diff --git a/aidl_to_java.cpp b/aidl_to_java.cpp
index 40b01d5..04888fd 100644
--- a/aidl_to_java.cpp
+++ b/aidl_to_java.cpp
@@ -731,11 +731,11 @@
        }},
       {"IBinder[]",
        [](const CodeGeneratorContext& c) {
-         c.writer << c.var << " = " << c.parcel << ".createBinderArray();\n";
+         c.writer << c.parcel << ".readBinderArray(" << c.var << ");\n";
        }},
       {"FileDescriptor[]",
        [](const CodeGeneratorContext& c) {
-         c.writer << c.var << " = " << c.parcel << ".createRawFileDescriptorArray();\n";
+         c.writer << c.parcel << ".readRawFileDescriptorArray(" << c.var << ");\n";
        }},
       {"ParcelFileDescriptor",
        [](const CodeGeneratorContext& c) {
diff --git a/build/aidl_interface.go b/build/aidl_interface.go
index 251d0d6..80ba3d6 100644
--- a/build/aidl_interface.go
+++ b/build/aidl_interface.go
@@ -40,8 +40,10 @@
 	langCpp                   = "cpp"
 	langJava                  = "java"
 	langNdk                   = "ndk"
-	langNdkPlatform           = "ndk_platform"
 	langRust                  = "rust"
+	// TODO(b/161456198) remove the NDK platform backend as the 'platform' variant of the NDK
+	// backend serves the same purpose.
+	langNdkPlatform = "ndk_platform"
 
 	currentVersion = "current"
 )
@@ -380,19 +382,18 @@
 		Cpp struct {
 			CommonNativeBackendProperties
 		}
-		// Backend of the compiler generating code for C++ clients using
-		// libbinder_ndk (stable C interface to system's libbinder)
-		// When enabled, this creates a target called "<name>-ndk"
-		// (for apps) and "<name>-ndk_platform" (for platform usage).
+		// Backend of the compiler generating code for C++ clients using libbinder_ndk
+		// (stable C interface to system's libbinder) When enabled, this creates a target
+		// called "<name>-V<ver>-ndk" (for both apps and platform) and
+		// "<name>-V<ver>-ndk_platform" (for platform only).
+		// TODO(b/161456198): remove the ndk_platform backend as the ndk backend can serve
+		// the same purpose.
 		Ndk struct {
 			CommonNativeBackendProperties
 
-			// Currently, all ndk-supported interfaces generate two variants:
-			// - ndk - for apps to use, against an NDK
-			// - ndk_platform - for the platform to use
-			//
-			// This adds an option to disable the 'ndk' variant in cases where APIs
-			// only available in the platform version work.
+			// If set to false, the ndk backend is exclusive to platform and is not
+			// available to applications. Default is true (i.e. available to both
+			// applications and platform).
 			Apps_enabled *bool
 		}
 		// Backend of the compiler generating code for Rust clients.
@@ -426,25 +427,27 @@
 
 func (i *aidlInterface) shouldGenerateJavaBackend() bool {
 	// explicitly true if not specified to give early warning to devs
-	return i.properties.Backend.Java.Enabled == nil || *i.properties.Backend.Java.Enabled
+	return proptools.BoolDefault(i.properties.Backend.Java.Enabled, true)
 }
 
 func (i *aidlInterface) shouldGenerateCppBackend() bool {
 	// explicitly true if not specified to give early warning to devs
-	return i.properties.Backend.Cpp.Enabled == nil || *i.properties.Backend.Cpp.Enabled
+	return proptools.BoolDefault(i.properties.Backend.Cpp.Enabled, true)
 }
 
 func (i *aidlInterface) shouldGenerateNdkBackend() bool {
 	// explicitly true if not specified to give early warning to devs
+	return proptools.BoolDefault(i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Enabled, true)
 	return i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Enabled == nil || *i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Enabled
 }
 
+// Returns whether the ndk backend supports applications or not. Default is `true`. `false` is
+// returned only when `apps_enabled` is explicitly set to false. Note that the ndk_platform backend
+// (which will be removed in the future) is not affected by this. In other words, it is always
+// exclusive for the platform, as its name clearly shows.
 func (i *aidlInterface) shouldGenerateAppNdkBackend() bool {
-	if !i.shouldGenerateNdkBackend() {
-		return false
-	}
-	// explicitly true if not specified to give early warning to devs
-	return i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Apps_enabled == nil || *i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Apps_enabled
+	return i.shouldGenerateNdkBackend() &&
+		proptools.BoolDefault(i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Apps_enabled, true)
 }
 
 func (i *aidlInterface) shouldGenerateRustBackend() bool {
@@ -685,7 +688,7 @@
 	nextVersion := i.nextVersion()
 	shouldGenerateLangBackendMap := map[string]bool{
 		langCpp:         i.shouldGenerateCppBackend(),
-		langNdk:         i.shouldGenerateAppNdkBackend(),
+		langNdk:         i.shouldGenerateNdkBackend(),
 		langNdkPlatform: i.shouldGenerateNdkBackend(),
 		langJava:        i.shouldGenerateJavaBackend(),
 		langRust:        i.shouldGenerateRustBackend()}
diff --git a/build/aidl_interface_backends.go b/build/aidl_interface_backends.go
index 79b6625..6c778af 100644
--- a/build/aidl_interface_backends.go
+++ b/build/aidl_interface_backends.go
@@ -97,6 +97,19 @@
 	var cpp_std *string
 	var hostSupported *bool
 	var addCflags []string
+	targetProp := ccTargetProperties{
+		// Currently necessary for host builds
+		// TODO(b/31559095): bionic on host should define this
+		// TODO(b/146436251): default isn't applied because the module is created
+		// in PreArchMutators, when import behavior becomes explicit, the logic can
+		// be moved back to LoadHook
+		Host: hostProperties{Cflags: []string{
+			"-D__INTRODUCED_IN(n)=",
+			"-D__assert(a,b,c)=",
+			// We want all the APIs to be available on the host.
+			"-D__ANDROID_API__=10000"}},
+		Darwin: darwinProperties{Enabled: proptools.BoolPtr(false)},
+	}
 
 	if lang == langCpp {
 		importExportDependencies = append(importExportDependencies, "libbinder", "libutils")
@@ -105,23 +118,27 @@
 		}
 		hostSupported = i.properties.Host_supported
 		minSdkVersion = i.properties.Backend.Cpp.Min_sdk_version
-	} else if lang == langNdk {
+	} else if lang == langNdk || lang == langNdkPlatform {
 		importExportDependencies = append(importExportDependencies, "libbinder_ndk")
+		nonAppProps := imageProperties{
+			Cflags: []string{"-DBINDER_STABILITY_SUPPORT"},
+		}
 		if genTrace {
 			sharedLibDependency = append(sharedLibDependency, "libandroid")
+			nonAppProps.Exclude_shared_libs = []string{"libandroid"}
+			nonAppProps.Header_libs = []string{"libandroid_aidltrace"}
+			nonAppProps.Shared_libs = []string{"libcutils"}
 		}
-		sdkVersion = proptools.StringPtr("current")
-		stl = proptools.StringPtr("c++_shared")
+		targetProp.Platform = nonAppProps
+		targetProp.Vendor = nonAppProps
+		targetProp.Product = nonAppProps
 		minSdkVersion = i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Min_sdk_version
-	} else if lang == langNdkPlatform {
-		importExportDependencies = append(importExportDependencies, "libbinder_ndk")
-		if genTrace {
-			headerLibs = append(headerLibs, "libandroid_aidltrace")
-			sharedLibDependency = append(sharedLibDependency, "libcutils")
-		}
 		hostSupported = i.properties.Host_supported
-		addCflags = append(addCflags, "-DBINDER_STABILITY_SUPPORT")
-		minSdkVersion = i.properties.Backend.Ndk.Min_sdk_version
+		if lang == langNdk && i.shouldGenerateAppNdkBackend() {
+			sdkVersion = proptools.StringPtr("current")
+			// Don't worry! This maps to libc++.so for the platform variant.
+			stl = proptools.StringPtr("c++_shared")
+		}
 	} else {
 		panic("Unrecognized language: " + lang)
 	}
@@ -145,19 +162,6 @@
 		productAvailable = nil
 	}
 
-	if lang == langNdk {
-		// TODO(b/121157555): when the NDK variant is its own variant, these wouldn't interact,
-		// but we can't create a vendor or product version of an NDK variant
-		//
-		// nil (unspecified) is used instead of false so that this can't conflict with
-		// 'vendor: true', for instance.
-		vendorAvailable = nil
-		odmAvailable = nil
-		productAvailable = nil
-		overrideVndkProperties.Vndk.Enabled = proptools.BoolPtr(false)
-		overrideVndkProperties.Vndk.Support_system_process = proptools.BoolPtr(false)
-	}
-
 	mctx.CreateModule(aidlImplementationGeneratorFactory, &nameProperties{
 		Name: proptools.StringPtr(cppModuleGen + "-generator"),
 	}, &aidlImplementationGeneratorProperties{
@@ -186,19 +190,8 @@
 				Apex_available:            commonProperties.Apex_available,
 				Min_sdk_version:           minSdkVersion,
 				UseApexNameMacro:          true,
-				Target: ccTargetProperties{
-					// Currently necessary for host builds
-					// TODO(b/31559095): bionic on host should define this
-					// TODO(b/146436251): default isn't applied because the module is created
-					// in PreArchMutators, when import behavior becomes explicit, the logic can
-					// be moved back to LoadHook
-					Host: hostProperties{Cflags: []string{
-						"-D__INTRODUCED_IN(n)=",
-						"-D__assert(a,b,c)=",
-						// We want all the APIs to be available on the host.
-						"-D__ANDROID_API__=10000"}},
-					Darwin: perTargetProperties{Enabled: proptools.BoolPtr(false)}},
-				Tidy: proptools.BoolPtr(true),
+				Target:                    targetProp,
+				Tidy:                      proptools.BoolPtr(true),
 				// Do the tidy check only for the generated headers
 				Tidy_flags:            []string{"--header-filter=" + android.PathForOutput(mctx).String() + ".*"},
 				Tidy_checks_as_errors: []string{"*"},
@@ -303,7 +296,7 @@
 		Defaults:       []string{"aidl-rust-module-defaults"},
 		Host_supported: i.properties.Host_supported,
 		Apex_available: i.properties.Backend.Rust.Apex_available,
-		Target:         rustTargetProperties{Darwin: perTargetProperties{Enabled: proptools.BoolPtr(false)}},
+		Target:         rustTargetProperties{Darwin: darwinProperties{Enabled: proptools.BoolPtr(false)}},
 	}, &rust.SourceProviderProperties{
 		Source_stem: proptools.StringPtr(versionedRustName),
 	}, &aidlRustSourceProviderProperties{
diff --git a/build/properties.go b/build/properties.go
index 69914ed..1b302a9 100644
--- a/build/properties.go
+++ b/build/properties.go
@@ -21,17 +21,28 @@
 type hostProperties struct {
 	Cflags []string
 }
-type perTargetProperties struct {
+
+type darwinProperties struct {
 	Enabled *bool
 }
 
+type imageProperties struct {
+	Shared_libs         []string
+	Header_libs         []string
+	Exclude_shared_libs []string
+	Cflags              []string
+}
+
 type ccTargetProperties struct {
-	Host   hostProperties
-	Darwin perTargetProperties
+	Host     hostProperties
+	Darwin   darwinProperties
+	Platform imageProperties
+	Vendor   imageProperties
+	Product  imageProperties
 }
 
 type rustTargetProperties struct {
-	Darwin perTargetProperties
+	Darwin darwinProperties
 }
 
 type ccProperties struct {