diff --git a/app/ios.js b/app/ios.js
index 7ab12615b..cb5334143 100644
--- a/app/ios.js
+++ b/app/ios.js
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ IOS.prototype.click = function(elementId, cb) {
       this.executeAtom('tap', [atomsElement], cb);
     }, this));
   } else {
-    var command = ["au.getElement('", elementId, "').tap()"].join('');
+    var command = ["au.tapById('", elementId, "')"].join('');
     this.proxy(command, cb);
   }
 };
diff --git a/app/uiauto/appium/app.js b/app/uiauto/appium/app.js
index 7cf3ab47e..4511bc805 100644
--- a/app/uiauto/appium/app.js
+++ b/app/uiauto/appium/app.js
@@ -13,10 +13,25 @@ $.extend(au, {
   , mainWindow: UIATarget.localTarget().frontMostApp().mainWindow()
   , mainApp: UIATarget.localTarget().frontMostApp()
   , keyboard: function() { return UIATarget.localTarget().frontMostApp().keyboard(); }
+  , tapById: function(elementId, cb) {
+      var element = this.getElement(elementId);
+      if (element) {
+        element.tap();
+        return {
+          status: codes.Success.code,
+          value: null
+        };
+      } else {
+        return {
+          status: codes.UnknownError.code,
+          value: 'elementId ' + elementId + ' is null and can\'t be tapped.'
+        };
+      }
+    }
 
   // Screen-related functions
 
-  , getScreenOrientation: function () {
+  , getScreenOrientation: function() {
       var orientation = $.orientation()
         , value = null;
       switch (orientation) {