diff --git a/changelog.d/6215.bugfix b/changelog.d/6215.bugfix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5291d7d604
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/6215.bugfix
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix animated images not autoplaying sometimes if only a thumbnail was fetched from the server
diff --git a/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/home/room/detail/timeline/factory/MessageItemFactory.kt b/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/home/room/detail/timeline/factory/MessageItemFactory.kt
index 28e256c064..fece5786fe 100644
--- a/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/home/room/detail/timeline/factory/MessageItemFactory.kt
+++ b/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/home/room/detail/timeline/factory/MessageItemFactory.kt
@@ -453,12 +453,15 @@ class MessageItemFactory @Inject constructor(
                 maxWidth = maxWidth,
                 allowNonMxcUrls = informationData.sendState.isSending()
         )
+
+        val playable = messageContent.mimeType == MimeTypes.Gif
+
         return MessageImageVideoItem_()
                 .attributes(attributes)
                 .leftGuideline(avatarSizeProvider.leftGuideline)
                 .imageContentRenderer(imageContentRenderer)
                 .contentUploadStateTrackerBinder(contentUploadStateTrackerBinder)
-                .playable(messageContent.mimeType == MimeTypes.Gif)
+                .playable(playable)
                 .highlighted(highlight)
                 .mediaData(data)
                 .apply {
@@ -472,6 +475,10 @@ class MessageItemFactory @Inject constructor(
                             callback?.onImageMessageClicked(messageContent, data, view, emptyList())
                         }
                     }
+                }.apply {
+                    if (playable && vectorPreferences.autoplayAnimatedImages()) {
+                        mode(ImageContentRenderer.Mode.ANIMATED_THUMBNAIL)
+                    }
                 }
     }
 
diff --git a/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/media/ImageContentRenderer.kt b/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/media/ImageContentRenderer.kt
index daaf3a19ec..baad815df2 100644
--- a/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/media/ImageContentRenderer.kt
+++ b/vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/features/media/ImageContentRenderer.kt
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ import im.vector.app.core.glide.GlideRequest
 import im.vector.app.core.glide.GlideRequests
 import im.vector.app.core.ui.model.Size
 import im.vector.app.core.utils.DimensionConverter
-import im.vector.app.features.settings.VectorPreferences
 import kotlinx.parcelize.Parcelize
 import org.matrix.android.sdk.api.extensions.tryOrNull
 import org.matrix.android.sdk.api.session.content.ContentUrlResolver
@@ -65,7 +64,6 @@ class ImageContentRenderer @Inject constructor(
         private val localFilesHelper: LocalFilesHelper,
         private val activeSessionHolder: ActiveSessionHolder,
         private val dimensionConverter: DimensionConverter,
-        private val vectorPreferences: VectorPreferences
 ) {
 
     @Parcelize
@@ -85,6 +83,7 @@ class ImageContentRenderer @Inject constructor(
 
     enum class Mode {
         FULL_SIZE,
+        ANIMATED_THUMBNAIL,
         THUMBNAIL,
         STICKER
     }
@@ -133,7 +132,7 @@ class ImageContentRenderer @Inject constructor(
 
         createGlideRequest(data, mode, imageView, size)
                 .let {
-                    if (vectorPreferences.autoplayAnimatedImages()) it
+                    if (mode == Mode.ANIMATED_THUMBNAIL) it
                     else it.dontAnimate()
                 }
                 .transform(cornerTransformation)
@@ -231,6 +230,7 @@ class ImageContentRenderer @Inject constructor(
             val contentUrlResolver = activeSessionHolder.getActiveSession().contentUrlResolver()
             val resolvedUrl = when (mode) {
                 Mode.FULL_SIZE,
+                Mode.ANIMATED_THUMBNAIL,
                 Mode.STICKER -> resolveUrl(data)
                 Mode.THUMBNAIL -> contentUrlResolver.resolveThumbnail(data.url, size.width, size.height, ContentUrlResolver.ThumbnailMethod.SCALE)
             }
@@ -269,6 +269,7 @@ class ImageContentRenderer @Inject constructor(
                     finalHeight = height
                     finalWidth = width
                 }
+                Mode.ANIMATED_THUMBNAIL,
                 Mode.THUMBNAIL -> {
                     finalHeight = min(maxImageWidth * height / width, maxImageHeight)
                     finalWidth = finalHeight * width / height