diff --git a/src/ng/http.js b/src/ng/http.js
index 295ba68263e8..dc097a6f613e 100644
--- a/src/ng/http.js
+++ b/src/ng/http.js
@@ -801,8 +801,12 @@ function $HttpProvider() {
      *    - **headers** – `{Object}` – Map of strings or functions which return strings representing
      *      HTTP headers to send to the server. If the return value of a function is null, the
      *      header will not be sent. Functions accept a config object as an argument.
-     *    - **events** - `{Object}` - Event listeners to be bound to the XMLHttpRequest object.
-     *      To bind events to the XMLHttpRequest upload object, nest it under the upload key.
+     *    - **eventHandlers** - `{Object}` - Event listeners to be bound to the XMLHttpRequest object.
+     *      To bind events to the XMLHttpRequest upload object, use `uploadEventHandlers`.
+     *      The handler will be called in the context of a `$apply` block.
+     *    - **uploadEventHandlers** - `{Object}` - Event listeners to be bound to the XMLHttpRequest upload
+     *      object. To bind events to the XMLHttpRequest object, use `eventHandlers`.
+     *      The handler will be called in the context of a `$apply` block.
      *    - **xsrfHeaderName** – `{string}` – Name of HTTP header to populate with the XSRF token.
      *    - **xsrfCookieName** – `{string}` – Name of cookie containing the XSRF token.
      *    - **transformRequest** –
@@ -1261,11 +1265,31 @@ function $HttpProvider() {
         }
 
         $httpBackend(config.method, url, reqData, done, reqHeaders, config.timeout,
-            config.withCredentials, config.responseType, config.events);
+            config.withCredentials, config.responseType,
+            createApplyHandlers(config.eventHandlers),
+            createApplyHandlers(config.uploadEventHandlers));
       }
 
       return promise;
 
+      function createApplyHandlers(eventHandlers) {
+        if (eventHandlers) {
+          var applyHandlers = {};
+          forEach(eventHandlers, function(eventHandler, key) {
+            applyHandlers[key] = function() {
+              if (useApplyAsync) {
+                $rootScope.$applyAsync(eventHandler);
+              } else if ($rootScope.$$phase) {
+                eventHandler();
+              } else {
+                $rootScope.$apply(eventHandler);
+              }
+            };
+          });
+          return applyHandlers;
+        }
+      }
+
 
       /**
        * Callback registered to $httpBackend():
diff --git a/src/ng/httpBackend.js b/src/ng/httpBackend.js
index b961874ee329..add2af6e7c0d 100644
--- a/src/ng/httpBackend.js
+++ b/src/ng/httpBackend.js
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ function $HttpBackendProvider() {
 
 function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDocument) {
   // TODO(vojta): fix the signature
-  return function(method, url, post, callback, headers, timeout, withCredentials, responseType, eventHandlers) {
+  return function(method, url, post, callback, headers, timeout, withCredentials, responseType, eventHandlers, uploadEventHandlers) {
     $browser.$$incOutstandingRequestCount();
     url = url || $browser.url();
 
@@ -114,19 +114,13 @@ function createHttpBackend($browser, createXhr, $browserDefer, callbacks, rawDoc
       xhr.onerror = requestError;
       xhr.onabort = requestError;
 
-      if (eventHandlers) {
-        forEach(eventHandlers, function(value, key) {
-          if (key !== 'upload') {
-            xhr.addEventListener(key, value);
-          }
-        });
+      forEach(eventHandlers, function(value, key) {
+          xhr.addEventListener(key, value);
+      });
 
-        if (eventHandlers.upload) {
-          forEach(eventHandlers.upload, function(value, key) {
-            xhr.upload.addEventListener(key, value);
-          });
-        }
-      }
+      forEach(uploadEventHandlers, function(value, key) {
+        xhr.upload.addEventListener(key, value);
+      });
 
       if (withCredentials) {
         xhr.withCredentials = true;
diff --git a/src/ngMock/angular-mocks.js b/src/ngMock/angular-mocks.js
index b068d0d32079..11962e2c3f21 100644
--- a/src/ngMock/angular-mocks.js
+++ b/src/ngMock/angular-mocks.js
@@ -1321,12 +1321,15 @@ function createHttpBackendMock($rootScope, $timeout, $delegate, $browser) {
   }
 
   // TODO(vojta): change params to: method, url, data, headers, callback
-  function $httpBackend(method, url, data, callback, headers, timeout, withCredentials, responseType) {
+  function $httpBackend(method, url, data, callback, headers, timeout, withCredentials, responseType, eventHandlers, uploadEventHandlers) {
 
     var xhr = new MockXhr(),
         expectation = expectations[0],
         wasExpected = false;
 
+    xhr.$$events = eventHandlers;
+    xhr.upload.$$events = uploadEventHandlers;
+
     function prettyPrint(data) {
       return (angular.isString(data) || angular.isFunction(data) || data instanceof RegExp)
           ? data
@@ -2010,6 +2013,9 @@ function MockXhr() {
 
   this.abort = angular.noop;
 
+  // This section simulates the events on a real XHR object (and the upload object)
+  // When we are testing $httpBackend (inside the angular project) we make partial use of this
+  // but store the events directly ourselves on `$$events`, instead of going through the `addEventListener`
   this.$$events = {};
   this.addEventListener = function(name, listener) {
     if (angular.isUndefined(this.$$events[name])) this.$$events[name] = [];
diff --git a/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js b/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
index a0ec76dd8e19..af3175acfd6d 100644
--- a/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/httpBackendSpec.js
@@ -244,12 +244,8 @@ describe('$httpBackend', function() {
   it('should set up event listeners', function() {
     var progressFn = function() {};
     var uploadProgressFn = function() {};
-    $backend('GET', '/url', null, callback, {}, null, null, null, {
-      progress: progressFn,
-      upload: {
-        progress: uploadProgressFn
-      }
-    });
+    $backend('GET', '/url', null, callback, {}, null, null, null,
+        {progress: progressFn}, {progress: uploadProgressFn});
     xhr = MockXhr.$$lastInstance;
     expect(xhr.$$events.progress[0]).toBe(progressFn);
     expect(xhr.upload.$$events.progress[0]).toBe(uploadProgressFn);
diff --git a/test/ng/httpSpec.js b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
index 6ba6d2c75ea3..5c91f62b2b41 100644
--- a/test/ng/httpSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/httpSpec.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
+/* global MockXhr: false */
+
 describe('$http', function() {
 
   var callback, mockedCookies;
@@ -1019,7 +1021,7 @@ describe('$http', function() {
     });
 
 
-    describe('scope.$apply', function() {
+    describe('callbacks', function() {
 
       it('should $apply after success callback', function() {
         $httpBackend.when('GET').respond(200);
@@ -1047,6 +1049,33 @@ describe('$http', function() {
 
         $exceptionHandler.errors = [];
       }));
+
+
+      it('should pass the event handlers through to the backend', function() {
+        var progressFn = jasmine.createSpy('progressFn');
+        var uploadProgressFn = jasmine.createSpy('uploadProgressFn');
+        $httpBackend.when('GET').respond(200);
+        $http({
+          method: 'GET',
+          url: '/some',
+          eventHandlers: {progress: progressFn},
+          uploadEventHandlers: {progress: uploadProgressFn}
+        });
+        $rootScope.$apply();
+        var mockXHR = MockXhr.$$lastInstance;
+        expect(mockXHR.$$events.progress).toEqual(jasmine.any(Function));
+        expect(mockXHR.upload.$$events.progress).toEqual(jasmine.any(Function));
+
+        spyOn($rootScope, '$digest');
+
+        mockXHR.$$events.progress();
+        expect(progressFn).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+        expect($rootScope.$digest).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+        mockXHR.upload.$$events.progress();
+        expect(uploadProgressFn).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+        expect($rootScope.$digest).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      });
     });