diff --git a/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java b/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
index be8aeccad..a6f6e4eb8 100644
--- a/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
+++ b/android-project/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
@@ -513,7 +513,6 @@ public class SDLActivity extends Activity {
     public static native void onNativeSurfaceDestroyed();
     public static native String nativeGetHint(String name);
     public static native void nativeSetenv(String name, String value);
-    public static native void nativeEnvironmentVariablesSet();
 
     /**
      * This method is called by SDL using JNI.
@@ -618,12 +617,12 @@ public class SDLActivity extends Activity {
     /**
      * This method is called by SDL using JNI.
      */
-    public static void getManifestEnvironmentVariables() {
+    public static boolean getManifestEnvironmentVariables() {
         try {
             ApplicationInfo applicationInfo = getContext().getPackageManager().getApplicationInfo(getContext().getPackageName(), PackageManager.GET_META_DATA);
             Bundle bundle = applicationInfo.metaData;
             if (bundle == null) {
-                return;
+                return false;
             }
 			String prefix = "SDL_ENV.";
             final int trimLength = prefix.length();
@@ -634,10 +633,12 @@ public class SDLActivity extends Activity {
                     nativeSetenv(name, value);
                 }
             }
-			nativeEnvironmentVariablesSet();
+            /* environment variables set! */
+            return true; 
         } catch (Exception e) {
            Log.v("SDL", "exception " + e.toString());
         }
+        return false;
     }
 
     static class ShowTextInputTask implements Runnable {
diff --git a/src/core/android/SDL_android.c b/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
index 28f9a19d8..02afdf1cc 100644
--- a/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
+++ b/src/core/android/SDL_android.c
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ static jfieldID fidSeparateMouseAndTouch;
 static float fLastAccelerometer[3];
 static SDL_bool bHasNewData;
 
-static SDL_bool bHasEnvironmentVariables;
+static SDL_bool bHasEnvironmentVariables = SDL_FALSE;
 
 /*******************************************************************************
                  Functions called by JNI
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL SDL_JAVA_INTERFACE(nativeSetupJNI)(JNIEnv* mEnv, jclass c
                                 "openAPKExpansionInputStream", "(Ljava/lang/String;)Ljava/io/InputStream;");
 
     midGetManifestEnvironmentVariables = (*mEnv)->GetStaticMethodID(mEnv, mActivityClass,
-                                "getManifestEnvironmentVariables", "()V");
+                                "getManifestEnvironmentVariables", "()Z");
 
     midGetDisplayDPI = (*mEnv)->GetStaticMethodID(mEnv, mActivityClass, "getDisplayDPI", "()Landroid/util/DisplayMetrics;");
 
@@ -831,12 +831,6 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL SDL_JAVA_INTERFACE(nativeSetenv)(
 
 }
 
-JNIEXPORT void JNICALL SDL_JAVA_INTERFACE(nativeEnvironmentVariablesSet)(
-        JNIEnv* env, jclass cls)
-{
-    bHasEnvironmentVariables = SDL_TRUE;
-}
-
 /*******************************************************************************
              Functions called by SDL into Java
 *******************************************************************************/
@@ -2143,7 +2137,10 @@ void Android_JNI_GetManifestEnvironmentVariables(void)
 
     if (!bHasEnvironmentVariables) {
         JNIEnv *env = Android_JNI_GetEnv();
-        (*env)->CallStaticVoidMethod(env, mActivityClass, midGetManifestEnvironmentVariables);
+        SDL_bool ret = (*env)->CallStaticBooleanMethod(env, mActivityClass, midGetManifestEnvironmentVariables);
+        if (ret) {
+            bHasEnvironmentVariables = SDL_TRUE;
+        }
     }
 }