diff --git a/tests/app/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts b/tests/app/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
index bbf7c6a85..01ab45c4b 100644
--- a/tests/app/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
+++ b/tests/app/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
@@ -900,3 +900,15 @@ export function test_hasSourceCodeLocations() {
     var labelSource = Source.get(label);
     TKUnit.assertEqual(labelSource.toString(), "file:///app/" + basePath + "examples/test-page.xml:3:5");
 }
+
+export function test_Setting_digits_for_text_Label_is_not_converted_to_number() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page><Label id="testLabel" text="01234"/></Page>');
+    var testLabel = <Label>p.getViewById("testLabel");
+    TKUnit.assertEqual(testLabel.text, "01234");
+}
+
+export function test_Setting_digits_for_text_Button_is_not_converted_to_number() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page><Button id="testButton" text="01234"/></Page>');
+    var testButton = <Button>p.getViewById("testButton");
+    TKUnit.assertEqual(testButton.text, "01234");
+}
diff --git a/tns-core-modules/ui/core/view-common.ts b/tns-core-modules/ui/core/view-common.ts
index 3e39b0480..6d29881f6 100644
--- a/tns-core-modules/ui/core/view-common.ts
+++ b/tns-core-modules/ui/core/view-common.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ function ensureVisualState() {
 registerSpecialProperty("class", (instance: definition.View, propertyValue: string) => {
     instance.className = propertyValue;
 });
+registerSpecialProperty("text", (instance, propertyValue) => {
+    instance.set("text", propertyValue);
+});
 
 function getEventOrGestureName(name: string): string {
     return name.indexOf("on") === 0 ? name.substr(2, name.length - 2) : name;