diff --git a/core/java/android/view/Surface.java b/core/java/android/view/Surface.java
index 2b254af..edaa262 100644
--- a/core/java/android/view/Surface.java
+++ b/core/java/android/view/Surface.java
@@ -282,10 +282,24 @@
     /**
      * Copy another surface to this one.  This surface now holds a reference
      * to the same data as the original surface, and is -not- the owner.
+     * This is for use by the window manager when returning a window surface
+     * back from a client, converting it from the representation being managed
+     * by the window manager to the representation the client uses to draw
+     * in to it.
      * @hide
      */
     public native void copyFrom(Surface o);
-    
+
+    /**
+     * Transfer the native state from 'o' to this surface, releasing it
+     * from 'o'.  This is for use in the client side for drawing into a
+     * surface; not guaranteed to work on the window manager side.
+     * This is for use by the client to move the underlying surface from
+     * one Surface object to another, in particular in SurfaceFlinger.
+     * @hide.
+     */
+    public native void transferFrom(Surface o);
+
     /** @hide */
     public int getGenerationId() {
         return mSurfaceGenerationId;
diff --git a/core/java/android/view/SurfaceView.java b/core/java/android/view/SurfaceView.java
index 0e68490..6726c56e 100644
--- a/core/java/android/view/SurfaceView.java
+++ b/core/java/android/view/SurfaceView.java
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@
     final int[] mLocation = new int[2];
     
     final ReentrantLock mSurfaceLock = new ReentrantLock();
-    Surface mSurface = new Surface();       // Current surface in use
-    Surface mNewSurface = new Surface();    // New surface we are switching to
+    final Surface mSurface = new Surface();       // Current surface in use
+    final Surface mNewSurface = new Surface();    // New surface we are switching to
     boolean mDrawingStopped = true;
 
     final WindowManager.LayoutParams mLayout
@@ -519,10 +519,7 @@
                         }
                     }
 
-                    Surface tmpSurface = mSurface;
-                    mSurface = mNewSurface;
-                    mNewSurface = tmpSurface;
-                    mNewSurface.release();
+                    mSurface.transferFrom(mNewSurface);
 
                     if (visible) {
                         if (!mSurfaceCreated && (surfaceChanged || visibleChanged)) {
diff --git a/core/jni/android_view_Surface.cpp b/core/jni/android_view_Surface.cpp
index 49441eb..bba4b47 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_view_Surface.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_view_Surface.cpp
@@ -752,6 +752,25 @@
     }
 }
 
+static void Surface_transferFrom(
+        JNIEnv* env, jobject clazz, jobject other)
+{
+    if (clazz == other)
+        return;
+
+    if (other == NULL) {
+        doThrowNPE(env);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    sp<SurfaceControl> control(getSurfaceControl(env, other));
+    sp<Surface> surface(Surface_getSurface(env, other));
+    setSurfaceControl(env, clazz, control);
+    setSurface(env, clazz, surface);
+    setSurfaceControl(env, other, 0);
+    setSurface(env, other, 0);
+}
+
 static void Surface_readFromParcel(
         JNIEnv* env, jobject clazz, jobject argParcel)
 {
@@ -820,6 +839,7 @@
     {"destroy",             "()V",  (void*)Surface_destroy },
     {"release",             "()V",  (void*)Surface_release },
     {"copyFrom",            "(Landroid/view/Surface;)V",  (void*)Surface_copyFrom },
+    {"transferFrom",        "(Landroid/view/Surface;)V",  (void*)Surface_transferFrom },
     {"isValid",             "()Z",  (void*)Surface_isValid },
     {"lockCanvasNative",    "(Landroid/graphics/Rect;)Landroid/graphics/Canvas;",  (void*)Surface_lockCanvas },
     {"unlockCanvasAndPost", "(Landroid/graphics/Canvas;)V", (void*)Surface_unlockCanvasAndPost },