diff --git a/src/plugins/backgroundmode.ts b/src/plugins/backgroundmode.ts
index 9db7f4c866..ae0c775401 100644
--- a/src/plugins/backgroundmode.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/backgroundmode.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-import { Cordova, Plugin } from './plugin';
+import { Cordova, CordovaFunctionOverride, Plugin } from './plugin';
+
+import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable';
 
 /**
 * @name Background Mode
@@ -80,17 +82,25 @@ export class BackgroundMode {
   @Cordova({
     platforms: ['Android']
   })
-  static update(options?: Configure): void { }
+  static configure(options?: Configure): void { }
 
   /**
-  * Sets a callback for a specific event
-  * Can be used to get notified or run function when the background mode has been activated, deactivated or failed.
-  * @param {string} eventName The name of the event. Available events: activate, deactivate, failure
+  * Called when background mode is activated.
   */
-  @Cordova({
-    sync: true
-  })
-  static on(eventName: string, callback: any): void { }
+  @CordovaFunctionOverride()
+  static onactivate(): Observable<any> { return; };
+
+  /**
+  * Called when background mode is deactivated.
+  */
+  @CordovaFunctionOverride()
+  static ondeactivate(): Observable<any> { return; };
+
+  /**
+  * Called when background mode fails
+  */
+  @CordovaFunctionOverride()
+  static onfailure(): Observable<any> { return; };
 
 }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/plugin.ts b/src/plugins/plugin.ts
index 55b3ff0c19..a0acfc9cc3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/plugin.ts
@@ -230,6 +230,47 @@ function wrapEventObservable(event: string): Observable<any> {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Certain plugins expect the user to override methods in the plugin. For example,
+ * window.cordova.plugins.backgroundMode.onactivate = function() { ... }.
+ *
+ * Unfortunately, this is brittle and would be better wrapped as an Observable. overrideFunction
+ * does just this.
+ */
+function overrideFunction(pluginObj: any, methodName: string, args: any[], opts: any = {}): Observable<any> {
+  return new Observable(observer => {
+
+    let pluginInstance = getPlugin(pluginObj.pluginRef);
+
+    if (!pluginInstance) {
+      // Do this check in here in the case that the Web API for this plugin is available (for example, Geolocation).
+      if (!window.cordova) {
+        cordovaWarn(pluginObj.name, methodName);
+        observer.error({
+          error: 'cordova_not_available'
+        });
+      }
+
+      pluginWarn(pluginObj, methodName);
+      observer.error({
+        error: 'plugin_not_installed'
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    let method = pluginInstance[methodName];
+    if (!method) {
+      observer.error({
+        error: 'no_such_method'
+      });
+      observer.complete();
+      return;
+    }
+    pluginInstance[methodName] = observer.next.bind(observer);
+  });
+}
+
+
 /**
  * @private
  * @param pluginObj
@@ -364,3 +405,19 @@ export function InstanceProperty(target: any, key: string, descriptor: TypedProp
 
   return descriptor;
 }
+
+/**
+ * @private
+ *
+ * Wrap a stub function in a call to a Cordova plugin, checking if both Cordova
+ * and the required plugin are installed.
+ */
+export function CordovaFunctionOverride(opts: any = {}) {
+  return (target: Object, methodName: string, descriptor: TypedPropertyDescriptor<any>) => {
+    return {
+      value: function(...args: any[]) {
+        return overrideFunction(this, methodName, opts);
+      }
+    };
+  };
+}