diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/chart/ChartManager.ts b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/chart/ChartManager.ts
index 6e0b13718a..da091b95d0 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/chart/ChartManager.ts
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/chart/ChartManager.ts
@@ -99,8 +99,4 @@ export interface ChartManager {
 
     detailsOrderedByReference?: string[]
     detailsMarkerInSvg?: DetailsMarker
-
-    isTimelineAnimationActive?: boolean
-    animationStartTime?: number
-    animationEndTime?: number
 }
diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/core/Grapher.tsx b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/core/Grapher.tsx
index 28bdc29919..43ebec007d 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/core/Grapher.tsx
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/core/Grapher.tsx
@@ -853,7 +853,8 @@ export class Grapher
 
     @observable.ref isPlaying = false
     @observable.ref isTimelineAnimationActive = false // true if the timeline animation is either playing or paused but not finished
-    @observable.ref animationStartTime: Time | undefined = undefined
+    @observable.ref animationStartTime?: Time
+    @observable.ref areHandlesOnSameTimeBeforeAnimation?: boolean
 
     @observable.ref isEntitySelectorModalOrDrawerOpen = false
 
@@ -1148,12 +1149,12 @@ export class Grapher
     }
 
     @computed get startHandleTimeBound(): TimeBound {
-        if (this.onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible) return this.endHandleTimeBound
+        if (this.isSingleTimeSelectionActive) return this.endHandleTimeBound
         return this.timelineHandleTimeBounds[0]
     }
 
     set startHandleTimeBound(newValue: TimeBound) {
-        if (this.onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible)
+        if (this.isSingleTimeSelectionActive)
             this.timelineHandleTimeBounds = [newValue, newValue]
         else
             this.timelineHandleTimeBounds = [
@@ -1163,7 +1164,7 @@ export class Grapher
     }
 
     set endHandleTimeBound(newValue: TimeBound) {
-        if (this.onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible)
+        if (this.isSingleTimeSelectionActive)
             this.timelineHandleTimeBounds = [newValue, newValue]
         else
             this.timelineHandleTimeBounds = [
@@ -1192,11 +1193,16 @@ export class Grapher
         return findClosestTime(this.times, this.endHandleTimeBound)
     }
 
-    @computed private get onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible(): boolean {
-        // scatter plots should not be animated as time scatter
-        if (this.isPlaying && this.isScatter && !this.isRelativeMode)
-            return true
+    @computed get isSingleTimeScatterAnimationActive(): boolean {
+        return (
+            this.isTimelineAnimationActive &&
+            this.isScatter &&
+            !this.isRelativeMode &&
+            !!this.areHandlesOnSameTimeBeforeAnimation
+        )
+    }
 
+    @computed private get onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible(): boolean {
         return (
             this.isDiscreteBar ||
             this.isStackedDiscreteBar ||
@@ -1205,6 +1211,13 @@ export class Grapher
         )
     }
 
+    @computed private get isSingleTimeSelectionActive(): boolean {
+        return (
+            this.onlySingleTimeSelectionPossible ||
+            this.isSingleTimeScatterAnimationActive
+        )
+    }
+
     @computed get shouldLinkToOwid(): boolean {
         if (
             this.isEmbeddedInAnOwidPage ||
diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChart.tsx b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChart.tsx
index 292ab961d7..bdd1ad66f6 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChart.tsx
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChart.tsx
@@ -1231,11 +1231,10 @@ export class ScatterPlotChart
         axis.label = this.currentVerticalAxisLabel
 
         if (
-            this.manager.isTimelineAnimationActive &&
-            this.domainsForAnimation.y &&
-            !this.manager.isRelativeMode
+            this.manager.isSingleTimeScatterAnimationActive &&
+            this.domainsForAnimation.y
         ) {
-            axis.domain = this.domainsForAnimation.y
+            axis.updateDomainPreservingUserSettings(this.domainsForAnimation.y)
         } else if (manager.isRelativeMode) {
             axis.domain = yDomainDefault // Overwrite author's min/max
         } else {
@@ -1297,11 +1296,10 @@ export class ScatterPlotChart
             axis.label = this.currentHorizontalAxisLabel
 
         if (
-            this.manager.isTimelineAnimationActive &&
-            this.domainsForAnimation.x &&
-            !this.manager.isRelativeMode
+            this.manager.isSingleTimeScatterAnimationActive &&
+            this.domainsForAnimation.x
         ) {
-            axis.domain = this.domainsForAnimation.x
+            axis.updateDomainPreservingUserSettings(this.domainsForAnimation.x)
         } else if (manager.isRelativeMode) {
             axis.domain = xDomainDefault // Overwrite author's min/max
         } else {
diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChartConstants.ts b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChartConstants.ts
index ea4e5015a2..c9c78d5f1f 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChartConstants.ts
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/scatterCharts/ScatterPlotChartConstants.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ export interface ScatterPlotManager extends ChartManager {
     hasTimeline?: boolean
     hideScatterLabels?: boolean
     isModalOpen?: boolean
+    isSingleTimeScatterAnimationActive?: boolean
+    animationStartTime?: number
+    animationEndTime?: number
 }
 
 export interface ScatterSeries extends ChartSeries {
diff --git a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/timeline/TimelineController.ts b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/timeline/TimelineController.ts
index d7dda3c4c9..d7f493408b 100644
--- a/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/timeline/TimelineController.ts
+++ b/packages/@ourworldindata/grapher/src/timeline/TimelineController.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export interface TimelineManager {
     times: Time[]
     startHandleTimeBound: TimeBound
     endHandleTimeBound: TimeBound
+    areHandlesOnSameTimeBeforeAnimation?: boolean
     msPerTick?: number
     onPlay?: () => void
 }
@@ -145,6 +146,7 @@ export class TimelineController {
         this.manager.isPlaying = false
         this.manager.isTimelineAnimationActive = false
         this.manager.animationStartTime = undefined
+        this.manager.areHandlesOnSameTimeBeforeAnimation = undefined
     }
 
     private pause(): void {
@@ -157,6 +159,9 @@ export class TimelineController {
 
     async togglePlay(): Promise<void> {
         if (!this.manager.isTimelineAnimationActive) {
+            this.manager.areHandlesOnSameTimeBeforeAnimation =
+                this.manager.startHandleTimeBound ===
+                this.manager.endHandleTimeBound
             this.manager.animationStartTime = this.isAtEnd()
                 ? findClosestTime(this.timesAsc, this.beginning)!
                 : this.startTime