diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/examples/NavigationPlayground/js/SimpleTabs.js b/packages/react-navigation/examples/NavigationPlayground/js/SimpleTabs.js
index a46fe2a8..48d9d0e8 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/examples/NavigationPlayground/js/SimpleTabs.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/examples/NavigationPlayground/js/SimpleTabs.js
@@ -163,6 +163,8 @@ const SimpleTabs = TabNavigator(
     },
   },
   {
+    lazy: true,
+    removeClippedSubviews: true,
     tabBarOptions: {
       activeTintColor: Platform.OS === 'ios' ? '#e91e63' : '#fff',
     },
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js b/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
index 7a43facf..98c15165 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/flow/react-navigation.js
@@ -833,6 +833,8 @@ declare module 'react-navigation' {
   declare type _TabNavigatorConfig = {|
     ...NavigationTabRouterConfig,
     ..._TabViewConfig,
+    lazy?: boolean,
+    removeClippedSubviews?: boolean,
     containerOptions?: void,
   |};
   declare export function TabNavigator(
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/TabNavigator.js b/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/TabNavigator.js
index f8a3ede2..623a806a 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/TabNavigator.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/TabNavigator.js
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ const TabNavigator = (routeConfigs, config = {}) => {
     tabBarComponent,
     tabBarPosition,
     tabBarOptions,
+    lazy,
+    removeClippedSubviews,
     swipeEnabled,
     animationEnabled,
     configureTransition,
@@ -31,6 +33,8 @@ const TabNavigator = (routeConfigs, config = {}) => {
   const navigator = createNavigator(router, routeConfigs, config)(props => (
     <TabView
       {...props}
+      lazy={lazy}
+      removeClippedSubviews={removeClippedSubviews}
       tabBarComponent={tabBarComponent}
       tabBarPosition={tabBarPosition}
       tabBarOptions={tabBarOptions}
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabNavigator-test.js.snap b/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabNavigator-test.js.snap
index 4e6511f1..151cdf72 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabNavigator-test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/navigators/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabNavigator-test.js.snap
@@ -55,13 +55,23 @@ exports[`TabNavigator renders successfully 1`] = `
       testID={undefined}
     >
       <View
+        collapsable={false}
+        removeClippedSubviews={false}
         style={
           Object {
             "flex": 1,
             "overflow": "hidden",
           }
         }
-      />
+      >
+        <View
+          style={
+            Object {
+              "flex": 1,
+            }
+          }
+        />
+      </View>
     </View>
   </View>
   <View
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/ResourceSavingSceneView.js b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/ResourceSavingSceneView.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b354d904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/ResourceSavingSceneView.js
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { Platform, StyleSheet, View } from 'react-native';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+
+import SceneView from './SceneView';
+
+const FAR_FAR_AWAY = 3000; // this should be big enough to move the whole view out of its container
+
+export default class ResourceSavingSceneView extends React.PureComponent {
+  constructor(props) {
+    super();
+
+    const key = props.childNavigation.state.key;
+    const focusedIndex = props.navigation.state.index;
+    const focusedKey = props.navigation.state.routes[focusedIndex].key;
+    const isFocused = key === focusedKey;
+
+    this.state = {
+      awake: props.lazy ? isFocused : true,
+      visible: isFocused,
+    };
+  }
+
+  componentWillMount() {
+    this._actionListener = this.props.navigation.addListener(
+      'action',
+      this._onAction
+    );
+  }
+
+  componentWillUnmount() {
+    this._actionListener.remove();
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    const { visible, awake } = this.state;
+    const {
+      childNavigation,
+      navigation,
+      removeClippedSubviews,
+      lazy,
+      ...rest
+    } = this.props;
+
+    return (
+      <View
+        style={styles.container}
+        collapsable={false}
+        removeClippedSubviews={
+          Platform.OS === 'android'
+            ? removeClippedSubviews
+            : !visible && removeClippedSubviews
+        }
+      >
+        <View style={visible ? styles.innerAttached : styles.innerDetached}>
+          {awake ? <SceneView {...rest} navigation={navigation} /> : null}
+        </View>
+      </View>
+    );
+  }
+
+  _onAction = payload => {
+    // We do not care about transition complete events, they won't actually change the state
+    if (
+      payload.action.type == 'Navigation/COMPLETE_TRANSITION' ||
+      !payload.state
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const { routes, index } = payload.state;
+    const key = this.props.childNavigation.state.key;
+
+    if (routes[index].key === key) {
+      if (!this.state.visible) {
+        let nextState = { visible: true };
+        if (!this.state.awake) {
+          nextState.awake = true;
+        }
+        this.setState(nextState);
+      }
+    } else {
+      if (this.state.visible) {
+        this.setState({ visible: false });
+      }
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+const styles = StyleSheet.create({
+  container: {
+    flex: 1,
+    overflow: 'hidden',
+  },
+  innerAttached: {
+    flex: 1,
+  },
+  innerDetached: {
+    flex: 1,
+    top: FAR_FAR_AWAY,
+  },
+});
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/TabView/TabView.js b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/TabView/TabView.js
index f5dd5a84..41818c03 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/TabView/TabView.js
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/TabView/TabView.js
@@ -3,11 +3,13 @@ import { View, StyleSheet, Platform } from 'react-native';
 import { TabViewAnimated, TabViewPagerPan } from 'react-native-tab-view';
 import SafeAreaView from 'react-native-safe-area-view';
 
-import SceneView from '../SceneView';
+import ResourceSavingSceneView from '../ResourceSavingSceneView';
 import withCachedChildNavigation from '../../withCachedChildNavigation';
 
 class TabView extends React.PureComponent {
   static defaultProps = {
+    lazy: true,
+    removedClippedSubviews: true,
     // fix for https://github.com/react-native-community/react-native-tab-view/issues/312
     initialLayout: Platform.select({
       android: { width: 1, height: 0 },
@@ -26,13 +28,14 @@ class TabView extends React.PureComponent {
       route.routeName
     );
     return (
-      <View style={styles.page}>
-        <SceneView
-          screenProps={screenProps}
-          component={TabComponent}
-          navigation={childNavigation}
-        />
-      </View>
+      <ResourceSavingSceneView
+        lazy={this.props.lazy}
+        removeClippedSubViews={this.props.removeClippedSubviews}
+        screenProps={screenProps}
+        component={TabComponent}
+        navigation={this.props.navigation}
+        childNavigation={childNavigation}
+      />
     );
   };
 
@@ -189,9 +192,4 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create({
   container: {
     flex: 1,
   },
-
-  page: {
-    flex: 1,
-    overflow: 'hidden',
-  },
 });
diff --git a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabView-test.js.snap b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabView-test.js.snap
index a5527dff..9c5f2000 100644
--- a/packages/react-navigation/src/views/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabView-test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/react-navigation/src/views/__tests__/__snapshots__/TabView-test.js.snap
@@ -225,6 +225,8 @@ exports[`TabBarBottom renders successfully 1`] = `
         testID={undefined}
       >
         <View
+          collapsable={false}
+          removeClippedSubviews={false}
           style={
             Object {
               "flex": 1,
@@ -233,25 +235,30 @@ exports[`TabBarBottom renders successfully 1`] = `
           }
         >
           <View
-            navigation={
+            style={
               Object {
-                "addListener": [Function],
-                "dispatch": undefined,
-                "goBack": [Function],
-                "navigate": [Function],
-                "pop": [Function],
-                "popToTop": [Function],
-                "push": [Function],
-                "replace": [Function],
-                "setParams": [Function],
-                "state": Object {
-                  "key": "s1",
-                  "routeName": "s1",
-                },
+                "flex": 1,
               }
             }
-            screenProps={undefined}
-          />
+          >
+            <View
+              navigation={
+                Object {
+                  "addListener": [Function],
+                  "state": Object {
+                    "index": 0,
+                    "routes": Array [
+                      Object {
+                        "key": "s1",
+                        "routeName": "s1",
+                      },
+                    ],
+                  },
+                }
+              }
+              screenProps={undefined}
+            />
+          </View>
         </View>
       </View>
     </RCTScrollContentView>