diff --git a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledDirectByteBuf.java b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledDirectByteBuf.java
index ae66cd99c4..a741c26142 100644
--- a/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledDirectByteBuf.java
+++ b/buffer/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/UnpooledDirectByteBuf.java
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@
  */
 package io.netty.buffer;
 
-import sun.misc.Cleaner;
+import io.netty.util.internal.DetectionUtil;
+import io.netty.util.internal.DirectByteBufUtil;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.nio.ByteOrder;
 import java.nio.channels.ClosedChannelException;
@@ -37,37 +37,6 @@ import java.util.Queue;
 @SuppressWarnings("restriction")
 final class UnpooledDirectByteBuf extends AbstractByteBuf {
 
-    private static final Field CLEANER_FIELD;
-
-    static {
-        ByteBuffer direct = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(1);
-        Field cleanerField;
-        try {
-            cleanerField = direct.getClass().getDeclaredField("cleaner");
-            cleanerField.setAccessible(true);
-            Cleaner cleaner = (Cleaner) cleanerField.get(direct);
-            cleaner.clean();
-        } catch (Throwable t) {
-            cleanerField = null;
-        }
-        CLEANER_FIELD = cleanerField;
-    }
-
-    static void freeDirect(ByteBuffer buffer) {
-        if (CLEANER_FIELD == null) {
-            // Doomed to wait for GC.
-            return;
-        }
-
-        Cleaner cleaner;
-        try {
-            cleaner = (Cleaner) CLEANER_FIELD.get(buffer);
-            cleaner.clean();
-        } catch (Throwable t) {
-            // Nothing we can do here.
-        }
-    }
-
     private final ByteBufAllocator alloc;
     private ByteBuffer buffer;
     private ByteBuffer tmpNioBuf;
@@ -532,4 +501,10 @@ final class UnpooledDirectByteBuf extends AbstractByteBuf {
     public ByteBuf unwrap() {
         return null;
     }
+
+    static void freeDirect(ByteBuffer buffer) {
+        if (DetectionUtil.canFreeDirectBuffer()) {
+            DirectByteBufUtil.freeDirect(buffer);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
index 3c21f836ab..4a5a1c7fb9 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DetectionUtil.java
@@ -15,13 +15,8 @@
  */
 package io.netty.util.internal;
 
-import sun.misc.Cleaner;
-import sun.misc.Unsafe;
-
-import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.ServerSocket;
-import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.security.AccessController;
 import java.security.PrivilegedActionException;
 import java.security.PrivilegedExceptionAction;
@@ -90,15 +85,14 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
 
         boolean canFreeDirectBuffer = false;
 
-        try {
-            ByteBuffer direct = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(1);
-            Field cleanerField = direct.getClass().getDeclaredField("cleaner");
-            cleanerField.setAccessible(true);
-            Cleaner cleaner = (Cleaner) cleanerField.get(direct);
-            cleaner.clean();
-            canFreeDirectBuffer = true;
-        } catch (Throwable t) {
-            // Ignore.
+        // Only try to use DirectByteBufUtil if it is not android as otherwise it will give errors because
+        // it try to access sun.misc.Cleaner
+        if (!isAndroid()) {
+            try {
+                canFreeDirectBuffer = DirectByteBufUtil.canFreeDirect();
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                // Ignore.
+            }
         }
 
         CAN_FREE_DIRECT_BUFFER = canFreeDirectBuffer;
@@ -120,7 +114,7 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Return {@code true} if {@link Unsafe} was found on the classpath and can be used.
+     * Return {@code true} if {@link sun.misc.Unsafe} was found on the classpath and can be used.
      */
     public static boolean hasUnsafe() {
         return HAS_UNSAFE;
@@ -181,11 +175,8 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
 
     private static int javaVersion0() {
         // Android
-        try {
-            Class.forName("android.app.Application", false, ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader());
+        if (isAndroid()) {
             return 6;
-        } catch (Exception e) {
-            // Ignore
         }
 
         try {
@@ -200,6 +191,17 @@ public final class DetectionUtil {
         return 6;
     }
 
+    private static boolean isAndroid() {
+        // Android
+        try {
+            Class.forName("android.app.Application", false, ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader());
+            return true;
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            // Ignore
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private DetectionUtil() {
         // only static method supported
     }
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DirectByteBufUtil.java b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DirectByteBufUtil.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b7f8ad6f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/DirectByteBufUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2013 The Netty Project
+ *
+ * The Netty Project licenses this file to you under the Apache License,
+ * version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at:
+ *
+ *   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+package io.netty.util.internal;
+
+import sun.misc.Cleaner;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+
+// This resist in common because otherwise we would produce a cycle dependency between common and buffer.
+public final class DirectByteBufUtil {
+
+    private static final Field CLEANER_FIELD;
+
+    static {
+        ByteBuffer direct = ByteBuffer.allocateDirect(1);
+        Field cleanerField;
+        try {
+            cleanerField = direct.getClass().getDeclaredField("cleaner");
+            cleanerField.setAccessible(true);
+            Cleaner cleaner = (Cleaner) cleanerField.get(direct);
+            cleaner.clean();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            cleanerField = null;
+        }
+        CLEANER_FIELD = cleanerField;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Try to clean a direct {@link ByteBuffer}.
+     *
+     * Only try to access this method when {@link DetectionUtil#canFreeDirectBuffer()} returns
+     * {@code true}
+     *
+     */
+    public static void freeDirect(ByteBuffer buffer) {
+        if (!buffer.isDirect()) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (CLEANER_FIELD == null) {
+            // Doomed to wait for GC.
+            return;
+        }
+
+        Cleaner cleaner;
+        try {
+            cleaner = (Cleaner) CLEANER_FIELD.get(buffer);
+            cleaner.clean();
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            // Nothing we can do here.
+        }
+    }
+
+    static boolean canFreeDirect() {
+        return CLEANER_FIELD != null;
+    }
+
+    private DirectByteBufUtil() {
+    }
+}