diff --git a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.h b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.h
index 7a40638dc33..5f5fae04135 100644
--- a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.h
+++ b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.h
@@ -51,10 +51,20 @@ struct grpc_channel_credentials;
                               completionQueue:(nonnull GRPCCompletionQueue *)queue
                                   callOptions:(nonnull GRPCCallOptions *)callOptions;
 
-- (void)unmanagedCallRef;
+/**
+ * Increase the refcount of the channel. If the channel was timed to be destroyed, cancel the timer.
+ */
+- (void)ref;
 
-- (void)unmanagedCallUnref;
+/**
+ * Decrease the refcount of the channel. If the refcount of the channel decrease to 0, start a timer
+ * to destroy the channel
+ */
+- (void)unref;
 
+/**
+ * Force the channel to be disconnected and destroyed immediately.
+ */
 - (void)disconnect;
 
 // TODO (mxyan): deprecate with GRPCCall:closeOpenConnections
diff --git a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.m b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.m
index 63bc267a762..3e4db837658 100644
--- a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.m
+++ b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannel.m
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ NSTimeInterval kChannelDestroyDelay = 30;
   return call;
 }
 
-- (void)unmanagedCallRef {
+- (void)ref {
   dispatch_async(_dispatchQueue, ^{
     if (self->_unmanagedChannel) {
       [self->_channelRef refChannel];
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ NSTimeInterval kChannelDestroyDelay = 30;
   });
 }
 
-- (void)unmanagedCallUnref {
+- (void)unref {
   dispatch_async(_dispatchQueue, ^{
     if (self->_unmanagedChannel) {
       [self->_channelRef unrefChannel];
diff --git a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannelPool.m b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannelPool.m
index 4908b82feac..8e0f6976cf9 100644
--- a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannelPool.m
+++ b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCChannelPool.m
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ extern const char *kCFStreamVarName;
   @synchronized(self) {
     if ([_channelPool objectForKey:configuration]) {
       channel = _channelPool[configuration];
-      [channel unmanagedCallRef];
+      [channel ref];
     } else {
       channel = [GRPCChannel createChannelWithConfiguration:configuration];
       if (channel != nil) {
diff --git a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCWrappedCall.m b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCWrappedCall.m
index a7c50a17519..4d5257aca79 100644
--- a/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCWrappedCall.m
+++ b/src/objective-c/GRPCClient/private/GRPCWrappedCall.m
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@
 
 - (void)dealloc {
   grpc_call_unref(_call);
-  [_channel unmanagedCallUnref];
+  [_channel unref];
   _channel = nil;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/objective-c/tests/ChannelTests/ChannelPoolTest.m b/src/objective-c/tests/ChannelTests/ChannelPoolTest.m
index f4a9fb4a2c4..5c3f0edba0b 100644
--- a/src/objective-c/tests/ChannelTests/ChannelPoolTest.m
+++ b/src/objective-c/tests/ChannelTests/ChannelPoolTest.m
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ extern NSTimeInterval kChannelDestroyDelay;
       [[GRPCChannelConfiguration alloc] initWithHost:kDummyHost callOptions:options1];
   GRPCChannelPool *pool = [[GRPCChannelPool alloc] init];
   GRPCChannel *channel1 = [pool channelWithConfiguration:config1];
-  [channel1 unmanagedCallUnref];
+  [channel1 unref];
   sleep(1);
   GRPCChannel *channel2 = [pool channelWithConfiguration:config1];
   XCTAssertEqual(channel1, channel2);