diff --git a/java/app_test.go b/java/app_test.go
index 6429ab836..6efb0dcb3 100644
--- a/java/app_test.go
+++ b/java/app_test.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func TestAndroidAppLinkType(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	`)
 
-	testJavaError(t, "Adjust sdk_version: property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same or smaller API set than the source.", `
+	testJavaError(t, "consider adjusting sdk_version: OR platform_apis:", `
 		android_app {
 			name: "foo",
 			srcs: ["a.java"],
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ func TestAndroidAppLinkType(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	`)
 
-	testJavaError(t, "Adjust sdk_version: property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same or smaller API set than the source.", `
+	testJavaError(t, "consider adjusting sdk_version: OR platform_apis:", `
 		android_app {
 			name: "foo",
 			srcs: ["a.java"],
diff --git a/java/java.go b/java/java.go
index d04968510..4c3363a9c 100644
--- a/java/java.go
+++ b/java/java.go
@@ -962,7 +962,9 @@ func checkLinkType(ctx android.ModuleContext, from *Module, to linkTypeContext,
 		return
 	}
 	otherLinkType, _ := to.getLinkType(ctx.OtherModuleName(to))
-	commonMessage := "Adjust sdk_version: property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same or smaller API set than the source."
+	commonMessage := " In order to fix this, consider adjusting sdk_version: OR platform_apis: " +
+		"property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same " +
+		"or smaller API set when compared to the source."
 
 	switch myLinkType {
 	case javaCore:
diff --git a/java/java_test.go b/java/java_test.go
index 7f5198211..2dcf129cf 100644
--- a/java/java_test.go
+++ b/java/java_test.go
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ func TestJavaLinkType(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	`)
 
-	testJavaError(t, "Adjust sdk_version: property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same or smaller API set than the source.", `
+	testJavaError(t, "consider adjusting sdk_version: OR platform_apis:", `
 		java_library {
 			name: "foo",
 			srcs: ["a.java"],
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ func TestJavaLinkType(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	`)
 
-	testJavaError(t, "Adjust sdk_version: property of the source or target module so that target module is built with the same or smaller API set than the source.", `
+	testJavaError(t, "consider adjusting sdk_version: OR platform_apis:", `
 		java_library {
 			name: "foo",
 			srcs: ["a.java"],