diff --git a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.spec.ts b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.spec.ts
index b9dee3369c2106225b2468defd7443dae6a8c8d7..5f11992b052e10ffaa94f2408224c9982575e189 100644
--- a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.spec.ts
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ describe('modules/manager/gradle/utils', () => {
   it('isDependencyString', () => {
     expect(isDependencyString('foo:bar:1.2.3')).toBeTrue();
     expect(isDependencyString('foo.foo:bar.bar:1.2.3')).toBeTrue();
-    expect(isDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux')).toBeFalse();
+    expect(isDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux')).toBeTrue();
     expect(isDependencyString('foo.bar:baz:1.2.3')).toBeTrue();
     expect(isDependencyString('foo.bar:baz:1.2.+')).toBeTrue();
-    expect(isDependencyString('foo.bar:baz:qux:quux')).toBeFalse();
+    expect(isDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux:quux')).toBeFalse();
     expect(isDependencyString("foo:bar:1.2.3'")).toBeFalse();
     expect(isDependencyString('foo:bar:1.2.3"')).toBeFalse();
     expect(isDependencyString('-Xep:ParameterName:OFF')).toBeFalse();
@@ -56,7 +56,10 @@ describe('modules/manager/gradle/utils', () => {
       depName: 'foo.foo:bar.bar',
       currentValue: '1.2.3',
     });
-    expect(parseDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux')).toBeNull();
+    expect(parseDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux')).toMatchObject({
+      depName: 'foo:bar',
+      currentValue: 'baz',
+    });
     expect(parseDependencyString('foo.bar:baz:1.2.3')).toMatchObject({
       depName: 'foo.bar:baz',
       currentValue: '1.2.3',
@@ -65,7 +68,7 @@ describe('modules/manager/gradle/utils', () => {
       depName: 'foo:bar',
       currentValue: '1.2.+',
     });
-    expect(parseDependencyString('foo.bar:baz:qux:quux')).toBeNull();
+    expect(parseDependencyString('foo:bar:baz:qux:quux')).toBeNull();
     expect(parseDependencyString("foo:bar:1.2.3'")).toBeNull();
     expect(parseDependencyString('foo:bar:1.2.3"')).toBeNull();
     expect(parseDependencyString('-Xep:ParameterName:OFF')).toBeNull();
diff --git a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.ts b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.ts
index 8e4ce240b6d569f80ffffa96c2160f7eceb34552..5415124f2bbc39275c36aef97333d1b8812ada32 100644
--- a/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/manager/gradle/utils.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export function versionLikeSubstring(
 
 export function isDependencyString(input: string): boolean {
   const split = input?.split(':');
-  if (split?.length !== 3) {
+  if (split?.length !== 3 && split?.length !== 4) {
     return false;
   }
   // eslint-disable-next-line prefer-const