diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background-common.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background-common.ts
index c20d95244..991e9d3f9 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background-common.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background-common.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ import enums = require("ui/enums");
 import definition = require("ui/styling/background");
 import cssValue = require("css-value");
 import utils = require("utils/utils");
-import * as typesModule from "utils/types";
+import { isAndroid }  from "platform"; 
 
+import * as typesModule from "utils/types";
 var types: typeof typesModule;
 function ensureTypes() {
     if (!types) {
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ export class Background implements definition.Background {
     repeat: string;
     position: string;
     size: string;
+    // The ones below are used on Android only
     borderWidth: number = 0;
     borderColor: colorModule.Color;
     borderRadius: number = 0;
@@ -250,11 +252,17 @@ export class Background implements definition.Background {
     public isEmpty(): boolean {
         ensureTypes();
 
-        return types.isNullOrUndefined(this.image) 
-            && types.isNullOrUndefined(this.color) 
-            && !this.borderWidth
-            && !this.borderRadius
-            && !this.clipPath;
+        if (isAndroid){
+            return types.isNullOrUndefined(this.image) 
+                && types.isNullOrUndefined(this.color)
+                && !this.borderWidth
+                && !this.borderRadius
+                && !this.clipPath;
+        }
+        else {
+            return types.isNullOrUndefined(this.image) 
+                && types.isNullOrUndefined(this.color);    
+        }
     }
 
     public static equals(value1: Background, value2: Background): boolean {
@@ -268,15 +276,29 @@ export class Background implements definition.Background {
             return false;
         }
 
-        return value1.image === value2.image 
-            && value1.position === value2.position 
-            && value1.repeat === value2.repeat 
-            && value1.size === value2.size 
-            && colorModule.Color.equals(value1.color, value2.color) 
-            && value1.borderWidth === value2.borderWidth
-            && colorModule.Color.equals(value1.borderColor, value2.borderColor) 
-            && value1.borderRadius === value2.borderRadius
-            && value1.clipPath === value2.clipPath;
+        if (isAndroid){
+            return value1.image === value2.image 
+                && value1.position === value2.position 
+                && value1.repeat === value2.repeat 
+                && value1.size === value2.size 
+                && colorModule.Color.equals(value1.color, value2.color)
+                && value1.borderWidth === value2.borderWidth
+                && colorModule.Color.equals(value1.borderColor, value2.borderColor) 
+                && value1.borderRadius === value2.borderRadius
+                && value1.clipPath === value2.clipPath;
+        }
+        else {
+            return value1.image === value2.image 
+                && value1.position === value2.position 
+                && value1.repeat === value2.repeat 
+                && value1.size === value2.size 
+                && colorModule.Color.equals(value1.color, value2.color);
+        }
+        
+    }
+    
+    public toString(): string {
+        return `isEmpty: ${this.isEmpty()}; color: ${this.color}; image: ${this.image}; repeat: ${this.repeat}; position: ${this.position}; size: ${this.size}; borderWidth: ${this.borderWidth}; borderColor: ${this.borderColor}; borderRadius: ${this.borderRadius}; clipPath: ${this.clipPath};`;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background.android.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background.android.ts
index ab2858d03..7fb798968 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background.android.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/background.android.ts
@@ -44,21 +44,23 @@ export module ad {
         
         ensureLazyRequires();
 
-        let clipPath = v.style._getValue(style.clipPathProperty);
-        let background = <background.Background>v.style._getValue(style.backgroundInternalProperty);
-        let borderWidth = v.borderWidth;
+        let background = <common.Background>v.style._getValue(style.backgroundInternalProperty);
         let backgroundDrawable = nativeView.getBackground();
         let density = utils.layout.getDisplayDensity();
         let cache = <CacheLayerType>v._nativeView;
-        if (v instanceof button.Button && !types.isNullOrUndefined(backgroundDrawable) && types.isFunction(backgroundDrawable.setColorFilter) &&
-            v.borderWidth === 0 && v.borderRadius === 0 && !clipPath &&
-            types.isNullOrUndefined(v.style._getValue(style.backgroundImageProperty)) &&
-            !types.isNullOrUndefined(v.style._getValue(style.backgroundColorProperty))) {
-            let backgroundColor = (<any>backgroundDrawable).backgroundColor = v.style._getValue(style.backgroundColorProperty).android;
+        if (v instanceof button.Button 
+        && !types.isNullOrUndefined(backgroundDrawable) 
+        && types.isFunction(backgroundDrawable.setColorFilter) 
+        && background.borderWidth === 0 
+        && background.borderRadius === 0 
+        && !background.clipPath 
+        && types.isNullOrUndefined(background.image) 
+        && !types.isNullOrUndefined(background.color)) {
+            let backgroundColor = (<any>backgroundDrawable).backgroundColor = background.color.android;
             backgroundDrawable.setColorFilter(backgroundColor, android.graphics.PorterDuff.Mode.SRC_IN);
             (<any>backgroundDrawable).backgroundColor = backgroundColor;
         } 
-        else if (v.borderWidth || v.borderRadius || clipPath || !background.isEmpty()) {
+        else if (!background.isEmpty()) {
             if (!(backgroundDrawable instanceof org.nativescript.widgets.BorderDrawable)) {
                 let viewClass = types.getClass(v);
                 if (!(v instanceof button.Button) && !_defaultBackgrounds.has(viewClass)) {
@@ -73,7 +75,7 @@ export module ad {
                 refreshBorderDrawable(v, <org.nativescript.widgets.BorderDrawable>backgroundDrawable);
             }
             
-            if ((v.borderWidth || v.borderRadius || clipPath) && getSDK() < 18) {
+            if ((background.borderWidth || background.borderRadius || background.clipPath) && getSDK() < 18) {
                 // Switch to software because of unsupported canvas methods if hardware acceleration is on:
                 // http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/graphics/hardware-accel.html
                 cache.layerType = cache.getLayerType();
@@ -100,10 +102,10 @@ export module ad {
         }
 
         nativeView.setPadding(
-            Math.round((borderWidth + v.style.paddingLeft) * density),
-            Math.round((borderWidth + v.style.paddingTop) * density),
-            Math.round((borderWidth + v.style.paddingRight) * density),
-            Math.round((borderWidth + v.style.paddingBottom) * density)
+            Math.round((background.borderWidth + v.style.paddingLeft) * density),
+            Math.round((background.borderWidth + v.style.paddingTop) * density),
+            Math.round((background.borderWidth + v.style.paddingRight) * density),
+            Math.round((background.borderWidth + v.style.paddingBottom) * density)
         );
     }
 }
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style.ts
index 1bee04e98..44ccc1376 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/styling/style.ts
@@ -351,34 +351,42 @@ function onBackgroundSizePropertyChanged(data: PropertyChangeData) {
 }
 
 function onBorderWidthPropertyChanged(data: PropertyChangeData) {
-    var style = <Style>data.object;
-    var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
-    if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderWidth) {
-        style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderWidth(data.newValue));
+    if (platform.isAndroid){
+        var style = <Style>data.object;
+        var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
+        if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderWidth) {
+            style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderWidth(data.newValue));
+        }
     }
 }
 
 function onBorderColorPropertyChanged(data: PropertyChangeData) {
-    var style = <Style>data.object;
-    var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
-    if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderColor) {
-        style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderColor(data.newValue));
+    if (platform.isAndroid){
+        var style = <Style>data.object;
+        var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
+        if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderColor) {
+            style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderColor(data.newValue));
+        }
     }
 }
 
 function onBorderRadiusPropertyChanged(data: PropertyChangeData) {
-    var style = <Style>data.object;
-    var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
-    if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderRadius) {
-        style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderRadius(data.newValue));
+    if (platform.isAndroid){
+        var style = <Style>data.object;
+        var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
+        if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.borderRadius) {
+            style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withBorderRadius(data.newValue));
+        }
     }
 }
 
 function onClipPathPropertyChanged(data: PropertyChangeData) {
-    var style = <Style>data.object;
-    var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
-    if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.clipPath) {
-        style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withClipPath(data.newValue));
+    if (platform.isAndroid){
+        var style = <Style>data.object;
+        var currentBackground = <background.Background>style._getValue(backgroundInternalProperty);
+        if (data.newValue !== currentBackground.clipPath) {
+            style._setValue(backgroundInternalProperty, currentBackground.withClipPath(data.newValue));
+        }
     }
 }