diff --git a/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java b/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
index 09cafc557..fc6c5ad23 100644
--- a/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
+++ b/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ public class SDLActivity extends Activity implements View.OnSystemUiVisibilityCh
 
         // Get our current screen orientation and pass it down.
         mCurrentOrientation = SDLActivity.getCurrentOrientation();
+        // FIXME: with only one activity, SDL Thread is not yet started and this onNativeOrientationChanged() is ignored
         SDLActivity.onNativeOrientationChanged(mCurrentOrientation);
 
         setContentView(mLayout);
diff --git a/src/core/android/SDL_android.c b/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
index 8613d4565..96bab018c 100644
--- a/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
+++ b/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
@@ -583,8 +583,11 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL SDL_JAVA_INTERFACE(onNativeOrientationChanged)(
                                     JNIEnv *env, jclass jcls,
                                     jint orientation)
 {
-    SDL_VideoDisplay *display = SDL_GetDisplay(0);
-    SDL_SendDisplayEvent(display, SDL_DISPLAYEVENT_ORIENTATION, orientation);
+    SDL_VideoDevice *_this = SDL_GetVideoDevice();
+    if (_this) {
+        SDL_VideoDisplay *display = SDL_GetDisplay(0);
+        SDL_SendDisplayEvent(display, SDL_DISPLAYEVENT_ORIENTATION, orientation);
+    }
 }
 
 /* Paddown */