diff --git a/core/product.mk b/core/product.mk
index 5f06141..9aebc28 100644
--- a/core/product.mk
+++ b/core/product.mk
@@ -321,6 +321,9 @@
 # List of extra VNDK versions to be included
 _product_list_vars += PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS
 
+# Whether APEX should be compressed or not
+_product_single_value_vars += PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX
+
 # VNDK version of product partition. It can be 'current' if the product
 # partitions uses PLATFORM_VNDK_VERSION.
 _product_single_value_vars += PRODUCT_PRODUCT_VNDK_VERSION
diff --git a/core/product_config.mk b/core/product_config.mk
index 6170b5b..b9de8ca 100644
--- a/core/product_config.mk
+++ b/core/product_config.mk
@@ -355,6 +355,16 @@
   PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS := $(OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS)
 endif
 
+###########################################
+# APEXes are by default not compressed
+#
+# APEX compression can be forcibly enabled (resp. disabled) by
+# setting OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX to true (resp. false), e.g. by
+# setting the OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX environment variable.
+ifdef OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX
+  PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX := $(OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX)
+endif
+
 $(KATI_obsolete_var OVERRIDE_PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS \
     ,Use PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS instead)
 
diff --git a/core/soong_config.mk b/core/soong_config.mk
index 06b5555..8482ac6 100644
--- a/core/soong_config.mk
+++ b/core/soong_config.mk
@@ -212,6 +212,8 @@
 
 $(call add_json_bool, InstallExtraFlattenedApexes, $(PRODUCT_INSTALL_EXTRA_FLATTENED_APEXES))
 
+$(call add_json_bool, CompressedApex, $(PRODUCT_COMPRESSED_APEX))
+
 $(call add_json_bool, BoardUsesRecoveryAsBoot, $(BOARD_USES_RECOVERY_AS_BOOT))
 
 $(call add_json_list, BoardKernelBinaries, $(BOARD_KERNEL_BINARIES))