diff --git a/libutils/RefBase.cpp b/libutils/RefBase.cpp
index 40b6bf07e..5199ef60e 100644
--- a/libutils/RefBase.cpp
+++ b/libutils/RefBase.cpp
@@ -149,6 +149,29 @@ namespace android {
 // Same for weak counts.
 #define BAD_WEAK(c) ((c) == 0 || ((c) & (~MAX_COUNT)) != 0)
 
+// see utils/StrongPointer.h - declared there for legacy reasons
+void sp_report_stack_pointer();
+
+// Check whether address is definitely on the calling stack.  We actually check whether it is on
+// the same 4K page as the frame pointer.
+//
+// Assumptions:
+// - Pages are never smaller than 4K (MIN_PAGE_SIZE)
+// - Malloced memory never shares a page with a stack.
+//
+// It does not appear safe to broaden this check to include adjacent pages; apparently this code
+// is used in environments where there may not be a guard page below (at higher addresses than)
+// the bottom of the stack.
+static void check_not_on_stack(const void* ptr) {
+    static constexpr int MIN_PAGE_SIZE = 0x1000;  // 4K. Safer than including sys/user.h.
+    static constexpr uintptr_t MIN_PAGE_MASK = ~static_cast<uintptr_t>(MIN_PAGE_SIZE - 1);
+    uintptr_t my_frame_address =
+            reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(__builtin_frame_address(0 /* this frame */));
+    if (((reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(ptr) ^ my_frame_address) & MIN_PAGE_MASK) == 0) {
+        sp_report_stack_pointer();
+    }
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 class RefBase::weakref_impl : public RefBase::weakref_type
@@ -432,6 +455,8 @@ void RefBase::incStrong(const void* id) const
         return;
     }
 
+    check_not_on_stack(this);
+
     int32_t old __unused = refs->mStrong.fetch_sub(INITIAL_STRONG_VALUE, std::memory_order_relaxed);
     // A decStrong() must still happen after us.
     ALOG_ASSERT(old > INITIAL_STRONG_VALUE, "0x%x too small", old);
diff --git a/libutils/include/utils/StrongPointer.h b/libutils/include/utils/StrongPointer.h
index bb1941b79..cbdcb5b02 100644
--- a/libutils/include/utils/StrongPointer.h
+++ b/libutils/include/utils/StrongPointer.h
@@ -120,7 +120,6 @@ private:
     template<typename Y> friend class sp;
     template<typename Y> friend class wp;
     void set_pointer(T* ptr);
-    static inline void check_not_on_stack(const void* ptr);
     T* m_ptr;
 };
 
@@ -190,27 +189,6 @@ void sp_report_stack_pointer();
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // No user serviceable parts below here.
 
-// Check whether address is definitely on the calling stack.  We actually check whether it is on
-// the same 4K page as the frame pointer.
-//
-// Assumptions:
-// - Pages are never smaller than 4K (MIN_PAGE_SIZE)
-// - Malloced memory never shares a page with a stack.
-//
-// It does not appear safe to broaden this check to include adjacent pages; apparently this code
-// is used in environments where there may not be a guard page below (at higher addresses than)
-// the bottom of the stack.
-template <typename T>
-void sp<T>::check_not_on_stack(const void* ptr) {
-    static constexpr int MIN_PAGE_SIZE = 0x1000;  // 4K. Safer than including sys/user.h.
-    static constexpr uintptr_t MIN_PAGE_MASK = ~static_cast<uintptr_t>(MIN_PAGE_SIZE - 1);
-    uintptr_t my_frame_address =
-            reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(__builtin_frame_address(0 /* this frame */));
-    if (((reinterpret_cast<uintptr_t>(ptr) ^ my_frame_address) & MIN_PAGE_MASK) == 0) {
-        sp_report_stack_pointer();
-    }
-}
-
 // TODO: Ideally we should find a way to increment the reference count before running the
 // constructor, so that generating an sp<> to this in the constructor is no longer dangerous.
 template <typename T>
@@ -219,14 +197,13 @@ sp<T> sp<T>::make(Args&&... args) {
     T* t = new T(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
     sp<T> result;
     result.m_ptr = t;
-    t->incStrong(t);  // bypass check_not_on_stack for heap allocation
+    t->incStrong(t);
     return result;
 }
 
 template <typename T>
 sp<T> sp<T>::fromExisting(T* other) {
     if (other) {
-        check_not_on_stack(other);
         other->incStrongRequireStrong(other);
         sp<T> result;
         result.m_ptr = other;
@@ -240,7 +217,6 @@ template<typename T>
 sp<T>::sp(T* other)
         : m_ptr(other) {
     if (other) {
-        check_not_on_stack(other);
         other->incStrong(this);
     }
 }
@@ -249,7 +225,6 @@ template <typename T>
 template <typename U>
 sp<T>::sp(U* other) : m_ptr(other) {
     if (other) {
-        check_not_on_stack(other);
         (static_cast<T*>(other))->incStrong(this);
     }
 }
@@ -258,7 +233,6 @@ template <typename T>
 sp<T>& sp<T>::operator=(T* other) {
     T* oldPtr(*const_cast<T* volatile*>(&m_ptr));
     if (other) {
-        check_not_on_stack(other);
         other->incStrong(this);
     }
     if (oldPtr) oldPtr->decStrong(this);