diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 03e1c717..1c078970 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         "php": ">=5.4.2"
       , "ratchet/rfc6455": "^0.3.1"
       , "react/socket": "^1.0 || ^0.8 || ^0.7 || ^0.6 || ^0.5"
-      , "react/event-loop": ">=0.4"
+      , "react/event-loop": "^1.0 || ^0.5 || ^0.4"
       , "guzzlehttp/psr7": "^1.7|^2.0"
       , "symfony/http-foundation": "^2.6|^3.0|^4.0|^5.0|^6.0|^7.0"
       , "symfony/routing": "^2.6|^3.0|^4.0|^5.0|^6.0|^7.0"
diff --git a/src/Ratchet/App.php b/src/Ratchet/App.php
index f2fa55cc..5094e7e4 100644
--- a/src/Ratchet/App.php
+++ b/src/Ratchet/App.php
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 namespace Ratchet;
+use React\EventLoop\Factory as LegacyLoopFactory;
+use React\EventLoop\Loop;
 use React\EventLoop\LoopInterface;
-use React\EventLoop\Factory as LoopFactory;
 use React\Socket\Server as Reactor;
 use React\Socket\SecureServer as SecureReactor;
 use Ratchet\Http\HttpServerInterface;
@@ -72,7 +73,8 @@ public function __construct($httpHost = 'localhost', $port = 8080, $address = '1
         }
 
         if (null === $loop) {
-            $loop = LoopFactory::create();
+            // prefer default Loop (reactphp/event-loop v1.2+) over legacy \React\EventLoop\Factory
+            $loop = class_exists('React\EventLoop\Loop') ? Loop::get() : LegacyLoopFactory::create();
         }
 
         $this->httpHost = $httpHost;
diff --git a/src/Ratchet/Server/IoServer.php b/src/Ratchet/Server/IoServer.php
index 194a3317..30b4c8fc 100644
--- a/src/Ratchet/Server/IoServer.php
+++ b/src/Ratchet/Server/IoServer.php
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 <?php
 namespace Ratchet\Server;
 use Ratchet\MessageComponentInterface;
+use React\EventLoop\Factory as LegacyLoopFactory;
+use React\EventLoop\Loop;
 use React\EventLoop\LoopInterface;
 use React\Socket\ConnectionInterface as SocketConnection;
 use React\Socket\ServerInterface;
-use React\EventLoop\Factory as LoopFactory;
 use React\Socket\Server as Reactor;
 use React\Socket\SecureServer as SecureReactor;
 
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 class IoServer {
     /**
-     * @var \React\EventLoop\LoopInterface
+     * @var ?\React\EventLoop\LoopInterface
      */
     public $loop;
 
@@ -60,7 +61,9 @@ public function __construct(MessageComponentInterface $app, ServerInterface $soc
      * @return IoServer
      */
     public static function factory(MessageComponentInterface $component, $port = 80, $address = '0.0.0.0') {
-        $loop   = LoopFactory::create();
+        // prefer default Loop (reactphp/event-loop v1.2+) over legacy \React\EventLoop\Factory
+        $loop = class_exists('React\EventLoop\Loop') ? Loop::get() : LegacyLoopFactory::create();
+
         $socket = new Reactor($address . ':' . $port, $loop);
 
         return new static($component, $socket, $loop);
diff --git a/tests/unit/Server/IoServerTest.php b/tests/unit/Server/IoServerTest.php
index 0264f3fc..5b470c6c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Server/IoServerTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Server/IoServerTest.php
@@ -111,7 +111,10 @@ public function testOnClose() {
     }
 
     public function testFactory() {
-        $this->assertInstanceOf('Ratchet\\Server\\IoServer', IoServer::factory($this->app, 0));
+        $server = IoServer::factory($this->app, 0);
+        $server->socket->close();
+
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Ratchet\\Server\\IoServer', $server);
     }
 
     public function testNoLoopProvidedError() {