diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 0c2c2e3f79f4..d1a0a36b8188 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@
 ## Bugfixes
 
 * Fixed "Desired bundle size 0 bytes must be greater than 0" in Java SDK's BigtableIO.BigtableSource when you have more cores than bytes to read (Java) [#28793](https://github.com/apache/beam/issues/28793).
+* `watch_file_pattern` arg of the [RunInference](https://github.com/apache/beam/blob/104c10b3ee536a9a3ea52b4dbf62d86b669da5d9/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base.py#L997) arg had no effect prior to 2.52.0. To use the behavior of arg `watch_file_pattern` prior to 2.52.0, follow the documentation at https://beam.apache.org/documentation/ml/side-input-updates/ and use `WatchFilePattern` PTransform as a SideInput. ([#28948](https://github.com/apache/beam/pulls/28948))
 
 ## Security Fixes
 * Fixed (CVE-YYYY-NNNN)[https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-YYYY-NNNN] (Java/Python/Go) ([#X](https://github.com/apache/beam/issues/X)).
diff --git a/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base.py b/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base.py
index 90d43cfddb94..ef47334c22ac 100644
--- a/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base.py
+++ b/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base.py
@@ -1025,7 +1025,6 @@ def __init__(
     self._clock = clock
     self._metrics_namespace = metrics_namespace
     self._model_metadata_pcoll = model_metadata_pcoll
-    self._enable_side_input_loading = self._model_metadata_pcoll is not None
     self._with_exception_handling = False
     self._watch_model_pattern = watch_model_pattern
     self._kwargs = kwargs
@@ -1126,12 +1125,12 @@ def expand(
             self._model_handler,
             self._clock,
             self._metrics_namespace,
-            self._enable_side_input_loading,
+            self._model_metadata_pcoll is not None,
             self._model_tag),
         self._inference_args,
         beam.pvalue.AsSingleton(
             self._model_metadata_pcoll,
-        ) if self._enable_side_input_loading else None).with_resource_hints(
+        ) if self._model_metadata_pcoll else None).with_resource_hints(
             **resource_hints)
 
     if self._with_exception_handling:
diff --git a/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base_test.py b/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base_test.py
index 1b1a7393872c..7075810ff0f0 100644
--- a/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base_test.py
+++ b/sdks/python/apache_beam/ml/inference/base_test.py
@@ -1513,6 +1513,28 @@ def test_model_manager_evicts_correct_num_of_models_after_being_incremented(
         mh3.load_model, tag=tag3).acquire()
     self.assertEqual(8, model3.predict(10))
 
+  def test_run_inference_watch_file_pattern_side_input_label(self):
+    pipeline = TestPipeline()
+    # label of the WatchPattern transform.
+    side_input_str = 'WatchFilePattern/ApplyGlobalWindow'
+    from apache_beam.ml.inference.utils import WatchFilePattern
+    file_pattern_side_input = (
+        pipeline
+        | 'WatchFilePattern' >> WatchFilePattern(file_pattern='fake/path/*'))
+    pcoll = pipeline | 'start' >> beam.Create([1, 2, 3])
+    result_pcoll = pcoll | base.RunInference(
+        FakeModelHandler(), model_metadata_pcoll=file_pattern_side_input)
+    assert side_input_str in str(result_pcoll.producer.side_inputs[0])
+
+  def test_run_inference_watch_file_pattern_keyword_arg_side_input_label(self):
+    # label of the WatchPattern transform.
+    side_input_str = 'WatchFilePattern/ApplyGlobalWindow'
+    pipeline = TestPipeline()
+    pcoll = pipeline | 'start' >> beam.Create([1, 2, 3])
+    result_pcoll = pcoll | base.RunInference(
+        FakeModelHandler(), watch_model_pattern='fake/path/*')
+    assert side_input_str in str(result_pcoll.producer.side_inputs[0])
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   unittest.main()