geckoview_example',
+        'org.mozilla.geckoview_example.GeckoViewActivity', // firefoxApkComponent
+        '/fake/custom/profile/path',
+      );
+
+      await assert.isFulfilled(promise);
 
+      sinon.assert.calledOnce(adb.fakeADBClient.startActivity);
+      sinon.assert.calledWithMatch(
+        adb.fakeADBClient.startActivity, 'device1', {
+          action: 'android.activity.MAIN',
+          component: 'org.mozilla.geckoview_example/' +
+            'org.mozilla.geckoview_example.GeckoViewActivity',
+          extras: [{
+            key: 'args',
+            value: '-profile /fake/custom/profile/path',
+          }],
+          wait: true,
+        }
+      );
     });
   });