diff --git a/cc/androidmk.go b/cc/androidmk.go
index 071d829bf..df356df0e 100644
--- a/cc/androidmk.go
+++ b/cc/androidmk.go
@@ -119,16 +119,15 @@ func (c *Module) AndroidMkEntries() []android.AndroidMkEntries {
 				} else if c.InProduct() {
 					entries.SetBool("LOCAL_IN_PRODUCT", true)
 				}
-				if c.Properties.IsSdkVariant && c.Properties.SdkAndPlatformVariantVisibleToMake {
-					// Make the SDK variant uninstallable so that there are not two rules to install
-					// to the same location.
-					entries.SetBool("LOCAL_UNINSTALLABLE_MODULE", true)
+				if c.Properties.SdkAndPlatformVariantVisibleToMake {
 					// Add the unsuffixed name to SOONG_SDK_VARIANT_MODULES so that Make can rewrite
 					// dependencies to the .sdk suffix when building a module that uses the SDK.
 					entries.SetString("SOONG_SDK_VARIANT_MODULES",
 						"$(SOONG_SDK_VARIANT_MODULES) $(patsubst %.sdk,%,$(LOCAL_MODULE))")
 				}
 				android.SetAconfigFileMkEntries(c.AndroidModuleBase(), entries, c.mergedAconfigFiles)
+
+				entries.SetBoolIfTrue("LOCAL_UNINSTALLABLE_MODULE", c.IsSkipInstall())
 			},
 		},
 		ExtraFooters: []android.AndroidMkExtraFootersFunc{
diff --git a/cc/sdk.go b/cc/sdk.go
index ce0fdc2e3..4925ce166 100644
--- a/cc/sdk.go
+++ b/cc/sdk.go
@@ -49,15 +49,18 @@ func sdkMutator(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 			modules[1].(*Module).Properties.IsSdkVariant = true
 
 			if ctx.Config().UnbundledBuildApps() {
-				// For an unbundled apps build, hide the platform variant from Make.
+				// For an unbundled apps build, hide the platform variant from Make
+				// so that other Make modules don't link against it, but against the
+				// SDK variant.
 				modules[0].(*Module).Properties.HideFromMake = true
-				modules[0].(*Module).Properties.PreventInstall = true
 			} else {
 				// For a platform build, mark the SDK variant so that it gets a ".sdk" suffix when
 				// exposed to Make.
 				modules[1].(*Module).Properties.SdkAndPlatformVariantVisibleToMake = true
-				modules[1].(*Module).Properties.PreventInstall = true
 			}
+			// SDK variant never gets installed because the variant is to be embedded in
+			// APKs, not to be installed to the platform.
+			modules[1].(*Module).Properties.PreventInstall = true
 			ctx.AliasVariation("")
 		} else {
 			if isCcModule {