diff --git a/js/ui/status/keyboard.js b/js/ui/status/keyboard.js
index 2e85561e8..fbf56c02d 100644
--- a/js/ui/status/keyboard.js
+++ b/js/ui/status/keyboard.js
@@ -33,6 +33,33 @@ const KEY_INPUT_SOURCES = 'sources';
 const INPUT_SOURCE_TYPE_XKB = 'xkb';
 const INPUT_SOURCE_TYPE_IBUS = 'ibus';
 
+// This is the longest we'll keep the keyboard frozen until an input
+// source is active.
+const MAX_INPUT_SOURCE_ACTIVATION_TIME = 4000; // ms
+
+const BUS_NAME = 'org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Keyboard';
+const OBJECT_PATH = '/org/gnome/SettingsDaemon/Keyboard';
+
+const KeyboardManagerInterface =
+<interface name="org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Keyboard">
+<method name="SetInputSource">
+    <arg type="u" direction="in" />
+</method>
+</interface>;
+
+const KeyboardManagerProxy = Gio.DBusProxy.makeProxyWrapper(KeyboardManagerInterface);
+
+function releaseKeyboard() {
+    if (Main.modalCount > 0)
+        global.display.unfreeze_keyboard(global.get_current_time());
+    else
+        global.display.ungrab_keyboard(global.get_current_time());
+}
+
+function holdKeyboard() {
+    global.freeze_keyboard(global.get_current_time());
+}
+
 const IBusManager = new Lang.Class({
     Name: 'IBusManager',
 
@@ -356,6 +383,13 @@ const InputSourceIndicator = new Lang.Class({
         this._ibusManager.connect('property-updated', Lang.bind(this, this._ibusPropertyUpdated));
         this._inputSourcesChanged();
 
+        this._keyboardManager = new KeyboardManagerProxy(Gio.DBus.session, BUS_NAME, OBJECT_PATH,
+                                                         function(proxy, error) {
+                                                             if (error)
+                                                                 log(error.message);
+                                                         });
+        this._keyboardManager.g_default_timeout = MAX_INPUT_SOURCE_ACTIVATION_TIME;
+
         this.menu.addMenuItem(new PopupMenu.PopupSeparatorMenuItem());
         this._showLayoutItem = this.menu.addAction(_("Show Keyboard Layout"), Lang.bind(this, this._showLayout));
 
@@ -479,10 +513,8 @@ const InputSourceIndicator = new Lang.Class({
             let is = new InputSource(type, id, displayName, shortName, i);
 
             is.connect('activate', Lang.bind(this, function() {
-                if (this._currentSource && this._currentSource.index == is.index)
-                    return;
-                this._settings.set_value(KEY_CURRENT_INPUT_SOURCE,
-                                         GLib.Variant.new_uint32(is.index));
+                holdKeyboard();
+                this._keyboardManager.SetInputSourceRemote(is.index, releaseKeyboard);
             }));
 
             if (!(is.shortName in inputSourcesByShortName))
diff --git a/src/shell-global.c b/src/shell-global.c
index 889e14612..74af6cd14 100644
--- a/src/shell-global.c
+++ b/src/shell-global.c
@@ -1009,6 +1009,13 @@ shell_global_end_modal (ShellGlobal *global,
   meta_plugin_end_modal (global->plugin, timestamp);
 }
 
+void
+shell_global_freeze_keyboard (ShellGlobal *global,
+                              guint32      timestamp)
+{
+  meta_display_freeze_keyboard (global->meta_display, global->stage_xwindow, timestamp);
+}
+
 /* Code to close all file descriptors before we exec; copied from gspawn.c in GLib.
  *
  * Authors: Padraig O'Briain, Matthias Clasen, Lennart Poettering
diff --git a/src/shell-global.h b/src/shell-global.h
index a8df0f5bc..046d0edcb 100644
--- a/src/shell-global.h
+++ b/src/shell-global.h
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ gboolean shell_global_begin_modal            (ShellGlobal         *global,
                                               MetaModalOptions    options);
 void     shell_global_end_modal              (ShellGlobal         *global,
                                               guint32              timestamp);
+void     shell_global_freeze_keyboard        (ShellGlobal         *global,
+                                              guint32              timestamp);
 
 typedef enum {
   SHELL_STAGE_INPUT_MODE_NONREACTIVE,