diff --git a/android/titanium/src/java/org/appcelerator/titanium/proxy/ActionBarProxy.java b/android/titanium/src/java/org/appcelerator/titanium/proxy/ActionBarProxy.java
index 988e87c6746..3d29ce309e2 100644
--- a/android/titanium/src/java/org/appcelerator/titanium/proxy/ActionBarProxy.java
+++ b/android/titanium/src/java/org/appcelerator/titanium/proxy/ActionBarProxy.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import org.appcelerator.titanium.TiC;
 import org.appcelerator.titanium.util.TiConvert;
 import org.appcelerator.titanium.util.TiUIHelper;
+import org.appcelerator.titanium.view.TiDrawableReference;
 
 @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
 @Kroll.proxy(propertyAccessors = { TiC.PROPERTY_ON_HOME_ICON_ITEM_SELECTED, TiC.PROPERTY_CUSTOM_VIEW })
@@ -102,6 +103,17 @@ public void setBackgroundImage(String url)
 			actionBar.setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(showTitleEnabled);
 
 			actionBar.setBackgroundDrawable(backgroundImage);
+		} else {
+			// fallback check with TiDrawableReference
+			TiDrawableReference source = TiDrawableReference.fromUrl(this, url);
+			if (source.getDrawable() != null) {
+				actionBar.setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(!showTitleEnabled);
+				actionBar.setDisplayShowTitleEnabled(showTitleEnabled);
+				actionBar.setBackgroundDrawable(source.getDrawable());
+			} else {
+				// fail - show error
+				Log.e(TAG, "Image " + url + " not found");
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/apidoc/Titanium/Android/ActionBar.yml b/apidoc/Titanium/Android/ActionBar.yml
index 2450257cbde..db9f36e9bb5 100644
--- a/apidoc/Titanium/Android/ActionBar.yml
+++ b/apidoc/Titanium/Android/ActionBar.yml
@@ -55,6 +55,15 @@ examples:
         </Alloy>
         ```
 
+
+        `app/controllers/index.js`:
+        ```
+        function doMenuClick() {}
+        function openSettings() {}
+        function doSearch() {}
+        $.index.open();
+        ```
+
         `app/styles/index.tss`:
         ```
         "MenuItem": {
@@ -85,7 +94,7 @@ examples:
             win.activity.onCreate = () => {
                 const actionBar = win.activity.actionBar;
                 if (actionBar) {
-                    actionBar.backgroundImage = "/bg.png";
+                    actionBar.backgroundImage = Ti.Filesystem.getFile(Ti.Filesystem.resourcesDirectory, 'bg.png').nativePath;
                     actionBar.title = "New Title";
                     actionBar.onHomeIconItemSelected = () => {
                         Ti.API.info("Home icon clicked!");