diff --git a/android/arch.go b/android/arch.go
index e72614cfa..6acc8ad22 100644
--- a/android/arch.go
+++ b/android/arch.go
@@ -655,7 +655,8 @@ func archMutator(bpctx blueprint.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	prefer32 := os == Windows
 
 	// Determine the multilib selection for this module.
-	multilib, extraMultilib := decodeMultilib(base, os)
+	ignorePrefer32OnDevice := mctx.Config().IgnorePrefer32OnDevice()
+	multilib, extraMultilib := decodeMultilib(base, os, ignorePrefer32OnDevice)
 
 	// Convert the multilib selection into a list of Targets.
 	targets, err := decodeMultilibTargets(multilib, osTargets, prefer32)
@@ -730,7 +731,7 @@ func addTargetProperties(m Module, target Target, multiTargets []Target, primary
 // multilib from the factory's call to InitAndroidArchModule if none was set.  For modules that
 // called InitAndroidMultiTargetsArchModule it always returns "common" for multilib, and returns
 // the actual multilib in extraMultilib.
-func decodeMultilib(base *ModuleBase, os OsType) (multilib, extraMultilib string) {
+func decodeMultilib(base *ModuleBase, os OsType, ignorePrefer32OnDevice bool) (multilib, extraMultilib string) {
 	// First check the "android.compile_multilib" or "host.compile_multilib" properties.
 	switch os.Class {
 	case Device:
@@ -749,6 +750,13 @@ func decodeMultilib(base *ModuleBase, os OsType) (multilib, extraMultilib string
 		multilib = base.commonProperties.Default_multilib
 	}
 
+	// If a device is configured with multiple targets, this option
+	// force all device targets that prefer32 to be compiled only as
+	// the first target.
+	if ignorePrefer32OnDevice && os.Class == Device && (multilib == "prefer32" || multilib == "first_prefer32") {
+		multilib = "first"
+	}
+
 	if base.commonProperties.UseTargetVariants {
 		// Darwin has the concept of "universal binaries" which is implemented in Soong by
 		// building both x86_64 and arm64 variants, and having select module types know how to
diff --git a/android/config.go b/android/config.go
index 47346fcf1..a5337d07d 100644
--- a/android/config.go
+++ b/android/config.go
@@ -1725,6 +1725,10 @@ func (c *deviceConfig) GenerateAidlNdkPlatformBackend() bool {
 	return c.config.productVariables.GenerateAidlNdkPlatformBackend
 }
 
+func (c *config) IgnorePrefer32OnDevice() bool {
+	return c.productVariables.IgnorePrefer32OnDevice
+}
+
 // The ConfiguredJarList struct provides methods for handling a list of (apex, jar) pairs.
 // Such lists are used in the build system for things like bootclasspath jars or system server jars.
 // The apex part is either an apex name, or a special names "platform" or "system_ext". Jar is a
diff --git a/android/variable.go b/android/variable.go
index 50fc304d2..874b69d9c 100644
--- a/android/variable.go
+++ b/android/variable.go
@@ -447,6 +447,8 @@ type productVariables struct {
 	SepolicyFreezeTestExtraPrebuiltDirs []string `json:",omitempty"`
 
 	GenerateAidlNdkPlatformBackend bool `json:",omitempty"`
+
+	IgnorePrefer32OnDevice bool `json:",omitempty"`
 }
 
 func boolPtr(v bool) *bool {