diff --git a/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/MapView.java b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/MapView.java
index 12e4c675e..62c273a51 100644
--- a/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/MapView.java
+++ b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/MapView.java
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ package com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.graphics.PointF;
-import android.os.Build;
 import android.opengl.GLSurfaceView;
+import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.support.annotation.CallSuper;
 import android.support.annotation.IntDef;
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.annotations.Annotation;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.annotations.MarkerViewManager;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.constants.MapboxConstants;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.constants.Style;
-import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.egl.EGLConfigChooser;
+import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.renderer.GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.renderer.MapRenderer;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.widgets.CompassView;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.widgets.MyLocationView;
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ import timber.log.Timber;
 
 import static com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.widgets.CompassView.TIME_MAP_NORTH_ANIMATION;
 import static com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.widgets.CompassView.TIME_WAIT_IDLE;
-import static android.opengl.GLSurfaceView.RENDERMODE_WHEN_DIRTY;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -86,7 +85,7 @@ public class MapView extends FrameLayout {
   private Bundle savedInstanceState;
   private final CopyOnWriteArrayList<OnMapChangedListener> onMapChangedListeners = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
 
-  private GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView;
+  private MapRenderer mapRenderer;
 
   @UiThread
   public MapView(@NonNull Context context) {
@@ -286,12 +285,10 @@ public class MapView extends FrameLayout {
   }
 
   private void initialiseDrawingSurface() {
-    glSurfaceView = (GLSurfaceView) findViewById(R.id.surfaceView);
+    GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView = (GLSurfaceView) findViewById(R.id.surfaceView);
     glSurfaceView.setZOrderMediaOverlay(mapboxMapOptions.getRenderSurfaceOnTop());
-    glSurfaceView.setEGLContextClientVersion(2);
-    glSurfaceView.setEGLConfigChooser(new EGLConfigChooser());
 
-    MapRenderer mapRenderer = new MapRenderer(getContext(), glSurfaceView) {
+    GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer mapRenderer = new GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer(getContext(), glSurfaceView) {
       @Override
       public void onSurfaceCreated(GL10 gl, EGLConfig config) {
         MapView.this.post(new Runnable() {
@@ -309,10 +306,9 @@ public class MapView extends FrameLayout {
       }
     };
 
-    glSurfaceView.setRenderer(mapRenderer);
-    glSurfaceView.setRenderMode(RENDERMODE_WHEN_DIRTY);
     glSurfaceView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
 
+    this.mapRenderer = mapRenderer;
     nativeMapView = new NativeMapView(this, mapRenderer);
     nativeMapView.resizeView(getMeasuredWidth(), getMeasuredHeight());
   }
@@ -345,8 +341,8 @@ public class MapView extends FrameLayout {
    */
   @UiThread
   public void onResume() {
-    if (glSurfaceView != null) {
-      glSurfaceView.onResume();
+    if (mapRenderer != null) {
+      mapRenderer.onResume();
     }
   }
 
@@ -355,8 +351,8 @@ public class MapView extends FrameLayout {
    */
   @UiThread
   public void onPause() {
-    if (glSurfaceView != null) {
-      glSurfaceView.onPause();
+    if (mapRenderer != null) {
+      mapRenderer.onPause();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer.java b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0ec9f949
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+package com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.renderer;
+
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.opengl.GLSurfaceView;
+
+import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.egl.EGLConfigChooser;
+
+import javax.microedition.khronos.egl.EGLConfig;
+import javax.microedition.khronos.opengles.GL10;
+
+import static android.opengl.GLSurfaceView.RENDERMODE_WHEN_DIRTY;
+
+/**
+ * The {@link GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer} encapsulates the GL thread and
+ * {@link GLSurfaceView} specifics to render the map.
+ *
+ * @see MapRenderer
+ */
+public class GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer extends MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer {
+
+  private final GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView;
+
+  public GLSurfaceViewMapRenderer(Context context, GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView) {
+    super(context);
+    this.glSurfaceView = glSurfaceView;
+    glSurfaceView.setEGLContextClientVersion(2);
+    glSurfaceView.setEGLConfigChooser(new EGLConfigChooser());
+    glSurfaceView.setRenderer(this);
+    glSurfaceView.setRenderMode(RENDERMODE_WHEN_DIRTY);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void onPause() {
+    if (glSurfaceView != null) {
+      glSurfaceView.onPause();
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void onResume() {
+    if (glSurfaceView != null) {
+      glSurfaceView.onResume();
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void onSurfaceCreated(GL10 gl, EGLConfig config) {
+    super.onSurfaceCreated(gl, config);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void onSurfaceChanged(GL10 gl, int width, int height) {
+    super.onSurfaceChanged(gl, width, height);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void onDrawFrame(GL10 gl) {
+    super.onDrawFrame(gl);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * May be called from any thread.
+   * <p>
+   * Called from the renderer frontend to schedule a render.
+   */
+  @Override
+  public void requestRender() {
+    glSurfaceView.requestRender();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * May be called from any thread.
+   * <p>
+   * Schedules work to be performed on the MapRenderer thread.
+   *
+   * @param runnable the runnable to execute
+   */
+  @Override
+  public void queueEvent(Runnable runnable) {
+    glSurfaceView.queueEvent(runnable);
+  }
+
+
+}
diff --git a/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/MapRenderer.java b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/MapRenderer.java
index 3f43522e0..a7c0fa377 100644
--- a/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/MapRenderer.java
+++ b/platform/android/MapboxGLAndroidSDK/src/main/java/com/mapbox/mapboxsdk/maps/renderer/MapRenderer.java
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.renderer;
 
 import android.content.Context;
-import android.opengl.GLSurfaceView;
+import android.support.annotation.CallSuper;
 
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.maps.MapboxMap;
 import com.mapbox.mapboxsdk.storage.FileSource;
@@ -16,17 +16,14 @@ import javax.microedition.khronos.opengles.GL10;
  * render on the one end and acts as a scheduler to request work to
  * be performed on the GL thread on the other.
  */
-public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler {
+public abstract class MapRenderer implements MapRendererScheduler {
 
   // Holds the pointer to the native peer after initialisation
   private long nativePtr = 0;
 
-  private final GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView;
-
   private MapboxMap.OnFpsChangedListener onFpsChangedListener;
 
-  public MapRenderer(Context context, GLSurfaceView glSurfaceView) {
-    this.glSurfaceView = glSurfaceView;
+  public MapRenderer(Context context) {
 
     FileSource fileSource = FileSource.getInstance(context);
     float pixelRatio = context.getResources().getDisplayMetrics().density;
@@ -36,17 +33,26 @@ public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler
     nativeInitialize(this, fileSource, pixelRatio, programCacheDir);
   }
 
+  public void onPause() {
+    // Implement if needed
+  }
+
+  public void onResume() {
+    // Implement if needed
+  }
+
+
   public void setOnFpsChangedListener(MapboxMap.OnFpsChangedListener listener) {
     onFpsChangedListener = listener;
   }
 
-  @Override
-  public void onSurfaceCreated(GL10 gl, EGLConfig config) {
+  @CallSuper
+  protected void onSurfaceCreated(GL10 gl, EGLConfig config) {
     nativeOnSurfaceCreated();
   }
 
-  @Override
-  public void onSurfaceChanged(GL10 gl, int width, int height) {
+  @CallSuper
+  protected void onSurfaceChanged(GL10 gl, int width, int height) {
     if (width < 0) {
       throw new IllegalArgumentException("fbWidth cannot be negative.");
     }
@@ -69,8 +75,8 @@ public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler
     nativeOnSurfaceChanged(width, height);
   }
 
-  @Override
-  public void onDrawFrame(GL10 gl) {
+  @CallSuper
+  protected void onDrawFrame(GL10 gl) {
     nativeRender();
 
     if (onFpsChangedListener != null) {
@@ -78,28 +84,6 @@ public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * May be called from any thread.
-   * <p>
-   * Called from the renderer frontend to schedule a render.
-   */
-  @Override
-  public void requestRender() {
-    glSurfaceView.requestRender();
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * May be called from any thread.
-   * <p>
-   * Schedules work to be performed on the MapRenderer thread.
-   *
-   * @param runnable the runnable to execute
-   */
-  @Override
-  public void queueEvent(Runnable runnable) {
-    glSurfaceView.queueEvent(runnable);
-  }
-
   /**
    * May be called from any thread.
    * <p>
@@ -109,6 +93,7 @@ public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler
    * @param runnable the runnable to execute
    * @see MapRendererRunnable
    */
+  @CallSuper
   void queueEvent(MapRendererRunnable runnable) {
     this.queueEvent((Runnable) runnable);
   }
@@ -118,6 +103,7 @@ public class MapRenderer implements GLSurfaceView.Renderer, MapRendererScheduler
                                        float pixelRatio,
                                        String programCacheDir);
 
+  @CallSuper
   @Override
   protected native void finalize() throws Throwable;