diff --git a/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/InputMethodAndLanguageSettings.java b/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/InputMethodAndLanguageSettings.java
index 4ccebf070e3..e966ec7c9be 100644
--- a/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/InputMethodAndLanguageSettings.java
+++ b/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/InputMethodAndLanguageSettings.java
@@ -126,7 +126,12 @@ public class InputMethodAndLanguageSettings extends SettingsPreferenceFragment
     private void updateUserDictionaryPreference(Preference userDictionaryPreference) {
         final Activity activity = getActivity();
         final Set<String> localeList = UserDictionaryList.getUserDictionaryLocalesList(activity);
-        if (localeList.size() <= 1) {
+        if (null == localeList) {
+            // The locale list is null if and only if the user dictionary service is
+            // not present or disabled. In this case we need to remove the preference.
+            ((PreferenceGroup)findPreference("language_settings_category")).removePreference(
+                    userDictionaryPreference);
+        } else if (localeList.size() <= 1) {
             userDictionaryPreference.setTitle(R.string.user_dict_single_settings_title);
             userDictionaryPreference.setFragment(UserDictionarySettings.class.getName());
             // If the size of localeList is 0, we don't set the locale parameter in the
diff --git a/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/UserDictionaryList.java b/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/UserDictionaryList.java
index c9a7ef9499a..e0afe487915 100644
--- a/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/UserDictionaryList.java
+++ b/src/com/android/settings/inputmethod/UserDictionaryList.java
@@ -49,7 +49,10 @@ public class UserDictionaryList extends SettingsPreferenceFragment {
                 new String[] { UserDictionary.Words.LOCALE },
                 null, null, null);
         final Set<String> localeList = new TreeSet<String>();
-        if (null != cursor && cursor.moveToFirst()) {
+        if (null == cursor) {
+            // The user dictionary service is not present or disabled. Return null.
+            return null;
+        } else if (cursor.moveToFirst()) {
             final int columnIndex = cursor.getColumnIndex(UserDictionary.Words.LOCALE);
             do {
                 String locale = cursor.getString(columnIndex);