diff --git a/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.android.ts b/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.android.ts
index ace5bf4cc..417889ec4 100644
--- a/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.android.ts
+++ b/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.android.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import placeholder = require("ui/placeholder");
 
 export function creatingView(args: placeholder.CreateViewEventData) {
-    var nativeView = new android.widget.LabelView(args.context);
+    var nativeView = new android.widget.TextView(args.context);
     nativeView.setText("Native");
     args.view = nativeView;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.xml b/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.xml
index 43bd3c0b1..6aa7bc34b 100644
--- a/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.xml
+++ b/apps/placeholder-demo/main-page.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd">
   <StackLayout>
-    <Placeholder creatingView="creatingView"/>
+    <Placeholder creatingView="creatingView" width="200" height="200" backgroundColor="red"/>
   </StackLayout>
 </Page>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/placeholder/placeholder.android.ts b/ui/placeholder/placeholder.android.ts
index c2791b457..a8199de32 100644
--- a/ui/placeholder/placeholder.android.ts
+++ b/ui/placeholder/placeholder.android.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export class Placeholder extends common.Placeholder {
     public _createUI() {
         var args = <definition.CreateViewEventData>{ eventName: common.Placeholder.creatingViewEvent, object: this, view: undefined, context: this._context };
         this.notify(args);
-        this._android = <android.view.View>args.view;
+        this._android = <android.view.View>args.view || new android.view.View(this._context);
     }
 
     get android(): android.view.View {
diff --git a/ui/placeholder/placeholder.ios.ts b/ui/placeholder/placeholder.ios.ts
index cc1e6d088..91d8f47cc 100644
--- a/ui/placeholder/placeholder.ios.ts
+++ b/ui/placeholder/placeholder.ios.ts
@@ -10,10 +10,9 @@ export class Placeholder extends common.Placeholder {
 
     get ios(): UIView {
         if (!this._ios) {
-            console.trace();
             var args = <definition.CreateViewEventData>{ eventName: common.Placeholder.creatingViewEvent, object: this, view: undefined, context: undefined };
             super.notify(args);
-            this._ios = args.view;
+            this._ios = args.view || new UIView();
         }
         return this._ios;
     }
@@ -21,5 +20,4 @@ export class Placeholder extends common.Placeholder {
     get _nativeView(): UIView {
         return this.ios;
     }
-
 } 
\ No newline at end of file