diff --git a/src/components/app/app.ts b/src/components/app/app.ts
index ccfc8f4168..da7a9b1517 100644
--- a/src/components/app/app.ts
+++ b/src/components/app/app.ts
@@ -208,17 +208,37 @@ export class App {
   /**
    * @return {NavController} Returns the active NavController. Using this method is preferred when we need access to the top-level navigation controller while on the outside views and handlers like `registerBackButtonAction()`
    */
-  getActiveNav(navId: string): NavControllerBase {
+  getActiveNav(navId?: string): NavControllerBase {
     const portal = this._appRoot._getPortal(Constants.PORTAL_MODAL);
     if (portal.length() > 0) {
       return <NavControllerBase> findTopNav(portal);
     }
-    if (!this._rootNavs || !this._rootNavs.size || !this._rootNavs.has(navId)) {
+    if (!this._rootNavs || !this._rootNavs.size) {
       return null;
     }
+    if (this._rootNavs.size === 1) {
+      return <NavControllerBase> findTopNav(this._rootNavs.values().next().value);
+    }
     return <NavControllerBase> findTopNav(this.getRootNavById(navId));
   }
 
+  getRootNav(): any {
+    console.warn('(getRootNav) is deprecated and will be removed in the next major release. Use getRootNavById instead.');
+    const rootNavs = this.getRootNavs();
+    if (rootNavs.length === 0) {
+      return null;
+    } else if (rootNavs.length > 1) {
+      console.warn('(getRootNav) there are multiple root navs, use getRootNavs instead');
+    }
+    return rootNavs[0];
+  }
+
+  getRootNavs(): any[] {
+    const navs: NavigationContainer[] = [];
+    this._rootNavs.forEach(nav => navs.push(nav));
+    return navs;
+  }
+
   /**
    * @return {NavController} Returns the root NavController
    */
@@ -233,6 +253,7 @@ export class App {
     this._rootNavs.set(nav.id, nav);
   }
 
+
   getActiveNavContainers(): NavigationContainer[] {
     // for each root nav container, get it's active nav
     const list: NavigationContainer[] = [];
diff --git a/src/components/app/test/app.spec.ts b/src/components/app/test/app.spec.ts
index a6813e7039..9b3355b92b 100644
--- a/src/components/app/test/app.spec.ts
+++ b/src/components/app/test/app.spec.ts
@@ -431,6 +431,49 @@ describe('App', () => {
       expect(activeNavOne).toBe(childNavOne);
       expect(activeNavTwo).toBe(childNavTwo);
     });
+
+    it('should get the active nav when no id is provided assuming there is one nav', () => {
+      const rootNavOne = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavOne);
+
+      const childNavOne = mockNavController();
+      rootNavOne.registerChildNav(childNavOne);
+
+      const result = app.getActiveNav();
+
+      expect(result).toEqual(childNavOne);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getRootNavs', () => {
+    it('should return an array of navs', () => {
+      const rootNavOne = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavOne);
+      const rootNavTwo = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavTwo);
+
+      const results = app.getRootNavs();
+      expect(results.length).toEqual(2);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getRootNav', () => {
+    it('should return the single root nav', () => {
+      const rootNavOne = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavOne);
+      const result = app.getRootNav();
+      expect(result).toEqual(rootNavOne);
+    });
+
+    it('should return the first nav in the list for backwards compatibility', () => {
+      const rootNavOne = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavOne);
+      const rootNavTwo = mockNavController();
+      app.registerRootNav(rootNavTwo);
+
+      const result = app.getRootNav();
+      expect(result).toEqual(rootNavOne);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('setEnabled', () => {