onCreate runs 2 times with singletop launch mode set

Question

Problem:

My Launching Activity creatively named LoadingActivity's onCreate method is called 2 times.

Manifest Content:

<manifest>
    <application>
        ...
        <activity
            android:launchMode="singleTop"
            android:name="com.awesome.app.activites.LoadingActivity"
            android:screenOrientation="portrait">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
        ...
    </application>
</manifest>

First onCreate call is called with Bundle savedInstanceState which is null, shortly after which the onCreate method is called again, but this time with Bundle savedInstanceState which contains the following serialized content:

Bundle[{com.google.app_measurement.screen_service=Bundle[{referrer_name=LoadingActivity, id=1612091517631091562, name=null}], android:viewHierarchyState=Bundle[{android:views={16908290=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f, 2131296302=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f, 2131296313=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f, 2131296424=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f, 2131296445=android.widget.ProgressBar$SavedState@b25257c, 2131296581=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f, 2131296582=android.view.AbsSavedState$1@a24446f}}], androidx.lifecycle.BundlableSavedStateRegistry.key=Bundle[{}], android:lastAutofillId=1073741823, android:fragments=android.app.FragmentManagerState@a24ee05}]

Yes, this doesn't mean much, but it may be related to something at the bottom of the post.

Tried:

I have tried setting launchmode settings with android:launchMode="singleTop" for the LoadingActivty in my AndroidManifest.xml, but this does not help at all, it still runs the onCreate 2 times.

I have gone through my onCreate method, no where do I onCreate again or change ApplicationContext settings i.e. Orientation (physically or programmatically), etc.

Any idea why this happens and what I can do to resolve it.

For what it is worth, I have recently updated my deps and see this in my Manifest:

It compiles (change the package name for obv reasons) with the portrait launchmode, but I think this may have something to do with the double launch