diff --git a/telethon/telegram_bare_client.py b/telethon/telegram_bare_client.py
index 26eb273f..429f34c7 100644
--- a/telethon/telegram_bare_client.py
+++ b/telethon/telegram_bare_client.py
@@ -267,6 +267,9 @@ class TelegramBareClient:
         self._user_connected = False
         self._recv_thread = None
 
+        # Stop the workers from the background thread
+        self.updates.stop_workers()
+
         # This will trigger a "ConnectionResetError", for subsequent calls
         # to read or send (from another thread) and usually, the background
         # thread would try restarting the connection but since the
@@ -747,6 +750,7 @@ class TelegramBareClient:
 
     def _set_connected_and_authorized(self):
         self._authorized = True
+        self.updates.setup_workers()
         if self._spawn_read_thread and self._recv_thread is None:
             self._recv_thread = threading.Thread(
                 name='ReadThread', daemon=True,
diff --git a/telethon/update_state.py b/telethon/update_state.py
index 477955df..995e3eb2 100644
--- a/telethon/update_state.py
+++ b/telethon/update_state.py
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ class UpdateState:
 
         # https://core.telegram.org/api/updates
         self._state = tl.updates.State(0, 0, datetime.now(), 0, 0)
-        self._setup_workers()
 
     def can_poll(self):
         """Returns True if a call to .poll() won't lock"""
@@ -66,16 +65,16 @@ class UpdateState:
         """Changes the number of workers running.
            If 'n is None', clears all pending updates from memory.
         """
-        self._stop_workers()
+        self.stop_workers()
         self._workers = n
         if n is None:
             self._updates.clear()
         else:
-            self._setup_workers()
+            self.setup_workers()
 
     workers = property(fget=get_workers, fset=set_workers)
 
-    def _stop_workers(self):
+    def stop_workers(self):
         """Raises "StopIterationException" on the worker threads to stop them,
            and also clears all of them off the list
         """
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ class UpdateState:
 
         self._worker_threads.clear()
 
-    def _setup_workers(self):
+    def setup_workers(self):
         if self._worker_threads or not self._workers:
             # There already are workers, or workers is None or 0. Do nothing.
             return