diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar-common.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar-common.ts
index 79d011de8..4aef3073a 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar-common.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar-common.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,13 @@ import { profile } from "../../profiling";
 
 export * from "../core/view";
 
-import { View, ViewBase, Property, unsetValue, booleanConverter, horizontalAlignmentProperty, verticalAlignmentProperty, CSSType } from "../core/view";
+import {
+    View, ViewBase, Property,
+    unsetValue, booleanConverter,
+    horizontalAlignmentProperty,
+    verticalAlignmentProperty, CSSType,
+    traceWrite, traceCategories, traceMessageType
+} from "../core/view";
 
 export module knownCollections {
     export var actionItems = "actionItems";
@@ -334,6 +340,12 @@ function onVisibilityChanged(item: ActionItemBase, oldValue: string, newValue: s
     item._onVisibilityChanged(newValue);
 }
 
+export function traceMissingIcon(icon: string) {
+    traceWrite("Could not load action bar icon: " + icon,
+        traceCategories.Error,
+        traceMessageType.error);
+}
+
 export const textProperty = new Property<ActionItemBase, string>({ name: "text", defaultValue: "", valueChanged: onItemChanged });
 textProperty.register(ActionItemBase);
 
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.android.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.android.ts
index c8e435c12..065964ec5 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.android.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.android.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { AndroidActionBarSettings as AndroidActionBarSettingsDefinition, AndroidActionItemSettings } from ".";
-import { ActionItemBase, ActionBarBase, isVisible, View, layout, colorProperty, flatProperty, Color } from "./action-bar-common";
+import {
+    ActionItemBase, ActionBarBase, isVisible,
+    View, layout, colorProperty, flatProperty,
+    Color, traceMissingIcon
+} from "./action-bar-common";
 import { RESOURCE_PREFIX } from "../../utils/utils";
 import { fromFileOrResource } from "../../image-source";
 import * as application from "../../application";
@@ -18,7 +22,7 @@ function generateItemId(): number {
 }
 
 interface MenuItemClickListener {
-    new (owner: ActionBar): android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar.OnMenuItemClickListener;
+    new(owner: ActionBar): android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar.OnMenuItemClickListener;
 }
 
 let appResources: android.content.res.Resources;
@@ -219,7 +223,9 @@ export class ActionBar extends ActionBarBase {
             }
             else if (navButton.icon) {
                 let drawableOrId = getDrawableOrResourceId(navButton.icon, appResources);
-                this.nativeViewProtected.setNavigationIcon(drawableOrId);
+                if (drawableOrId) {
+                    this.nativeViewProtected.setNavigationIcon(drawableOrId);
+                }
             }
 
             // Set navigation content descripion, used by screen readers for the vision-impaired users
@@ -304,9 +310,6 @@ export class ActionBar extends ActionBarBase {
                 if (drawableOrId) {
                     menuItem.setIcon(drawableOrId);
                 }
-                else {
-                    throw new Error("Error loading icon from " + item.icon);
-                }
             }
 
             let showAsAction = getShowAsAction(item);
@@ -422,10 +425,11 @@ function getDrawableOrResourceId(icon: string, resources: android.content.res.Re
         return undefined;
     }
 
+    let result = undefined;
     if (icon.indexOf(RESOURCE_PREFIX) === 0) {
         let resourceId: number = resources.getIdentifier(icon.substr(RESOURCE_PREFIX.length), "drawable", application.android.packageName);
         if (resourceId > 0) {
-            return resourceId;
+            result = resourceId;
         }
     }
     else {
@@ -436,10 +440,14 @@ function getDrawableOrResourceId(icon: string, resources: android.content.res.Re
             drawable = new android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable(is.android);
         }
 
-        return drawable;
+        result = drawable;
     }
 
-    return undefined;
+    if (!result) {
+        traceMissingIcon(icon);
+    }
+
+    return result;
 }
 
 function getShowAsAction(menuItem: ActionItem): number {
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.ios.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.ios.ts
index bc33b1755..b95b57301 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.ios.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/action-bar/action-bar.ios.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,28 @@
 import { IOSActionItemSettings, ActionItem as ActionItemDefinition } from ".";
-import { ActionItemBase, ActionBarBase, isVisible, View, colorProperty, backgroundColorProperty, backgroundInternalProperty, flatProperty, layout, Color } from "./action-bar-common";
-import { ImageSource, fromFileOrResource } from "../../image-source";
+import { 
+    ActionItemBase, ActionBarBase, isVisible, View, 
+    colorProperty, backgroundColorProperty, 
+    backgroundInternalProperty, flatProperty, 
+    layout, Color, traceMissingIcon } from "./action-bar-common";
+import { fromFileOrResource } from "../../image-source";
 import { ios as iosUtils } from "../../utils/utils";
+import { write as traceWrite, categories, messageType } from "../../trace";
 
 export * from "./action-bar-common";
 
 const majorVersion = iosUtils.MajorVersion;
 const UNSPECIFIED = layout.makeMeasureSpec(0, layout.UNSPECIFIED);
 
+function loadActionIconFromFileOrResource(icon: string): UIImage {
+    const img = fromFileOrResource(icon);
+    if (img && img.ios) {
+        return img.ios;
+    } else {
+        traceMissingIcon(icon);
+        return null;
+    }
+}
+
 class TapBarItemHandlerImpl extends NSObject {
     private _owner: WeakRef<ActionItemDefinition>;
 
@@ -151,16 +166,16 @@ export class ActionBar extends ActionBarBase {
         }
 
         // Set back button image
-        let img: ImageSource;
+        let img: UIImage;
         if (this.navigationButton && isVisible(this.navigationButton) && this.navigationButton.icon) {
-            img = fromFileOrResource(this.navigationButton.icon);
+            img = loadActionIconFromFileOrResource(this.navigationButton.icon);
         }
 
         // TODO: This could cause issue when canceling BackEdge gesture - we will change the backIndicator to
         // show the one from the old page but the new page will still be visible (because we canceled EdgeBackSwipe gesutre)
         // Consider moving this to new method and call it from - navigationControllerDidShowViewControllerAnimated.
-        if (img && img.ios) {
-            let image = img.ios.imageWithRenderingMode(UIImageRenderingMode.AlwaysOriginal);
+        if (img) {
+            let image = img.imageWithRenderingMode(UIImageRenderingMode.AlwaysOriginal);
             navigationBar.backIndicatorImage = image;
             navigationBar.backIndicatorTransitionMaskImage = image;
         } else {
@@ -226,12 +241,8 @@ export class ActionBar extends ActionBarBase {
 
             barButtonItem = UIBarButtonItem.alloc().initWithBarButtonSystemItemTargetAction(id, tapHandler, "tap");
         } else if (item.icon) {
-            const img = fromFileOrResource(item.icon);
-            if (img && img.ios) {
-                barButtonItem = UIBarButtonItem.alloc().initWithImageStyleTargetAction(img.ios, UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, tapHandler, "tap");
-            } else {
-                throw new Error("Error loading icon from " + item.icon);
-            }
+            const img = loadActionIconFromFileOrResource(item.icon);
+            barButtonItem = UIBarButtonItem.alloc().initWithImageStyleTargetAction(img, UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, tapHandler, "tap");
         } else {
             barButtonItem = UIBarButtonItem.alloc().initWithTitleStyleTargetAction(item.text + "", UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, tapHandler, "tap");
         }
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view-common.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view-common.ts
index b8a1251ed..53eacbad9 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view-common.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view-common.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import { TabView as TabViewDefinition, TabViewItem as TabViewItemDefinition, SelectedIndexChangedEventData } from ".";
 import {
     View, ViewBase, Style, Property, CssProperty, CoercibleProperty,
-    Color, isIOS, AddArrayFromBuilder, AddChildFromBuilder, EventData, CSSType
+    Color, isIOS, AddArrayFromBuilder, AddChildFromBuilder, EventData, CSSType,
+    traceWrite, traceCategories, traceMessageType
 } from "../core/view";
 
 export * from "../core/view";
@@ -203,6 +204,10 @@ export interface TabViewBase {
     on(event: "selectedIndexChanged", callback: (args: SelectedIndexChangedEventData) => void, thisArg?: any);
 }
 
+export function traceMissingIcon(icon: string) {
+    traceWrite("Could not load tab bar icon: " + icon, traceCategories.Error, traceMessageType.error);
+}
+
 export const selectedIndexProperty = new CoercibleProperty<TabViewBase, number>({
     name: "selectedIndex", defaultValue: -1, affectsLayout: isIOS,
     valueChanged: (target, oldValue, newValue) => {
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.android.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.android.ts
index 91bf8c989..f12e115ac 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.android.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.android.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {
     tabTextColorProperty, tabBackgroundColorProperty, tabTextFontSizeProperty, selectedTabTextColorProperty,
     androidSelectedTabHighlightColorProperty, androidOffscreenTabLimitProperty,
     fontSizeProperty, fontInternalProperty, layout, traceCategory, traceEnabled,
-    traceWrite, Color
+    traceWrite, Color, traceMissingIcon
 } from "./tab-view-common"
 import { textTransformProperty, TextTransform, getTransformedText } from "../text-base";
 import { fromFileOrResource } from "../../image-source";
@@ -233,11 +233,16 @@ function createTabItemSpec(item: TabViewItem): org.nativescript.widgets.TabItemS
     if (item.iconSource) {
         if (item.iconSource.indexOf(RESOURCE_PREFIX) === 0) {
             result.iconId = ad.resources.getDrawableId(item.iconSource.substr(RESOURCE_PREFIX.length));
+            if (result.iconId === 0) {
+                traceMissingIcon(item.iconSource);
+            }
         } else {
             const is = fromFileOrResource(item.iconSource);
             if (is) {
                 // TODO: Make this native call that accepts string so that we don't load Bitmap in JS.
                 result.iconDrawable = new android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable(is.android);
+            } else {
+                traceMissingIcon(item.iconSource);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.ios.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.ios.ts
index 49c02f946..a7baebce1 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.ios.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/tab-view/tab-view.ios.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { ios as iosView, ViewBase } from "../core/view";
 import {
     TabViewBase, TabViewItemBase, itemsProperty, selectedIndexProperty,
     tabTextColorProperty, tabTextFontSizeProperty, tabBackgroundColorProperty, selectedTabTextColorProperty, iosIconRenderingModeProperty,
-    View, fontInternalProperty, layout, traceEnabled, traceWrite, traceCategories, Color
+    View, fontInternalProperty, layout, traceEnabled, traceWrite, traceCategories, Color, traceMissingIcon
 } from "./tab-view-common"
 import { textTransformProperty, TextTransform, getTransformedText } from "../text-base";
 import { fromFileOrResource } from "../../image-source";
@@ -451,6 +451,8 @@ export class TabView extends TabViewBase {
                 const originalRenderedImage = is.ios.imageWithRenderingMode(this._getIconRenderingMode());
                 this._iconsCache[iconSource] = originalRenderedImage;
                 image = originalRenderedImage;
+            } else {
+                traceMissingIcon(iconSource);
             }
         }