diff --git a/include/gui/BufferQueueCore.h b/include/gui/BufferQueueCore.h
index 23cd066..e2e73a0 100644
--- a/include/gui/BufferQueueCore.h
+++ b/include/gui/BufferQueueCore.h
@@ -126,9 +126,11 @@
     // waitWhileAllocatingLocked blocks until mIsAllocating is false.
     void waitWhileAllocatingLocked() const;
 
+#if DEBUG_ONLY_CODE
     // validateConsistencyLocked ensures that the free lists are in sync with
     // the information stored in mSlots
     void validateConsistencyLocked() const;
+#endif
 
     // mAllocator is the connection to SurfaceFlinger that is used to allocate
     // new GraphicBuffer objects.
diff --git a/libs/gui/Android.mk b/libs/gui/Android.mk
index 8a965dd..635020e 100644
--- a/libs/gui/Android.mk
+++ b/libs/gui/Android.mk
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 # Don't warn about struct padding
 LOCAL_CPPFLAGS += -Wno-padded
 
+LOCAL_CPPFLAGS += -DDEBUG_ONLY_CODE=$(if $(filter userdebug eng,$(TARGET_BUILD_VARIANT)),1,0)
+
 LOCAL_SRC_FILES := \
 	IGraphicBufferConsumer.cpp \
 	IConsumerListener.cpp \
diff --git a/libs/gui/BufferQueueConsumer.cpp b/libs/gui/BufferQueueConsumer.cpp
index d182f6b..9c1bbe4 100644
--- a/libs/gui/BufferQueueConsumer.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/BufferQueueConsumer.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 #define ATRACE_TAG ATRACE_TAG_GRAPHICS
 //#define LOG_NDEBUG 0
 
+#if DEBUG_ONLY_CODE
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY() do { mCore->validateConsistencyLocked(); } while (0)
+#else
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY()
+#endif
+
 #include <gui/BufferItem.h>
 #include <gui/BufferQueueConsumer.h>
 #include <gui/BufferQueueCore.h>
@@ -252,7 +258,7 @@
 
         ATRACE_INT(mCore->mConsumerName.string(), mCore->mQueue.size());
 
-        mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+        VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     }
 
     if (listener != NULL) {
@@ -296,7 +302,7 @@
     mCore->mFreeSlots.insert(slot);
     mCore->clearBufferSlotLocked(slot);
     mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
@@ -386,7 +392,7 @@
     // for attached buffers.
     mSlots[*outSlot].mAcquireCalled = false;
 
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
@@ -446,7 +452,7 @@
         BQ_LOGV("releaseBuffer: releasing slot %d", slot);
 
         mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
-        mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+        VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     } // Autolock scope
 
     // Call back without lock held
@@ -633,7 +639,7 @@
 
     BQ_LOGV("setMaxAcquiredBufferCount: %d", maxAcquiredBuffers);
     mCore->mMaxAcquiredBufferCount = maxAcquiredBuffers;
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
 
diff --git a/libs/gui/BufferQueueCore.cpp b/libs/gui/BufferQueueCore.cpp
index f02ff5f..5c80694 100644
--- a/libs/gui/BufferQueueCore.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/BufferQueueCore.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 
 #define EGL_EGLEXT_PROTOTYPES
 
+#if DEBUG_ONLY_CODE
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY() do { validateConsistencyLocked(); } while (0)
+#else
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY()
+#endif
+
 #include <inttypes.h>
 
 #include <gui/BufferItem.h>
@@ -216,7 +222,7 @@
         b.mIsStale = true;
     }
 
-    validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 }
 
 bool BufferQueueCore::adjustAvailableSlotsLocked(int delta) {
@@ -258,6 +264,7 @@
     }
 }
 
+#if DEBUG_ONLY_CODE
 void BufferQueueCore::validateConsistencyLocked() const {
     static const useconds_t PAUSE_TIME = 0;
     int allocatedSlots = 0;
@@ -382,5 +389,6 @@
                 mUnusedSlots.size());
     }
 }
+#endif
 
 } // namespace android
diff --git a/libs/gui/BufferQueueProducer.cpp b/libs/gui/BufferQueueProducer.cpp
index 22a2d79..3c06899 100644
--- a/libs/gui/BufferQueueProducer.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/BufferQueueProducer.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 #define ATRACE_TAG ATRACE_TAG_GRAPHICS
 //#define LOG_NDEBUG 0
 
+#if DEBUG_ONLY_CODE
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY() do { mCore->validateConsistencyLocked(); } while (0)
+#else
+#define VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY()
+#endif
+
 #define EGL_EGLEXT_PROTOTYPES
 
 #include <gui/BufferItem.h>
@@ -140,7 +146,7 @@
             return BAD_VALUE;
         }
         mCore->mMaxDequeuedBufferCount = maxDequeuedBuffers;
-        mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+        VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
         mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
         listener = mCore->mConsumerListener;
     } // Autolock scope
@@ -189,7 +195,7 @@
             return BAD_VALUE;
         }
         mCore->mAsyncMode = async;
-        mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+        VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
         mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
         listener = mCore->mConsumerListener;
     } // Autolock scope
@@ -495,7 +501,7 @@
                 return NO_INIT;
             }
 
-            mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+            VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
         } // Autolock scope
     }
 
@@ -566,7 +572,7 @@
     mCore->mFreeSlots.insert(slot);
     mCore->clearBufferSlotLocked(slot);
     mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
@@ -616,7 +622,7 @@
     *outBuffer = mSlots[found].mGraphicBuffer;
     *outFence = mSlots[found].mFence;
     mCore->clearBufferSlotLocked(found);
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
@@ -684,7 +690,7 @@
     mSlots[*outSlot].mRequestBufferCalled = true;
     mSlots[*outSlot].mAcquireCalled = false;
     mCore->mActiveBuffers.insert(found);
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return returnFlags;
 }
@@ -861,7 +867,7 @@
         // Take a ticket for the callback functions
         callbackTicket = mNextCallbackTicket++;
 
-        mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+        VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     } // Autolock scope
 
     // Don't send the GraphicBuffer through the callback, and don't send
@@ -948,7 +954,7 @@
 
     mSlots[slot].mFence = fence;
     mCore->mDequeueCondition.broadcast();
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
 
     return NO_ERROR;
 }
@@ -1087,7 +1093,7 @@
     }
 
     mCore->mAllowAllocation = true;
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     return status;
 }
 
@@ -1252,7 +1258,7 @@
 
             mCore->mIsAllocating = false;
             mCore->mIsAllocatingCondition.broadcast();
-            mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+            VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
         } // Autolock scope
     }
 }
@@ -1316,7 +1322,8 @@
 
     mDequeueTimeout = timeout;
     mCore->mDequeueBufferCannotBlock = false;
-    mCore->validateConsistencyLocked();
+
+    VALIDATE_CONSISTENCY();
     return NO_ERROR;
 }