diff --git a/gcsio/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/gcsio/GoogleCloudStorageTest.java b/gcsio/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/gcsio/GoogleCloudStorageTest.java
index b8a1d33ee7..45a9688b74 100644
--- a/gcsio/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/gcsio/GoogleCloudStorageTest.java
+++ b/gcsio/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/gcsio/GoogleCloudStorageTest.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.eq;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.isNull;
-import static org.mockito.Matchers.startsWith;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.atLeastOnce;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doThrow;
@@ -38,6 +37,7 @@
 
 import com.google.api.client.googleapis.batch.json.JsonBatchCallback;
 import com.google.api.client.googleapis.json.GoogleJsonError;
+import com.google.api.client.googleapis.services.AbstractGoogleClientRequest;
 import com.google.api.client.http.AbstractInputStreamContent;
 import com.google.api.client.http.HttpHeaders;
 import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequest;
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@
 import com.google.api.services.storage.model.Objects;
 import com.google.api.services.storage.model.StorageObject;
 import com.google.cloud.hadoop.gcsio.GoogleCloudStorageImpl.BackOffFactory;
+import com.google.cloud.hadoop.util.AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel;
 import com.google.cloud.hadoop.util.ApiErrorExtractor;
 import com.google.cloud.hadoop.util.ClientRequestHelper;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
@@ -458,7 +459,11 @@ public StorageObject answer(InvocationOnMock unused) throws Throwable {
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(0L));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(1L));
     assertEquals(OBJECT_NAME, storageObjectCaptor.getValue().getName());
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockErrorExtractor).itemNotFound(any(IOException.class));
@@ -555,7 +560,11 @@ public StorageObject answer(InvocationOnMock unused) throws Throwable {
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(222L));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(1L));
     assertEquals(OBJECT_NAME, storageObjectCaptor.getValue().getName());
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockBackOffFactory).newBackOff();
@@ -651,7 +660,11 @@ public void run() {
         eq(BUCKET_NAME), any(StorageObject.class), any(AbstractInputStreamContent.class));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setName(eq(OBJECT_NAME));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(2)).setDisableGZipContent(eq(true));
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(0L));
@@ -700,7 +713,11 @@ public void testCreateObjectApiIOException()
         eq(BUCKET_NAME), any(StorageObject.class), any(AbstractInputStreamContent.class));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setName(eq(OBJECT_NAME));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(2)).setDisableGZipContent(eq(true));
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setIfGenerationMatch(eq(0L));
@@ -756,7 +773,11 @@ public void testCreateObjectApiRuntimeException()
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(1)).setName(eq(OBJECT_NAME));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(2)).setDisableGZipContent(eq(true));
     verify(mockStorageObjects, times(1)).get(anyString(), anyString());
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(2)).setIfGenerationMatch(anyLong());
@@ -805,7 +826,11 @@ public void testCreateObjectApiError()
     verify(mockErrorExtractor, times(1)).itemNotFound(any(IOException.class));
     verify(mockBackOff, atLeastOnce()).nextBackOffMillis();
     verify(mockBackOffFactory, atLeastOnce()).newBackOff();
-    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(startsWith("X-Goog-Upload-"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(1)).set(
+        eq("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity"),
+        eq(AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY));
+    verify(mockHeaders, times(0)).set(eq("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size"), anyInt());
+    verify(mockClientRequestHelper).getRequestHeaders(any(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.class));
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setChunkSize(any(Storage.Objects.Insert.class), anyInt());
     verify(mockClientRequestHelper).setDirectUploadEnabled(eq(mockStorageObjectsInsert), eq(true));
     verify(mockStorageObjectsInsert, times(2)).execute();
diff --git a/util/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/util/AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.java b/util/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/util/AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.java
index 73ea9c7332..dc8239c551 100644
--- a/util/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/util/AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.java
+++ b/util/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/hadoop/util/AbstractGoogleAsyncWriteChannel.java
@@ -316,11 +316,13 @@ public void initialize() throws IOException {
     T request = createRequest(objectContentStream);
     request.setDisableGZipContent(true);
 
+    // Set a larger backend upload-chunk granularity than system defaults.
+    HttpHeaders headers = clientRequestHelper.getRequestHeaders(request);
+    headers.set("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity",
+        Math.min(GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY, uploadBufferSize));
+
     // Legacy check. Will be phased out.
     if (limitFileSizeTo250Gb) {
-      HttpHeaders headers = clientRequestHelper.getRequestHeaders(request);
-      headers.set("X-Goog-Upload-Desired-Chunk-Granularity",
-          Math.min(GCS_UPLOAD_GRANULARITY, uploadBufferSize));
       headers.set("X-Goog-Upload-Max-Raw-Size", UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE);
     }