diff --git a/Libraries/Components/WebView/WebView.ios.js b/Libraries/Components/WebView/WebView.ios.js
index a3d457bfdb6f2d..12bf1954ab8683 100644
--- a/Libraries/Components/WebView/WebView.ios.js
+++ b/Libraries/Components/WebView/WebView.ios.js
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ var WebView = React.createClass({
      * user can change the scale
      */
     scalesPageToFit: PropTypes.bool,
+    externalHTTPEnabled: PropTypes.bool
   },
 
   getInitialState: function() {
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ var WebView = React.createClass({
         onLoadingFinish={this.onLoadingFinish}
         onLoadingError={this.onLoadingError}
         scalesPageToFit={this.props.scalesPageToFit}
+        externalHTTPEnabled={this.props.externalHTTPEnabled}
       />;
 
     return (
diff --git a/React/Views/RCTWebView.h b/React/Views/RCTWebView.h
index fdb192a39f3f31..ed1e782c9b25c7 100644
--- a/React/Views/RCTWebView.h
+++ b/React/Views/RCTWebView.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ extern NSString *const RCTJSNavigationScheme;
 @property (nonatomic, assign) UIEdgeInsets contentInset;
 @property (nonatomic, assign) BOOL automaticallyAdjustContentInsets;
 @property (nonatomic, copy) NSString *injectedJavaScript;
+@property (nonatomic, assign) BOOL externalHTTPEnabled;
 
 - (void)goForward;
 - (void)goBack;
diff --git a/React/Views/RCTWebView.m b/React/Views/RCTWebView.m
index 46d47c8955fee7..29fc42b77883bf 100644
--- a/React/Views/RCTWebView.m
+++ b/React/Views/RCTWebView.m
@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@ - (void)refreshContentInset
 - (BOOL)webView:(__unused UIWebView *)webView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:(NSURLRequest *)request
  navigationType:(UIWebViewNavigationType)navigationType
 {
+  if ( _externalHTTPEnabled && navigationType == UIWebViewNavigationTypeLinkClicked &&
+      [request.URL.scheme hasPrefix:@"http"]) {
+    [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[request URL]];
+    return NO;
+  }
   if (_onLoadingStart) {
     // We have this check to filter out iframe requests and whatnot
     BOOL isTopFrame = [request.URL isEqual:request.mainDocumentURL];
diff --git a/React/Views/RCTWebViewManager.m b/React/Views/RCTWebViewManager.m
index 8779a970baa81d..478af75ad4d41e 100644
--- a/React/Views/RCTWebViewManager.m
+++ b/React/Views/RCTWebViewManager.m
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ - (UIView *)view
 RCT_EXPORT_VIEW_PROPERTY(onLoadingStart, RCTDirectEventBlock);
 RCT_EXPORT_VIEW_PROPERTY(onLoadingFinish, RCTDirectEventBlock);
 RCT_EXPORT_VIEW_PROPERTY(onLoadingError, RCTDirectEventBlock);
+RCT_EXPORT_VIEW_PROPERTY(externalHTTPEnabled, BOOL);
 
 - (NSDictionary *)constantsToExport
 {