diff --git a/java/app.go b/java/app.go
index 234dcb754..05cd8b31d 100644
--- a/java/app.go
+++ b/java/app.go
@@ -412,7 +412,11 @@ func (overlaySingleton) GenerateBuildActions(ctx android.SingletonContext) {
 	}
 
 	var overlayData []overlayGlobResult
-	for _, overlay := range ctx.Config().ResourceOverlays() {
+	overlayDirs := ctx.Config().ResourceOverlays()
+	for i := range overlayDirs {
+		// Iterate backwards through the list of overlay directories so that the later, lower-priority
+		// directories in the list show up earlier in the command line to aapt2.
+		overlay := overlayDirs[len(overlayDirs)-1-i]
 		var result overlayGlobResult
 		result.dir = overlay
 
diff --git a/java/app_test.go b/java/app_test.go
index 73ac3f78e..d3216bfd2 100644
--- a/java/app_test.go
+++ b/java/app_test.go
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@ var testEnforceRROTests = []struct {
 		enforceRROTargets:          nil,
 		enforceRROExcludedOverlays: nil,
 		fooOverlayFiles: []string{
-			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/foo/res/values/strings.xml",
 			"device/vendor/blah/static_overlay/foo/res/values/strings.xml",
+			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/foo/res/values/strings.xml",
 		},
 		fooRRODirs: nil,
 		barOverlayFiles: []string{
-			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
 			"device/vendor/blah/static_overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
+			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
 		},
 		barRRODirs: nil,
 	},
@@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ var testEnforceRROTests = []struct {
 			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/foo/res",
 		},
 		barOverlayFiles: []string{
-			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
 			"device/vendor/blah/static_overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
+			"device/vendor/blah/overlay/bar/res/values/strings.xml",
 		},
 		barRRODirs: nil,
 	},