diff --git a/src/gtk/app.cpp b/src/gtk/app.cpp
index c9657f804b..bebb83d389 100644
--- a/src/gtk/app.cpp
+++ b/src/gtk/app.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,21 @@ static gboolean wxapp_idle_callback(gpointer)
 }
 }
 
+// 0: no change, 1: focus in, 2: focus out
+static int gs_focusChange;
+
+extern "C" {
+static gboolean
+wx_focus_event_hook(GSignalInvocationHint*, unsigned, const GValue* param_values, void* data)
+{
+    // If focus change on TLW
+    if (GTK_IS_WINDOW(g_value_peek_pointer(param_values)))
+        gs_focusChange = GPOINTER_TO_INT(data);
+
+    return true;
+}
+}
+
 bool wxApp::DoIdle()
 {
     guint id_save;
@@ -123,6 +138,12 @@ bool wxApp::DoIdle()
     }
 
     gdk_threads_enter();
+
+    if (gs_focusChange) {
+        SetActive(gs_focusChange == 1, NULL);
+        gs_focusChange = 0;
+    }
+
     bool needMore;
     do {
         ProcessPendingEvents();
@@ -415,8 +436,18 @@ bool wxApp::Initialize(int& argc_, wxChar **argv_)
     wxFont::SetDefaultEncoding(wxLocale::GetSystemEncoding());
 #endif
 
-    // make sure GtkWidget type is loaded, idle hooks need it
-    g_type_class_ref(GTK_TYPE_WIDGET);
+    // make sure GtkWidget type is loaded, signal emission hooks need it
+    const GType widgetType = GTK_TYPE_WIDGET;
+    g_type_class_ref(widgetType);
+
+    // focus in/out hooks used for generating wxEVT_ACTIVATE_APP
+    g_signal_add_emission_hook(
+        g_signal_lookup("focus_in_event", widgetType),
+        0, wx_focus_event_hook, GINT_TO_POINTER(1), NULL);
+    g_signal_add_emission_hook(
+        g_signal_lookup("focus_out_event", widgetType),
+        0, wx_focus_event_hook, GINT_TO_POINTER(2), NULL);
+
     WakeUpIdle();
 
     return true;
diff --git a/src/gtk/toplevel.cpp b/src/gtk/toplevel.cpp
index 016227873b..94c47caff1 100644
--- a/src/gtk/toplevel.cpp
+++ b/src/gtk/toplevel.cpp
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
     #include "wx/frame.h"
     #include "wx/icon.h"
     #include "wx/log.h"
-    #include "wx/app.h"
 #endif
 
 #include "wx/evtloop.h"
@@ -59,12 +58,6 @@ int wxOpenModalDialogsCount = 0;
 static wxTopLevelWindowGTK *g_activeFrame = NULL;
 static wxTopLevelWindowGTK *g_lastActiveFrame = NULL;
 
-// if we detect that the app has got/lost the focus, we set this variable to
-// either TRUE or FALSE and an activate event will be sent during the next
-// OnIdle() call and it is reset to -1: this value means that we shouldn't
-// send any activate events at all
-static int g_sendActivateEvent = -1;
-
 extern wxCursor g_globalCursor;
 extern wxCursor g_busyCursor;
 
@@ -134,20 +127,6 @@ static gboolean gtk_frame_focus_in_callback( GtkWidget *widget,
                                          GdkEvent *WXUNUSED(event),
                                          wxTopLevelWindowGTK *win )
 {
-    switch ( g_sendActivateEvent )
-    {
-        case -1:
-            // we've got focus from outside, synthetize wxActivateEvent
-            g_sendActivateEvent = 1;
-            break;
-
-        case 0:
-            // another our window just lost focus, it was already ours before
-            // - don't send any wxActivateEvent
-            g_sendActivateEvent = -1;
-            break;
-    }
-
     g_activeFrame = win;
     g_lastActiveFrame = g_activeFrame;
 
@@ -167,7 +146,6 @@ static gboolean gtk_frame_focus_in_callback( GtkWidget *widget,
         case -2: break;
     }
 
-    wxLogTrace(wxT("activate"), wxT("Activating frame %p (from focus_in)"), g_activeFrame);
     wxActivateEvent event(wxEVT_ACTIVATE, true, g_activeFrame->GetId());
     event.SetEventObject(g_activeFrame);
     g_activeFrame->HandleWindowEvent(event);
@@ -186,18 +164,8 @@ gboolean gtk_frame_focus_out_callback(GtkWidget * WXUNUSED(widget),
                                       GdkEventFocus *WXUNUSED(gdk_event),
                                       wxTopLevelWindowGTK * WXUNUSED(win))
 {
-    // if the focus goes out of our app altogether, OnIdle() will send
-    // wxActivateEvent, otherwise gtk_window_focus_in_callback() will reset
-    // g_sendActivateEvent to -1
-    g_sendActivateEvent = 0;
-
-    // wxASSERT_MSG( (g_activeFrame == win), wxT("TLW deactivatd although it wasn't active") );
-
-    // wxPrintf( wxT("inactive: %s\n"), win->GetTitle().c_str() );
-
     if (g_activeFrame)
     {
-        wxLogTrace(wxT("activate"), wxT("Activating frame %p (from focus_in)"), g_activeFrame);
         wxActivateEvent event(wxEVT_ACTIVATE, false, g_activeFrame->GetId());
         event.SetEventObject(g_activeFrame);
         g_activeFrame->HandleWindowEvent(event);
@@ -1305,20 +1273,6 @@ wxTopLevelWindowGTK::DecorSize& wxTopLevelWindowGTK::GetCachedDecorSize()
 void wxTopLevelWindowGTK::OnInternalIdle()
 {
     wxTopLevelWindowBase::OnInternalIdle();
-
-    // Synthetize activate events.
-    if ( g_sendActivateEvent != -1 )
-    {
-        bool activate = g_sendActivateEvent != 0;
-
-        // if (!activate) wxPrintf( wxT("de") );
-        // wxPrintf( wxT("activate\n") );
-
-        // do it only once
-        g_sendActivateEvent = -1;
-
-        wxTheApp->SetActive(activate, (wxWindow *)g_lastActiveFrame);
-    }
 }
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------