diff --git a/apex/apex.go b/apex/apex.go
index 63b8d38..fd6f5b5 100644
--- a/apex/apex.go
+++ b/apex/apex.go
@@ -1110,23 +1110,6 @@
 	if am, ok := mctx.Module().(android.ApexModule); ok {
 		android.ApexInfoMutator(mctx, am)
 	}
-	enforceAppUpdatability(mctx)
-}
-
-// enforceAppUpdatability propagates updatable=true to apps of updatable apexes
-func enforceAppUpdatability(mctx android.TopDownMutatorContext) {
-	if !mctx.Module().Enabled(mctx) {
-		return
-	}
-	if apex, ok := mctx.Module().(*apexBundle); ok && apex.Updatable() {
-		// checking direct deps is sufficient since apex->apk is a direct edge, even when inherited via apex_defaults
-		mctx.VisitDirectDeps(func(module android.Module) {
-			// ignore android_test_app
-			if app, ok := module.(*java.AndroidApp); ok {
-				app.SetUpdatable(true)
-			}
-		})
-	}
 }
 
 // TODO: b/215736885 Whittle the denylist
@@ -1872,6 +1855,7 @@
 	a.CheckMinSdkVersion(ctx)
 	a.checkStaticLinkingToStubLibraries(ctx)
 	a.checkStaticExecutables(ctx)
+	a.enforceAppUpdatability(ctx)
 	if len(a.properties.Tests) > 0 && !a.testApex {
 		ctx.PropertyErrorf("tests", "property allowed only in apex_test module type")
 		return false
@@ -2397,6 +2381,24 @@
 	}
 }
 
+// enforceAppUpdatability propagates updatable=true to apps of updatable apexes
+func (a *apexBundle) enforceAppUpdatability(mctx android.ModuleContext) {
+	if !a.Enabled(mctx) {
+		return
+	}
+	if a.Updatable() {
+		// checking direct deps is sufficient since apex->apk is a direct edge, even when inherited via apex_defaults
+		mctx.VisitDirectDeps(func(module android.Module) {
+			if appInfo, ok := android.OtherModuleProvider(mctx, module, java.AppInfoProvider); ok {
+				// ignore android_test_app
+				if !appInfo.TestHelperApp && !appInfo.Updatable {
+					mctx.ModuleErrorf("app dependency %s must have updatable: true", mctx.OtherModuleName(module))
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // apexBootclasspathFragmentFiles returns the list of apexFile structures defining the files that
 // the bootclasspath_fragment contributes to the apex.
 func apexBootclasspathFragmentFiles(ctx android.ModuleContext, module blueprint.Module) []apexFile {
diff --git a/apex/apex_test.go b/apex/apex_test.go
index b372d7f..da6214d 100644
--- a/apex/apex_test.go
+++ b/apex/apex_test.go
@@ -5450,7 +5450,7 @@
 			android.PrepareForTestWithAllowMissingDependencies,
 			android.FixtureMergeMockFs(map[string][]byte{
 				"build/soong/scripts/check_boot_jars/package_allowed_list.txt": nil,
-				"frameworks/base/boot/boot-profile.txt":                      nil,
+				"frameworks/base/boot/boot-profile.txt":                        nil,
 			}),
 		)
 
@@ -9876,7 +9876,7 @@
 		apex {
 			name: "myapex",
 			key: "myapex.key",
-			updatable: %v,
+			updatable: true,
 			apps: [
 				"myapp",
 			],
@@ -9887,7 +9887,6 @@
 		}
 		android_app {
 			name: "myapp",
-			updatable: %v,
 			apex_available: [
 				"myapex",
 			],
@@ -9895,42 +9894,10 @@
 			min_sdk_version: "30",
 		}
 		`
-	testCases := []struct {
-		name                      string
-		apex_is_updatable_bp      bool
-		app_is_updatable_bp       bool
-		app_is_updatable_expected bool
-	}{
-		{
-			name:                      "Non-updatable apex respects updatable property of non-updatable app",
-			apex_is_updatable_bp:      false,
-			app_is_updatable_bp:       false,
-			app_is_updatable_expected: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name:                      "Non-updatable apex respects updatable property of updatable app",
-			apex_is_updatable_bp:      false,
-			app_is_updatable_bp:       true,
-			app_is_updatable_expected: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:                      "Updatable apex respects updatable property of updatable app",
-			apex_is_updatable_bp:      true,
-			app_is_updatable_bp:       true,
-			app_is_updatable_expected: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:                      "Updatable apex sets updatable=true on non-updatable app",
-			apex_is_updatable_bp:      true,
-			app_is_updatable_bp:       false,
-			app_is_updatable_expected: true,
-		},
-	}
-	for _, testCase := range testCases {
-		result := testApex(t, fmt.Sprintf(bp, testCase.apex_is_updatable_bp, testCase.app_is_updatable_bp))
-		myapp := result.ModuleForTests("myapp", "android_common").Module().(*java.AndroidApp)
-		android.AssertBoolEquals(t, testCase.name, testCase.app_is_updatable_expected, myapp.Updatable())
-	}
+	_ = android.GroupFixturePreparers(
+		prepareForApexTest,
+	).ExtendWithErrorHandler(android.FixtureExpectsOneErrorPattern("app dependency myapp must have updatable: true")).
+		RunTestWithBp(t, bp)
 }
 
 func TestTrimmedApex(t *testing.T) {
@@ -11699,6 +11666,7 @@
 			sdk_version: "core_current",
 			min_sdk_version: "30",
 			manifest: "AndroidManifest.xml",
+			updatable: true,
 		}
        `)
 }