diff --git a/core/java.mk b/core/java.mk
index 677e3deaa4..3737d06243 100644
--- a/core/java.mk
+++ b/core/java.mk
@@ -349,23 +349,6 @@ ALL_MODULES.$(LOCAL_MODULE).PROGUARD_ENABLED:=$(LOCAL_PROGUARD_ENABLED)
 # Override PRIVATE_INTERMEDIATES_DIR so that install-dex-debug
 # will work even when intermediates != intermediates.COMMON.
 $(built_dex_intermediate): PRIVATE_INTERMEDIATES_DIR := $(intermediates.COMMON)
-
-ifeq (,$(filter --target-api=%, $(LOCAL_DX_FLAGS)))
-possible_dx_target_api :=
-ifneq (,$(LOCAL_MANIFEST_FILE))
-  manifest_min_sdk_version := \
-      $(shell grep -o 'android:minSdkVersion="[0-9]\{1,\}"' $(LOCAL_PATH)/$(LOCAL_MANIFEST_FILE) 2>/dev/null)
-  possible_dx_target_api := $(patsubst android:minSdkVersion="%",%,$(firstword $(manifest_min_sdk_version)))
-endif
-ifeq (,$(possible_dx_target_api))
-# In case minSdkVersion is not available, eg shared library built against SDK,
-# LOCAL_SDK_VERSION may be a good guess
-ifneq (,$(filter-out current, $(LOCAL_SDK_VERSION)))
-  possible_dx_target_api := $(LOCAL_SDK_VERSION)
-endif
-endif
-LOCAL_DX_FLAGS += $(addprefix --target-api=, $(possible_dx_target_api))
-endif # --target-api not defined in LOCAL_DX_FLAGS
 $(built_dex_intermediate): PRIVATE_DX_FLAGS := $(LOCAL_DX_FLAGS)
 # If you instrument class files that have local variable debug information in
 # them emma does not correctly maintain the local variable table.