diff --git a/mobile/android/geckoview/src/main/java/org/mozilla/gecko/GeckoInputConnection.java b/mobile/android/geckoview/src/main/java/org/mozilla/gecko/GeckoInputConnection.java
index 549dd4a63c52..a80be0bce74a 100644
--- a/mobile/android/geckoview/src/main/java/org/mozilla/gecko/GeckoInputConnection.java
+++ b/mobile/android/geckoview/src/main/java/org/mozilla/gecko/GeckoInputConnection.java
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import android.content.res.Configuration;
 import android.graphics.Matrix;
 import android.graphics.RectF;
 import android.media.AudioManager;
-import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.os.Handler;
 import android.os.Looper;
 import android.os.SystemClock;
@@ -172,29 +171,6 @@ class GeckoInputConnection
         return true;
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public boolean performPrivateCommand(final String action, final Bundle data) {
-        switch (action) {
-            case "process-gecko-events":
-                // Process all currently pending Gecko thread events before returning.
-
-                final Editable editable = getEditable();
-                if (editable == null) {
-                    return false;
-                }
-
-                // Removing an invalid span is essentially a no-op, but it does force the
-                // current thread to wait for the Gecko thread when we call length(), in order
-                // to process the removeSpan event. Once Gecko thread processes the removeSpan
-                // event, all previous events in the Gecko event queue would have been
-                // processed as well.
-                editable.removeSpan(null);
-                editable.length();
-                return true;
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public ExtractedText getExtractedText(ExtractedTextRequest req, int flags) {
         if (req == null)
diff --git a/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/components/GeckoViewComponent.java b/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/components/GeckoViewComponent.java
index 3d61c9cfd582..3beab3169a8f 100644
--- a/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/components/GeckoViewComponent.java
+++ b/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/components/GeckoViewComponent.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import static org.mozilla.gecko.tests.helpers.AssertionHelper.fAssertNotSame;
 import static org.mozilla.gecko.tests.helpers.AssertionHelper.fAssertSame;
 import static org.mozilla.gecko.tests.helpers.AssertionHelper.fAssertTrue;
 
+import org.mozilla.gecko.GeckoThread;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.R;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.tests.UITestContext;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.tests.helpers.FrameworkHelper;
@@ -118,12 +119,11 @@ public class GeckoViewComponent extends BaseComponent {
          * Processes pending events on the Gecko thread before returning.
          * Must be called on the input connection thread during a test.
          */
-        protected void processGeckoEvents(final InputConnection ic) {
+        protected void processGeckoEvents() {
             fAssertSame("Should be called on input connection thread",
                     Looper.myLooper(), inputConnectionHandler.getLooper());
 
-            fAssertTrue("Should be able to process Gecko events",
-                    ic.performPrivateCommand("process-gecko-events", null));
+            GeckoThread.waitOnGecko();
         }
 
         private static ExtractedText getExtractedText(final InputConnection ic) {
diff --git a/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/testInputConnection.java b/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/testInputConnection.java
index add82090b996..206c10f29492 100644
--- a/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/testInputConnection.java
+++ b/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/src/org/mozilla/gecko/tests/testInputConnection.java
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can set the composing text", ic, "bad", 3);
             getJS().asyncCall("test_reflush_changes");
             // Wait for text change notifications to come in.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can re-flush text changes", ic, "good", 4);
             ic.setComposingText("done", 1);
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can update composition after re-flushing", ic, "done", 4);
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can set the composing text", ic, "foobar", 6);
             getJS().asyncCall("test_set_selection");
             // Wait for text change notifications to come in.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can select after committing", ic, "foobar", 3);
             ic.setComposingText("barfoo", 1);
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can compose after selecting", ic, "barfoo", 6);
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can clear text", ic, "", 0);
 
             // Make sure we don't leave behind stale events for the following test.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
         }
     }
@@ -275,21 +275,21 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             // and the input connection thread. Therefore, to ensure these events are
             // issued and to ensure the bug appears, we have to process all Gecko events,
             // then all input connection events, and finally all Gecko events again.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can set composing region (resetting)", ic, "foo", 3);
 
             ic.setComposingText("foobar", 1);
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can change composing text (resetting)", ic, "foobar", 6);
 
             ic.setComposingText("baz", 1);
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can reset composing text (resetting)", ic, "baz", 3);
 
             ic.finishComposingText();
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can clear text", ic, "", 0);
 
             // Make sure we don't leave behind stale events for the following test.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
         }
     }
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ public class testInputConnection extends JavascriptBridgeTest {
             assertTextAndSelectionAt("Can handle hiding input", ic, "foo", 3);
 
             // Make sure we don't leave behind stale events for the following test.
-            processGeckoEvents(ic);
+            processGeckoEvents();
             processInputConnectionEvents();
         }
     }