diff --git a/include/gui/ISurfaceTexture.h b/include/gui/ISurfaceTexture.h
index 77d37f1..168310c 100644
--- a/include/gui/ISurfaceTexture.h
+++ b/include/gui/ISurfaceTexture.h
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@
 
     virtual status_t setCrop(const Rect& reg) = 0;
     virtual status_t setTransform(uint32_t transform) = 0;
+
+    // getAllocator retrieves the binder object that must be referenced as long
+    // as the GraphicBuffers dequeued from this ISurfaceTexture are referenced.
+    // Holding this binder reference prevents SurfaceFlinger from freeing the
+    // buffers before the client is done with them.
+    virtual sp<IBinder> getAllocator() = 0;
 };
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/include/gui/SurfaceTexture.h b/include/gui/SurfaceTexture.h
index 79c33f5..31615d0 100644
--- a/include/gui/SurfaceTexture.h
+++ b/include/gui/SurfaceTexture.h
@@ -101,6 +101,12 @@
     // when a new frame becomes available.
     void setFrameAvailableListener(const sp<FrameAvailableListener>& l);
 
+    // getAllocator retrieves the binder object that must be referenced as long
+    // as the GraphicBuffers dequeued from this SurfaceTexture are referenced.
+    // Holding this binder reference prevents SurfaceFlinger from freeing the
+    // buffers before the client is done with them.
+    sp<IBinder> getAllocator();
+
 private:
 
     // freeAllBuffers frees the resources (both GraphicBuffer and EGLImage) for
diff --git a/include/gui/SurfaceTextureClient.h b/include/gui/SurfaceTextureClient.h
index dd1d490..ff2251d 100644
--- a/include/gui/SurfaceTextureClient.h
+++ b/include/gui/SurfaceTextureClient.h
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@
     // interactions with the server using this interface.
     sp<ISurfaceTexture> mSurfaceTexture;
 
+    // mAllocator is the binder object that is referenced to prevent the
+    // dequeued buffers from being freed prematurely.
+    sp<IBinder> mAllocator;
+
     // mSlots stores the buffers that have been allocated for each buffer slot.
     // It is initialized to null pointers, and gets filled in with the result of
     // ISurfaceTexture::requestBuffer when the client dequeues a buffer from a