diff --git a/java/app.go b/java/app.go
index 86cf747..5c694b9 100755
--- a/java/app.go
+++ b/java/app.go
@@ -540,16 +540,17 @@
 		installDir = filepath.Join("app", a.installApkName)
 	}
 	a.dexpreopter.installPath = android.PathForModuleInstall(ctx, installDir, a.installApkName+".apk")
-	a.dexpreopter.uncompressedDex = a.shouldUncompressDex(ctx)
-
+	if a.deviceProperties.Uncompress_dex == nil {
+		// If the value was not force-set by the user, use reasonable default based on the module.
+		a.deviceProperties.Uncompress_dex = proptools.BoolPtr(a.shouldUncompressDex(ctx))
+	}
+	a.dexpreopter.uncompressedDex = *a.deviceProperties.Uncompress_dex
 	a.dexpreopter.enforceUsesLibs = a.usesLibrary.enforceUsesLibraries()
 	a.dexpreopter.usesLibs = a.usesLibrary.usesLibraryProperties.Uses_libs
 	a.dexpreopter.optionalUsesLibs = a.usesLibrary.presentOptionalUsesLibs(ctx)
 	a.dexpreopter.libraryPaths = a.usesLibrary.usesLibraryPaths(ctx)
 	a.dexpreopter.manifestFile = a.mergedManifestFile
 
-	a.deviceProperties.UncompressDex = a.dexpreopter.uncompressedDex
-
 	if ctx.ModuleName() != "framework-res" {
 		a.Module.compile(ctx, a.aaptSrcJar)
 	}