diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index e8d736064..fa6388cb8 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -1514,6 +1514,12 @@ func (m *ModuleBase) EnableNativeBridgeSupportByDefault() {
 	m.commonProperties.Native_bridge_supported = boolPtr(true)
 }
 
+func (m *ModuleBase) MakeAsSystemExt() {
+	if !Bool(m.commonProperties.Vendor) && !Bool(m.commonProperties.Product_specific) {
+		m.commonProperties.System_ext_specific = boolPtr(true)
+	}
+}
+
 // IsNativeBridgeSupported returns true if "native_bridge_supported" is explicitly set as "true"
 func (m *ModuleBase) IsNativeBridgeSupported() bool {
 	return proptools.Bool(m.commonProperties.Native_bridge_supported)
diff --git a/apex/apex.go b/apex/apex.go
index fe085b989..d9dd5a936 100644
--- a/apex/apex.go
+++ b/apex/apex.go
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ func apexFlattenedMutator(mctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 		case "both":
 			variants = append(variants, imageApexType, zipApexType, flattenedApexType)
 		default:
-			mctx.PropertyErrorf("type", "%q is not one of \"image\" or \"zip\".", *ab.properties.Payload_type)
+			mctx.PropertyErrorf("type", "%q is not one of \"image\", \"zip\", or \"both\".", *ab.properties.Payload_type)
 			return
 		}
 
@@ -359,6 +359,9 @@ func apexFlattenedMutator(mctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 				modules[i].(*apexBundle).properties.ApexType = zipApex
 			case flattenedApexType:
 				modules[i].(*apexBundle).properties.ApexType = flattenedApex
+				if !mctx.Config().FlattenApex() {
+					modules[i].(*apexBundle).MakeAsSystemExt()
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}