diff --git a/django/apps/base.py b/django/apps/base.py
index 31d75bf5ed..784c460bcd 100644
--- a/django/apps/base.py
+++ b/django/apps/base.py
@@ -126,6 +126,32 @@ class AppConfig(object):
             raise LookupError(
                 "App '%s' doesn't have a '%s' model." % (self.label, model_name))
 
+    def get_models(self, include_auto_created=False,
+                   include_deferred=False, include_swapped=False):
+        """
+        Returns an iterable of models.
+
+        By default, the following models aren't included:
+
+        - auto-created models for many-to-many relations without
+          an explicit intermediate table,
+        - models created to satisfy deferred attribute queries,
+        - models that have been swapped out.
+
+        Set the corresponding keyword argument to True to include such models.
+        Keyword arguments aren't documented; they're a private API.
+
+        This method assumes that apps.populate_models() has run.
+        """
+        for model in self.models.values():
+            if model._deferred and not include_deferred:
+                continue
+            if model._meta.auto_created and not include_auto_created:
+                continue
+            if model._meta.swapped and not include_swapped:
+                continue
+            yield model
+
     def import_models(self, all_models):
         # Dictionary of models for this app, primarily maintained in the
         # 'all_models' attribute of the Apps this AppConfig is attached to.
diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/management/__init__.py b/django/contrib/auth/management/__init__.py
index f933b61c86..e24cdd6865 100644
--- a/django/contrib/auth/management/__init__.py
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/management/__init__.py
@@ -74,14 +74,12 @@ def create_permissions(app_config, verbosity=22, interactive=True, db=DEFAULT_DB
 
     from django.contrib.contenttypes.models import ContentType
 
-    app_models = apps.get_models(app_config.models_module)
-
     # This will hold the permissions we're looking for as
     # (content_type, (codename, name))
     searched_perms = list()
     # The codenames and ctypes that should exist.
     ctypes = set()
-    for klass in app_models:
+    for klass in app_config.get_models():
         # Force looking up the content types in the current database
         # before creating foreign keys to them.
         ctype = ContentType.objects.db_manager(db).get_for_model(klass)
diff --git a/django/contrib/contenttypes/management.py b/django/contrib/contenttypes/management.py
index a7b47456a6..1b499d85f1 100644
--- a/django/contrib/contenttypes/management.py
+++ b/django/contrib/contenttypes/management.py
@@ -23,15 +23,15 @@ def update_contenttypes(app_config, verbosity=2, interactive=True, db=DEFAULT_DB
         return
 
     ContentType.objects.clear_cache()
-    app_models = apps.get_models(app_config.models_module)
-    if not app_models:
-        return
-    # They all have the same app_label, get the first one.
-    app_label = app_models[0]._meta.app_label
+
+    app_label = app_config.label
+
     app_models = dict(
         (model._meta.model_name, model)
-        for model in app_models
-    )
+        for model in app_config.get_models())
+
+    if not app_models:
+        return
 
     # Get all the content types
     content_types = dict(
diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/dumpdata.py b/django/core/management/commands/dumpdata.py
index c4501c5b24..d4d8b54af6 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/dumpdata.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/dumpdata.py
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ def sort_dependencies(app_list):
     models = set()
     for app_config, model_list in app_list:
         if model_list is None:
-            model_list = apps.get_models(app_config.models_module)
+            model_list = app_config.get_models()
 
         for model in model_list:
             models.add(model)
diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/sqlsequencereset.py b/django/core/management/commands/sqlsequencereset.py
index d32ff3c5d0..65fee8183f 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/sqlsequencereset.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/sqlsequencereset.py
@@ -23,6 +23,6 @@ class Command(AppCommand):
         if app_config.models_module is None:
             return
         connection = connections[options.get('database')]
-        models = apps.get_models(app_config.models_module, include_auto_created=True)
+        models = app_config.get_models(include_auto_created=True)
         statements = connection.ops.sequence_reset_sql(self.style, models)
         return '\n'.join(statements)
diff --git a/docs/ref/applications.txt b/docs/ref/applications.txt
index 1fc74f6bee..8505784737 100644
--- a/docs/ref/applications.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/applications.txt
@@ -156,6 +156,10 @@ Read-only attributes
 Methods
 -------
 
+.. method:: AppConfig.get_models()
+
+    Returns an iterable of :class:`~django.db.models.Model` classes.
+
 .. method:: AppConfig.get_model(model_name)
 
     Returns the :class:`~django.db.models.Model` with the given