diff --git a/build/mobile/robocop/Makefile.in b/build/mobile/robocop/Makefile.in
index 20f820fdaeb..c0c4d089b2d 100644
--- a/build/mobile/robocop/Makefile.in
+++ b/build/mobile/robocop/Makefile.in
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ ANDROID_EXTRA_JARS += \
   $(srcdir)/robotium-solo-4.3.1.jar \
   $(NULL)
 
-ANDROID_ASSETS_DIR := $(TESTPATH)/assets
-
 _JAVA_HARNESS := \
   Actions.java \
   Assert.java \
diff --git a/build/mobile/robocop/moz.build b/build/mobile/robocop/moz.build
index 5145e1219a4..75bf630534f 100644
--- a/build/mobile/robocop/moz.build
+++ b/build/mobile/robocop/moz.build
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 DEFINES['ANDROID_PACKAGE_NAME'] = CONFIG['ANDROID_PACKAGE_NAME']
 
 base = '/mobile/android/tests/browser/robocop/'
+
+ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS += [base + 'assets']
+
 TEST_HARNESS_FILES.testing.mochitest += [
     base + 'robocop.ini',
     base + 'robocop_autophone.ini',
diff --git a/config/makefiles/java-build.mk b/config/makefiles/java-build.mk
index 06b11249d96..019745db58b 100644
--- a/config/makefiles/java-build.mk
+++ b/config/makefiles/java-build.mk
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ endif #} JAVAFILES
 ifdef ANDROID_APK_NAME #{
 android_res_dirs := $(or $(ANDROID_RES_DIRS),$(srcdir)/res)
 _ANDROID_RES_FLAG := $(addprefix -S ,$(android_res_dirs))
-_ANDROID_ASSETS_FLAG := $(addprefix -A ,$(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIR))
+_ANDROID_ASSETS_FLAG := $(if $(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS),$(addprefix -A ,$(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS)))
 android_manifest := $(or $(ANDROID_MANIFEST_FILE),AndroidManifest.xml)
 
 GENERATED_DIRS += classes
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ $(ANDROID_APK_NAME).ap_: .aapt.deps ;
 # resource files one subdirectory below the parent resource directory.
 android_res_files := $(wildcard $(addsuffix /*,$(wildcard $(addsuffix /*,$(android_res_dirs)))))
 
-.aapt.deps: $(android_manifest) $(android_res_files) $(wildcard $(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIR))
+.aapt.deps: $(android_manifest) $(android_res_files) $(wildcard $(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS))
 	@$(TOUCH) $@
 	$(AAPT) package -f -M $< -I $(ANDROID_SDK)/android.jar $(_ANDROID_RES_FLAG) $(_ANDROID_ASSETS_FLAG) \
 		-J ${@D} \
diff --git a/mobile/android/app/assets/example_asset.txt b/mobile/android/app/assets/example_asset.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..34338f983ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/android/app/assets/example_asset.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This is an example asset.
diff --git a/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in b/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in
index 1826e129cdf..ce79d0af068 100644
--- a/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in
+++ b/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in
@@ -420,6 +420,7 @@ $(1): $$(call mkdir_deps,$(filter-out ./,$(dir $(3) $(4) $(5)))) $(2)
 		$(if $(MOZ_ANDROID_MAX_SDK_VERSION),--max-res-version $(MOZ_ANDROID_MAX_SDK_VERSION),) \
 		--auto-add-overlay \
 		$$(addprefix -S ,$$(ANDROID_RES_DIRS)) \
+		$$(addprefix -A ,$$(ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS)) \
 		$(if $(extra_res_dirs),$$(addprefix -S ,$$(extra_res_dirs)),) \
 		$(if $(extra_packages),--extra-packages $$(extra_packages),) \
 		--custom-package org.mozilla.gecko \
diff --git a/mobile/android/base/moz.build b/mobile/android/base/moz.build
index 60d1e4dd2c3..eff6bb5266f 100644
--- a/mobile/android/base/moz.build
+++ b/mobile/android/base/moz.build
@@ -764,6 +764,10 @@ ANDROID_GENERATED_RESFILES += [
     'res/values/strings.xml',
 ]
 
+ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS += [
+    '/mobile/android/app/assets',
+]
+
 # We do not expose MOZ_INSTALL_TRACKING_ADJUST_SDK_APP_TOKEN here because that
 # would leak the value to build logs.  Instead we expose the token quietly where
 # appropriate in Makefile.in.
diff --git a/mobile/android/mach_commands.py b/mobile/android/mach_commands.py
index d7a5b1fba5f..1a400328c1c 100644
--- a/mobile/android/mach_commands.py
+++ b/mobile/android/mach_commands.py
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ class MachCommands(MachCommandBase):
         srcdir('base/src/webrtc_video_capture/java', 'media/webrtc/trunk/webrtc/modules/video_capture/android/java/src')
         srcdir('base/src/webrtc_video_render/java', 'media/webrtc/trunk/webrtc/modules/video_render/android/java/src')
         srcdir('base/src/main/res', 'mobile/android/base/resources')
+        srcdir('base/src/main/assets', 'mobile/android/app/assets')
         srcdir('base/src/crashreporter/res', 'mobile/android/base/crashreporter/res')
 
         manifest_path = os.path.join(self.topobjdir, 'mobile', 'android', 'gradle.manifest')
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
index 7ec4e6b68a6..86de6351b35 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import mozpack.path as mozpath
 
 from .common import CommonBackend
 from ..frontend.data import (
+    AndroidAssetsDirs,
     AndroidResDirs,
     AndroidEclipseProjectData,
     BrandingFiles,
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ from ..util import (
 from ..makeutil import Makefile
 
 MOZBUILD_VARIABLES = [
+    b'ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS',
     b'ANDROID_GENERATED_RESFILES',
     b'ANDROID_RES_DIRS',
     b'ASFLAGS',
@@ -603,6 +605,10 @@ class RecursiveMakeBackend(CommonBackend):
             for p in obj.paths:
                 backend_file.write('ANDROID_RES_DIRS += %s\n' % p.full_path)
 
+        elif isinstance(obj, AndroidAssetsDirs):
+            for p in obj.paths:
+                backend_file.write('ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS += %s\n' % p.full_path)
+
         else:
             return
         obj.ack()
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/context.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/context.py
index ab7a5c61dde..906f075e21c 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/context.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/context.py
@@ -699,6 +699,14 @@ VARIABLES = {
         file.
         """, 'export'),
 
+    'ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS': (ContextDerivedTypedListWithItems(Path, List), list,
+        """Android assets directories.
+
+        This variable contains a list of directories containing static
+        files to package into an 'assets' directory and merge into an
+        APK file.
+        """, 'export'),
+
     'ANDROID_ECLIPSE_PROJECT_TARGETS': (dict, dict,
         """Defines Android Eclipse project targets.
 
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/data.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/data.py
index 63150bffe43..c08c85233e5 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/data.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/data.py
@@ -975,3 +975,14 @@ class AndroidResDirs(ContextDerived):
     def __init__(self, context, paths):
         ContextDerived.__init__(self, context)
         self.paths = paths
+
+class AndroidAssetsDirs(ContextDerived):
+    """Represents Android assets directories."""
+
+    __slots__ = (
+        'paths',
+    )
+
+    def __init__(self, context, paths):
+        ContextDerived.__init__(self, context)
+        self.paths = paths
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/emitter.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/emitter.py
index ddc0d28e783..f8ccf02ca20 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/emitter.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/frontend/emitter.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import reftest
 import mozinfo
 
 from .data import (
+    AndroidAssetsDirs,
     AndroidResDirs,
     BrandingFiles,
     ConfigFileSubstitution,
@@ -700,14 +701,18 @@ class TreeMetadataEmitter(LoggingMixin):
         for name, data in context.get('ANDROID_ECLIPSE_PROJECT_TARGETS', {}).items():
             yield ContextWrapped(context, data)
 
-        paths = context.get('ANDROID_RES_DIRS')
-        if paths:
+        for (symbol, cls) in [
+                ('ANDROID_RES_DIRS', AndroidResDirs),
+                ('ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRS', AndroidAssetsDirs)]:
+            paths = context.get(symbol)
+            if not paths:
+                continue
             for p in paths:
                 if isinstance(p, SourcePath) and not os.path.isdir(p.full_path):
                     raise SandboxValidationError('Directory listed in '
-                        'ANDROID_RES_DIRS is not a directory: \'%s\'' %
-                            p.full_path, context)
-            yield AndroidResDirs(context, paths)
+                        '%s is not a directory: \'%s\'' %
+                            (symbol, p.full_path), context)
+            yield cls(context, paths)
 
         if passthru.variables:
             yield passthru
diff --git a/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk b/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk
index 34402f501aa..1804f9b0795 100644
--- a/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk
@@ -470,6 +470,7 @@ INNER_MAKE_PACKAGE	= \
   ( cd $(STAGEPATH)$(MOZ_PKG_DIR)$(_BINPATH) && \
     unzip -o $(_ABS_DIST)/gecko.ap_ && \
     rm $(_ABS_DIST)/gecko.ap_ && \
+    $(ZIP) -r9D $(_ABS_DIST)/gecko.ap_ assets && \
     $(ZIP) $(if $(ALREADY_SZIPPED),-0 ,$(if $(MOZ_ENABLE_SZIP),-0 ))$(_ABS_DIST)/gecko.ap_ $(ASSET_SO_LIBRARIES) && \
     $(ZIP) -r9D $(_ABS_DIST)/gecko.ap_ $(DIST_FILES) -x $(NON_DIST_FILES) $(SZIP_LIBRARIES) && \
     $(if $(filter-out ./,$(OMNIJAR_DIR)), \