diff --git a/modules/core/context.js b/modules/core/context.js
index a6b9249be..e2f49a15f 100644
--- a/modules/core/context.js
+++ b/modules/core/context.js
@@ -381,7 +381,6 @@ export function coreContext() {
     ui = uiInit(context);
 
     connection = services.osm;
-
     background = rendererBackground(context);
     features = rendererFeatures(context);
     presets = presetIndex();
@@ -396,16 +395,16 @@ export function coreContext() {
     context.zoomOutFurther = map.zoomOutFurther;
     context.redrawEnable = map.redrawEnable;
 
-    background.init();
-    presets.init();
-    areaKeys = presets.areaKeys();
-
     _.each(services, function(service) {
         if (service && typeof service.init === 'function') {
             service.init(context);
         }
     });
 
+    background.init();
+    presets.init();
+    areaKeys = presets.areaKeys();
+
 
     return utilRebind(context, dispatch, 'on');
 }
diff --git a/modules/renderer/background.js b/modules/renderer/background.js
index 50f58a0f4..46284acad 100644
--- a/modules/renderer/background.js
+++ b/modules/renderer/background.js
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ export function rendererBackground(context) {
     var dispatch = d3.dispatch('change'),
         baseLayer = rendererTileLayer(context).projection(context.projection),
         overlayLayers = [],
-        defaultBlacklist = '.*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*',
-        blacklists = [defaultBlacklist],
         backgroundSources;
 
 
@@ -130,10 +128,8 @@ export function rendererBackground(context) {
     background.baseLayerSource = function(d) {
         if (!arguments.length) return baseLayer.source();
 
-        // // test source against OSM imagery blacklists..
-        // context.connection().imageryBlacklists(function(err, val) {
-        //     if (!err) blacklists = val;
-        // });
+        // test source against OSM imagery blacklists..
+        var blacklists = context.connection().imageryBlacklists();
 
         var fail = false,
             tested = 0,
@@ -152,7 +148,7 @@ export function rendererBackground(context) {
 
         // ensure at least one test was run.
         if (!tested) {
-            regex = new RegExp(defaultBlacklist);
+            regex = new RegExp('.*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*');
             fail = regex.test(d.template);
         }
 
diff --git a/modules/services/osm.js b/modules/services/osm.js
index aaa2162ad..defbf6ec1 100644
--- a/modules/services/osm.js
+++ b/modules/services/osm.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ var dispatch = d3.dispatch('authLoading', 'authDone', 'change', 'loading', 'load
     useHttps = window.location.protocol === 'https:',
     protocol = useHttps ? 'https:' : 'http:',
     urlroot = protocol + '//www.openstreetmap.org',
+    blacklists = ['.*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*'],
     inflight = {},
     loadedTiles = {},
     tileZoom = 16,
@@ -25,7 +26,6 @@ var dispatch = d3.dispatch('authLoading', 'authDone', 'change', 'loading', 'load
     }),
     rateLimitError,
     userDetails,
-    capabilities,
     off;
 
 
@@ -162,7 +162,6 @@ export default {
     reset: function() {
         userDetails = undefined;
         rateLimitError = undefined;
-        capabilities = undefined;
         _.forEach(inflight, abortRequest);
         loadedTiles = {};
         inflight = {};
@@ -431,15 +430,26 @@ export default {
     },
 
 
-    // `status` will always request the `api/capabilities` resource..
     status: function(callback) {
         function done(xml) {
-            capabilities = xml;
+            // update blacklists
+            var elements = xml.getElementsByTagName('blacklist'),
+                regexes = [];
+            for (var i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
+                var regex = elements[i].getAttribute('regex');  // needs unencode?
+                if (regex) {
+                    regexes.push(regex);
+                }
+            }
+            if (regexes.length) {
+                blacklists = regexes;
+            }
+
 
             if (rateLimitError) {
                 callback(rateLimitError, 'rateLimited');
             } else {
-                var apiStatus = capabilities.getElementsByTagName('status'),
+                var apiStatus = xml.getElementsByTagName('status'),
                     val = apiStatus[0].getAttribute('api');
 
                 callback(undefined, val);
@@ -452,30 +462,8 @@ export default {
     },
 
 
-    // `imageryBlacklists` will reuse the previous `api/capabilities` result, if available..
-    imageryBlacklists: function(callback) {
-        function done(xml) {
-            capabilities = xml;
-
-            var elements = capabilities.getElementsByTagName('blacklist'),
-                blacklists = [];
-            for (var i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
-                var regex = elements[i].getAttribute('regex');  // needs unencode?
-                if (regex) {
-                    blacklists.push(regex);
-                }
-            }
-
-            callback(undefined, blacklists);
-        }
-
-        if (capabilities) {
-            done(capabilities);
-        } else {
-            d3.xml(urlroot + '/api/capabilities').get()
-                .on('load', done)
-                .on('error', callback);
-        }
+    imageryBlacklists: function() {
+        return blacklists;
     },
 
 
diff --git a/modules/ui/background.js b/modules/ui/background.js
index e03309588..f3389a616 100644
--- a/modules/ui/background.js
+++ b/modules/ui/background.js
@@ -109,14 +109,11 @@ export function uiBackground(context) {
         function editCustom() {
             d3.event.preventDefault();
             var template = window.prompt(t('background.custom_prompt'), customTemplate);
-            if (!template ||
-                template.indexOf('google.com') !== -1 ||
-                template.indexOf('googleapis.com') !== -1 ||
-                template.indexOf('google.ru') !== -1) {
+            if (template) {
+                setCustom(template);
+            } else {
                 selectLayer();
-                return;
             }
-            setCustom(template);
         }
 
 
diff --git a/test/spec/services/osm.js b/test/spec/services/osm.js
index bd5d75fb9..b75c23378 100644
--- a/test/spec/services/osm.js
+++ b/test/spec/services/osm.js
@@ -458,13 +458,15 @@ describe('iD.serviceOsm', function () {
             '<timeout seconds="300"/>' +
             '<status database="online" api="online" gpx="online"/>' +
             '</api>' +
-            '<policy><imagery><blacklist regex=".*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*"/></imagery></policy>' +
+            '<policy><imagery>' +
+            '<blacklist regex="\.foo\.com"/>' +
+            '<blacklist regex="\.bar\.org"/>' +
+            '</imagery></policy>' +
             '</osm>';
 
 
         beforeEach(function() {
             server = sinon.fakeServer.create();
-            // connection.reset();
         });
 
         afterEach(function() {
@@ -485,9 +487,10 @@ describe('iD.serviceOsm', function () {
         });
 
         describe('#imageryBlacklists', function() {
-            it('gets imagery blacklists', function(done) {
-                connection.imageryBlacklists(function(err, val) {
-                    expect(val).to.eql(['.*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*']);
+            it('updates imagery blacklists', function(done) {
+                connection.status(function() {
+                    var blacklists = connection.imageryBlacklists();
+                    expect(blacklists).to.deep.equal(['\.foo\.com','\.bar\.org']);
                     done();
                 });