diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar.xml b/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar.xml
index eaa2558633959..aa62daa22a192 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar.xml
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar.xml
@@ -111,47 +111,13 @@
                 />
         </LinearLayout>
     </LinearLayout>
-        
-    <LinearLayout android:id="@+id/ticker"
+
+    <ViewStub
+        android:id="@+id/ticker_stub"
+        android:inflatedId="@+id/ticker"
+        android:layout="@layout/status_bar_ticker"
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="match_parent"
-        android:paddingStart="6dip"
-        android:animationCache="false"
-        android:orientation="horizontal" >
-        <ImageSwitcher android:id="@+id/tickerIcon"
-            android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-            android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-            android:layout_marginEnd="4dip"
-            >
-            <com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView
-                android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-                android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-                android:scaleType="center"
-                />
-            <com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView
-                android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-                android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
-                android:scaleType="center"
-                />
-        </ImageSwitcher>
-        <com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView android:id="@+id/tickerText"
-            android:layout_width="0dip"
-            android:layout_weight="1"
-            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-            android:paddingTop="2dip"
-            android:paddingEnd="10dip">
-            <TextView
-                android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker"
-                android:layout_width="match_parent"
-                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-                android:singleLine="true"
-                />
-            <TextView
-                android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker"
-                android:layout_width="match_parent"
-                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
-                android:singleLine="true"
-                />
-        </com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView>
-    </LinearLayout>
+        />
+
 </com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView>
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar_ticker.xml b/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar_ticker.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..5096305c2a0d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/res/layout/status_bar_ticker.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+$<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+$<!--
+$- Copyright 2014, The Android Open Source Project
+$-
+$- Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); 
+$- you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. 
+$- You may obtain a copy of the License at 
+$-
+$-     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 
+$-
+$- Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software 
+$- distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, 
+$- WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. 
+$- See the License for the specific language governing permissions and 
+$- limitations under the License.
+$-->
+<LinearLayout android:id="@+id/ticker"
+    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
+    xmlns:systemui="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.android.systemui"
+    android:layout_width="match_parent"
+    android:layout_height="match_parent"
+    android:paddingStart="6dip"
+    android:animationCache="false"
+    android:orientation="horizontal">
+
+    <ImageSwitcher android:id="@+id/tickerIcon"
+        android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+        android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+        android:layout_marginEnd="4dip"
+        >
+        <com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView
+            android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+            android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+            android:scaleType="center"
+            />
+        <com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView
+            android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+            android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size"
+            android:scaleType="center"
+            />
+    </ImageSwitcher>
+    <com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView android:id="@+id/tickerText"
+        android:layout_width="0dip"
+        android:layout_weight="1"
+        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+        android:paddingTop="2dip"
+        android:paddingEnd="10dip">
+        <TextView
+            android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker"
+            android:layout_width="match_parent"
+            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+            android:singleLine="true"
+            />
+        <TextView
+            android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker"
+            android:layout_width="match_parent"
+            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
+            android:singleLine="true"
+            />
+    </com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView>
+</LinearLayout>
+
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/res/values/config.xml b/packages/SystemUI/res/values/config.xml
index 79a1df41d2a81..1ef5bcd128bd1 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/res/values/config.xml
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/res/values/config.xml
@@ -141,5 +141,10 @@
 
     <!-- Wait on the touch feedback this long before performing an action. -->
     <integer name="feedback_start_delay">300</integer>
+
+    <!-- Set to true to enable the classic notification ticker that scrolls
+         Notification.tickerText across the status bar for what seems like an
+         eternity. -->
+    <bool name="enable_ticker">false</bool>
 </resources>
 
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/PhoneStatusBar.java b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/PhoneStatusBar.java
index ac9866cadfaad..4749b9ce3a973 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/PhoneStatusBar.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/PhoneStatusBar.java
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ import android.view.ViewAnimationUtils;
 import android.view.ViewGroup;
 import android.view.ViewGroup.LayoutParams;
 import android.view.ViewPropertyAnimator;
+import android.view.ViewStub;
 import android.view.ViewTreeObserver;
 import android.view.WindowManager;
 import android.view.animation.AccelerateInterpolator;
@@ -289,6 +290,7 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
     int mTrackingPosition; // the position of the top of the tracking view.
 
     // ticker
+    private boolean mTickerEnabled;
     private Ticker mTicker;
     private View mTickerView;
     private boolean mTicking;
@@ -644,7 +646,6 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
         mMoreIcon = mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.moreIcon);
         mNotificationIcons.setOverflowIndicator(mMoreIcon);
         mStatusBarContents = (LinearLayout)mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.status_bar_contents);
-        mTickerView = mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.ticker);
 
         mStackScroller = (NotificationStackScrollLayout) mStatusBarWindow.findViewById(
                 R.id.notification_stack_scroller);
@@ -684,10 +685,17 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
             mDateTimeView.setEnabled(true);
         }
 
-        mTicker = new MyTicker(context, mStatusBarView);
+        mTickerEnabled = res.getBoolean(R.bool.enable_ticker);
+        if (mTickerEnabled) {
+            final ViewStub tickerStub = (ViewStub) mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.ticker_stub);
+            if (tickerStub != null) {
+                mTickerView = tickerStub.inflate();
+                mTicker = new MyTicker(context, mStatusBarView);
 
-        TickerView tickerView = (TickerView)mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.tickerText);
-        tickerView.mTicker = mTicker;
+                TickerView tickerView = (TickerView) mStatusBarView.findViewById(R.id.tickerText);
+                tickerView.mTicker = mTicker;
+            }
+        }
 
         mEdgeBorder = res.getDimensionPixelSize(R.dimen.status_bar_edge_ignore);
 
@@ -1145,7 +1153,9 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
 
         if (old != null) {
             // Cancel the ticker if it's still running
-            mTicker.removeEntry(old);
+            if (mTickerEnabled) {
+                mTicker.removeEntry(old);
+            }
 
             // Recalculate the position of the sliding windows and the titles.
             updateExpandedViewPos(EXPANDED_LEAVE_ALONE);
@@ -2118,6 +2128,8 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
 
     @Override
     protected void tick(StatusBarNotification n, boolean firstTime) {
+        if (!mTickerEnabled) return;
+
         // no ticking in lights-out mode
         if (!areLightsOn()) return;
 
@@ -2134,7 +2146,7 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
         if (n.getNotification().tickerText != null && mStatusBarWindow != null
                 && mStatusBarWindow.getWindowToken() != null) {
             if (0 == (mDisabled & (StatusBarManager.DISABLE_NOTIFICATION_ICONS
-                            | StatusBarManager.DISABLE_NOTIFICATION_TICKER))) {
+                    | StatusBarManager.DISABLE_NOTIFICATION_TICKER))) {
                 mTicker.addEntry(n);
             }
         }
@@ -2143,10 +2155,14 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
     private class MyTicker extends Ticker {
         MyTicker(Context context, View sb) {
             super(context, sb);
+            if (!mTickerEnabled) {
+                Log.w(TAG, "MyTicker instantiated with mTickerEnabled=false", new Throwable());
+            }
         }
 
         @Override
         public void tickerStarting() {
+            if (!mTickerEnabled) return;
             mTicking = true;
             mStatusBarContents.setVisibility(View.GONE);
             mTickerView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
@@ -2156,6 +2172,7 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
 
         @Override
         public void tickerDone() {
+            if (!mTickerEnabled) return;
             mStatusBarContents.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
             mTickerView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
             mStatusBarContents.startAnimation(loadAnim(com.android.internal.R.anim.push_down_in, null));
@@ -2164,6 +2181,7 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
         }
 
         public void tickerHalting() {
+            if (!mTickerEnabled) return;
             if (mStatusBarContents.getVisibility() != View.VISIBLE) {
                 mStatusBarContents.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                 mStatusBarContents
@@ -2202,11 +2220,14 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
             pw.println("Current Status Bar state:");
             pw.println("  mExpandedVisible=" + mExpandedVisible
                     + ", mTrackingPosition=" + mTrackingPosition);
-            pw.println("  mTicking=" + mTicking);
+            pw.println("  mTickerEnabled=" + mTickerEnabled);
+            if (mTickerEnabled) {
+                pw.println("  mTicking=" + mTicking);
+                pw.println("  mTickerView: " + viewInfo(mTickerView));
+            }
             pw.println("  mTracking=" + mTracking);
             pw.println("  mDisplayMetrics=" + mDisplayMetrics);
             pw.println("  mStackScroller: " + viewInfo(mStackScroller));
-            pw.println("  mTickerView: " + viewInfo(mTickerView));
             pw.println("  mStackScroller: " + viewInfo(mStackScroller)
                     + " scroll " + mStackScroller.getScrollX()
                     + "," + mStackScroller.getScrollY());
@@ -2676,7 +2697,9 @@ public class PhoneStatusBar extends BaseStatusBar implements DemoMode,
 
     @Override
     protected void haltTicker() {
-        mTicker.halt();
+        if (mTickerEnabled) {
+            mTicker.halt();
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/TickerView.java b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/TickerView.java
index 8aa3837ea2ad3..bf1375134fffd 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/TickerView.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/statusbar/phone/TickerView.java
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class TickerView extends TextSwitcher
     @Override
     protected void onSizeChanged(int w, int h, int oldw, int oldh) {
         super.onSizeChanged(w, h, oldw, oldh);
-        mTicker.reflowText();
+        if (mTicker != null) mTicker.reflowText();
     }
 
     public void setTicker(Ticker t) {