Hiding View after async call to the server completed - android-layout

Question

I'm trying to have a preloader to show while my request to the server is waiting for response
but when I try to hide the preloader with setVisibility(View.GONE); it doesn't hide (even though the other content does get visible)
when I run the function that suppose to remove the preloader and show the other content directly (not in the callback of the async request - it works)
my layout looks like this (I removed all the irrelevant stuff like the android:text properties etc.):
[notice that the loader I'm using is a custom view I made (I don't know if it has anything to do with the problem]
<LinearLayout
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
>
<ImageView
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:src="#drawable/logo" />
<views.Loader
android:id="#+id/preloader"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
/>
<LinearLayout
android:id="#+id/buttonsArea"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
>
<Button
android:id="#+id/my_button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:text="#string/my_dance"
/>
<TextView
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
/>
<Button
android:id="#+id/another_button"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
notice that the loader I'm using is a custom view (I don't know if it has anything to do with the problem)
My Java code is:
...
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.my_page);
init();
setLoading(true);
loadData();
}
private void init(){
preloader = (Loader) findViewById(R.id.preloader);
buttonsArea= (LinearLayout) findViewById(R.id.buttonsArea);
}
private void loadData(){
app.getManager().app_init(new OnAppInfoResponse(){
#Override
public void onResponse(boolean success) {
//this method runs on UI Thread through Handler
setLoading(false);
}
});
}
private void setLoading(boolean loading) {
this.loading = loading;
if(loading){
buttonsArea.setVisibility(View.GONE);
preloader.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
} else {
buttonsArea.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
preloader.setVisibility(View.GONE);
}
}
Edit:
even weirder:
when I remove the buttonsArea.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE); line, the preloader does get hidden!
Thank you very much!!