diff --git a/jax/_src/config.py b/jax/_src/config.py
index a44b0125a210..72f394dba76f 100644
--- a/jax/_src/config.py
+++ b/jax/_src/config.py
@@ -1570,7 +1570,9 @@ def _update_default_device_thread_local(val):
 
 
 def _validate_default_device(val):
-  if val is not None and not isinstance(val, xla_client.Device):
+  if (val is not None and
+      not isinstance(val, xla_client.Device) and
+      val not in ['cpu', 'gpu', 'tpu']):
     # TODO(skyewm): this is a workaround for non-PJRT Device types. Remove when
     # all JAX backends use a single C++ device interface.
     if 'Device' in str(type(val)):
@@ -1578,12 +1580,11 @@ def _validate_default_device(val):
           'Allowing non-`xla_client.Device` default device: %s, type: %s',
           repr(val), type(val))
       return
-    raise ValueError('jax.default_device must be passed a Device object (e.g. '
-                     f"`jax.devices('cpu')[0]`), got: {val!r}")
+    raise ValueError('jax.default_device must be passed either a Device object (e.g. '
+                     f"`jax.devices('cpu')[0]`) or a platform name string like 'cpu' or 'gpu'"
+                     f", got: {val!r}")
 
 
-# TODO(skye): default_device only accepts devices for now. Make it work with
-# platform names as well (e.g. "cpu" to mean the same as jax.devices("cpu")[0]).
 default_device = string_or_object_state(
     name='jax_default_device',
     default=None,
diff --git a/jax/_src/interpreters/pxla.py b/jax/_src/interpreters/pxla.py
index caa414741666..6c9e54441f8e 100644
--- a/jax/_src/interpreters/pxla.py
+++ b/jax/_src/interpreters/pxla.py
@@ -1711,7 +1711,10 @@ class DeviceAssignmentMismatchError(Exception):
 
 
 def _get_default_device() -> xc.Device:
-  return config.default_device.value or xb.local_devices()[0]
+  if isinstance(config.default_device.value, str):
+    return xb.get_backend(config.default_device.value).local_devices()[0]
+  else:
+    return config.default_device.value or xb.local_devices()[0]
 
 
 def _get_and_check_device_assignment(
diff --git a/tests/api_test.py b/tests/api_test.py
index 8ab5d90f6e07..49cd33ee464c 100644
--- a/tests/api_test.py
+++ b/tests/api_test.py
@@ -287,13 +287,15 @@ def test_jit_default_device(self, module):
     self.assertEqual(f(sticky).devices(), system_default_devices)
     self.assertEqual(f(1).devices(), system_default_devices)
 
-  # TODO(skye): make this work!
   def test_jit_default_platform(self):
-    with self.assertRaisesWithLiteralMatch(
-        ValueError, "jax.default_device must be passed a Device object "
-        "(e.g. `jax.devices('cpu')[0]`), got: 'cpu'"):
       with jax.default_device("cpu"):
-        jax.jit(lambda x: x + 1)(1)
+        result = jax.jit(lambda x: x + 1)(1)
+      self.assertEqual(result.device.platform, "cpu")
+      self.assertEqual(result.device, jax.local_devices(backend="cpu")[0])
+
+      result = jax.jit(lambda x: x + 1)(1)
+      self.assertEqual(result.device.platform, jax.default_backend())
+      self.assertEqual(result.device, jax.local_devices()[0])
 
   def test_complex_support(self):
     self.assertEqual(jit(lambda x: x + 1)(1 + 1j), 2 + 1j)