diff --git a/androidmk/cmd/androidmk/android.go b/androidmk/cmd/androidmk/android.go
index 4022a5e33..125462158 100644
--- a/androidmk/cmd/androidmk/android.go
+++ b/androidmk/cmd/androidmk/android.go
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ func init() {
 			"LOCAL_PROPRIETARY_MODULE":       "proprietary",
 			"LOCAL_VENDOR_MODULE":            "vendor",
 			"LOCAL_EXPORT_PACKAGE_RESOURCES": "export_package_resources",
+			"LOCAL_PRIVILEGED_MODULE":        "privileged",
 
 			"LOCAL_DEX_PREOPT":                  "dex_preopt.enabled",
 			"LOCAL_DEX_PREOPT_APP_IMAGE":        "dex_preopt.app_image",
diff --git a/java/androidmk.go b/java/androidmk.go
index 32ee7ac95..11151145a 100644
--- a/java/androidmk.go
+++ b/java/androidmk.go
@@ -177,6 +177,9 @@ func (app *AndroidApp) AndroidMk() android.AndroidMkData {
 
 				fmt.Fprintln(w, "LOCAL_FULL_MANIFEST_FILE :=", app.manifestPath.String())
 
+				if Bool(app.appProperties.Privileged) {
+					fmt.Fprintln(w, "LOCAL_PRIVILEGED_MODULE := true")
+				}
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/java/app.go b/java/app.go
index ed6a9db57..e8dc53539 100644
--- a/java/app.go
+++ b/java/app.go
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ type androidAppProperties struct {
 	Resource_dirs []string
 
 	Instrumentation_for *string
+
+	// Specifies that this app should be installed to the priv-app directory,
+	// where the system will grant it additional privileges not available to
+	// normal apps.
+	Privileged *bool
 }
 
 type AndroidApp struct {
@@ -152,6 +157,8 @@ func (a *AndroidApp) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx android.ModuleContext) {
 	if ctx.ModuleName() == "framework-res" {
 		// framework-res.apk is installed as system/framework/framework-res.apk
 		ctx.InstallFile(android.PathForModuleInstall(ctx, "framework"), ctx.ModuleName()+".apk", a.outputFile)
+	} else if Bool(a.appProperties.Privileged) {
+		ctx.InstallFile(android.PathForModuleInstall(ctx, "priv-app"), ctx.ModuleName()+".apk", a.outputFile)
 	} else {
 		ctx.InstallFile(android.PathForModuleInstall(ctx, "app"), ctx.ModuleName()+".apk", a.outputFile)
 	}