diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index db96aa3d80..3bd18f88b7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 name: generate-builds
 on:
-  push:
-  pull_request:
+  # push:
+  # pull_request:
+  workflow_dispatch:
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
@@ -380,3 +381,29 @@ jobs:
       with:
         name: 2ship-windows
         path: 2ship-windows
+
+  build-android:
+    needs: generate-2ship-otr
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        submodules: true
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: sudo apt-get install -y ninja-build
+    - name: Download 2ship.o2r
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: 2ship.o2r
+        path: Android/app/src/main/assets
+    - name: Build 2Ship
+      run: |
+        cd Android/
+        ./gradlew assembleDebug -P elfBuildType=RelWithDebInfo
+        mv app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk ../2ship.apk
+    - name: Create release
+      uses: svenstaro/upload-release-action@v2
+      with:
+        repo_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        tag: ${{ github.ref }}
+        file: 2ship.apk
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 176b4bb21b..9dde8295ea 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -67,3 +67,6 @@ _packages/
 /mm/src/boot/build.c
 /mm/windows/properties.h
 /clang-format.exe
+
+# IntelliJ / Android Studio
+.idea
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 10a75a9428..f6a6cff7a4 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [submodule "libultraship"]
 	path = libultraship
-	url = https://github.com/Waterdish/libultraship.git
+	url = https://github.com/robertkirkman/libultraship.git
 [submodule "OTRExporter"]
 	path = OTRExporter
 	url = https://github.com/Waterdish/OTRExporter.git
diff --git a/Android/app/build.gradle b/Android/app/build.gradle
index 12d75aaa85..1cf99a3506 100644
--- a/Android/app/build.gradle
+++ b/Android/app/build.gradle
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-def buildAsLibrary = project.hasProperty('BUILD_AS_LIBRARY');
+def buildAsLibrary = project.hasProperty('BUILD_AS_LIBRARY')
 def buildAsApplication = !buildAsLibrary
 if (buildAsApplication) {
     apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
@@ -8,25 +8,21 @@ else {
 }
 
 android {
-    ndkPath "/home/waterdish/Android/Sdk/ndk/26.0.10792818"  // Point to your own NDK
-    compileSdkVersion 31
+    ndkVersion '27.2.12479018'
+    compileSdkVersion 34
     defaultConfig {
         if (buildAsApplication) {
             applicationId "com.dishii.mm"
         }
-        minSdkVersion 24
-        targetSdkVersion 31
+        minSdkVersion 21
+        //noinspection OldTargetApi
+        targetSdkVersion 34
         versionCode 4
         versionName "1.1.1"
         externalNativeBuild {
-            //ndkBuild {
-            //    arguments "APP_PLATFORM=android-23"
-            //    abiFilters 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86', 'x86_64'
-            //}
             cmake {
-                 arguments "-DSDL_SHARED=ON", "-DANDROID_STL=c++_static", "-DHAVE_LD_VERSION_SCRIPT=OFF",'-DUSE_OPENGLES=ON'
+                 arguments "-DANDROID_APPNAME=${applicationId}", "-DANDROID_APP_PLATFORM=android-21", "-DANDROID_STL=c++_static", "-DHAVE_LD_VERSION_SCRIPT=OFF", "-DUSE_OPENGLES=ON", "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$elfBuildType"
                  abiFilters 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86', 'x86_64'
-                 //abiFilters 'arm64-v8a'
             }
         }
     }
@@ -34,9 +30,17 @@ android {
         release {
             minifyEnabled false
             proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
+            signingConfig signingConfigs.debug
         }
     }
-    applicationVariants.all { variant ->
+    buildFeatures {
+        buildConfig = true
+    }
+    namespace 'com.dishii.mm'
+    lint {
+        abortOnError false
+    }
+    applicationVariants.configureEach { variant ->
         tasks["merge${variant.name.capitalize()}Assets"]
             .dependsOn("externalNativeBuild${variant.name.capitalize()}")
     }
@@ -45,26 +49,20 @@ android {
             jniLibs.srcDir 'libs'
         }
         externalNativeBuild {
-            //ndkBuild {
-            //    path 'jni/Android.mk'
-            //}
             cmake {
                  path '../../CMakeLists.txt'
-                 version "3.25.1"
+                 version "3.31.5"
             }
         }
        
     }
-    lintOptions {
-        abortOnError false
-    }
-    
+
     if (buildAsLibrary) {
         libraryVariants.all { variant ->
             variant.outputs.each { output ->
                 def outputFile = output.outputFile
                 if (outputFile != null && outputFile.name.endsWith(".aar")) {
-                    def fileName = "org.libsdl.app.aar";
+                    def fileName = "com.dishii.mm.aar"
                     output.outputFile = new File(outputFile.parent, fileName);
                 }
             }
@@ -74,13 +72,13 @@ android {
 
 dependencies {
     implementation fileTree(include: ['*.jar'], dir: 'libs')
-    implementation 'androidx.core:core:1.7.0' // Use the latest version
-    implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.1.4'
+    implementation 'androidx.core:core:1.13.1'
+    implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.2.0'
 }
 
-task wrapper(type: Wrapper) {
-    gradleVersion = '7.0.3'
+tasks.register('wrapper', Wrapper) {
+    gradleVersion = '8.10.2'
 }
 
-task prepareKotlinBuildScriptModel {
+tasks.register('prepareKotlinBuildScriptModel') {
 }
diff --git a/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar b/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar
deleted file mode 100644
index 7454180f2a..0000000000
Binary files a/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
deleted file mode 100644
index e750102e09..0000000000
--- a/Android/app/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
-distributionPath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.3-bin.zip
-zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
-zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/Android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 72b36b6c5f..217a2744c1 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
      com.gamemaker.game
 -->
 <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
-    package="com.dishii.mm"
     android:versionCode="4"
     android:versionName="1.1.1"
     android:installLocation="auto">
@@ -54,8 +53,8 @@
     <!-- Allow access to the vibrator -->
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE" />
 
-    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
+    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
 
     <!-- if you want to capture audio, uncomment this. -->
     <!-- <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" /> -->
@@ -73,7 +72,8 @@
         android:allowBackup="true"
         android:theme="@android:style/Theme.NoTitleBar.Fullscreen"
         android:hardwareAccelerated="true"
-        android:appCategory="game" >
+        android:appCategory="game"
+        android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true">
 
 
         <!-- Example of setting SDL hints from AndroidManifest.xml:
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@
 
      
         <activity android:name="MainActivity"
-            android:label="@string/app_name"
             android:alwaysRetainTaskState="true"
             android:launchMode="singleInstance"
             android:configChanges="layoutDirection|locale|orientation|uiMode|screenLayout|screenSize|smallestScreenSize|keyboard|keyboardHidden|navigation"
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/assets/.gitignore b/Android/app/src/main/assets/.gitignore
index 0d4e697d57..27ea603011 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/assets/.gitignore
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/assets/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 # Extractor Assets Copied by CMake during buildtime
 assets/
+mods/
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/AssetCopyUtil.java b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/AssetCopyUtil.java
index 94628a92e5..a301c9706a 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/AssetCopyUtil.java
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/AssetCopyUtil.java
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.res.AssetManager;
+import android.util.Log;
+
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -9,53 +11,70 @@
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 
 public class AssetCopyUtil {
+    // based on https://stackoverflow.com/a/8366081/11708026
+    // This is desirable because it bulk copies all assets indiscriminately, simplifying the code in MainActivity
+    // the side effect is that, some people will see strange, unidentifiable files appearing in their destination folder.
+    // those extra files do not come from the app itself. They originate from something inside the Android ROM
+    // of the device they are using, and can be observed to vary between different models of devices.
+    public static void copyAssetsToExternal(Context context, String externalFolderPath) {
+        externalFolderPath = externalFolderPath + "/";
+        copyFileOrDir(context, "", externalFolderPath); // copy all files in assets folder to the destination
+    }
 
-    public static void copyAssetsToExternal(Context context, String assetsFolderPath, String externalFolderPath) throws IOException {
+    private static void copyFileOrDir(Context context, String srcpath, String destpath) {
         AssetManager assetManager = context.getAssets();
-        String[] assetFiles = assetManager.list(assetsFolderPath);
-
-        for (String assetFile : assetFiles) {
-            String assetPath = assetsFolderPath + File.separator + assetFile;
-            String externalPath = externalFolderPath + File.separator + assetFile;
-
-            if (assetManager.list(assetPath).length > 0) {
-                // It's a directory
-                // Check if the directory exists in the external storage
-                File externalDir = new File(externalPath);
-                if (!externalDir.exists()) {
-                    externalDir.mkdirs(); // Create the directory if it doesn't exist
-                }
-
-                // Recursively copy contents of the directory
-                copyAssetsToExternal(context, assetPath, externalPath);
+        String assets[] = null;
+        String tag = "AssetCopyUtil";
+        try {
+            Log.i(tag, "copyFileOrDir() " + srcpath);
+            assets = assetManager.list(srcpath);
+            if (assets.length == 0) {
+                copyFile(context, srcpath, destpath);
             } else {
-                // It's a file
-                File externalFile = new File(externalPath);
-                if (!externalFile.exists()) {
-                    // Check if the file exists in the external storage
-                    InputStream in = null;
-                    OutputStream out = null;
-
-                    try {
-                        in = assetManager.open(assetPath);
-                        out = new FileOutputStream(externalPath);
-
-                        byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
-                        int read;
-                        while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
-                            out.write(buffer, 0, read);
-                        }
-
-                    } finally {
-                        if (in != null) {
-                            in.close();
-                        }
-                        if (out != null) {
-                            out.close();
-                        }
-                    }
+                String fullPath = destpath + srcpath;
+                Log.i(tag, "path=" + fullPath);
+                File dir = new File(fullPath);
+                if (!dir.exists())
+                    if (!dir.mkdirs())
+                        Log.i(tag, "could not create dir " + fullPath);
+                for (int i = 0; i < assets.length; ++i) {
+                    String p;
+                    if (srcpath.isEmpty())
+                        p = "";
+                    else
+                        p = srcpath + "/";
+                    copyFileOrDir(context,p + assets[i], destpath);
                 }
             }
+        } catch (IOException ex) {
+            Log.e(tag, "I/O Exception", ex);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void copyFile(Context context, String filename, String destpath) {
+        AssetManager assetManager = context.getAssets();
+        InputStream in = null;
+        OutputStream out = null;
+        String newFileName = null;
+        String tag = "AssetCopyUtil";
+        try {
+            Log.i(tag, "copyFile() " + filename);
+            in = assetManager.open(filename);
+            newFileName = destpath + filename;
+            out = new FileOutputStream(newFileName);
+            byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
+            int read;
+            while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
+                out.write(buffer, 0, read);
+            }
+            in.close();
+            in = null;
+            out.flush();
+            out.close();
+            out = null;
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Log.e(tag, "Exception in copyFile() of " + newFileName);
+            Log.e(tag, "Exception in copyFile() " + e.toString());
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/MainActivity.java b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/MainActivity.java
index 702d8b84b6..2f7b02e3e8 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/MainActivity.java
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/java/com/dishii/mm/MainActivity.java
@@ -6,20 +6,12 @@
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.net.Uri;
+import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.os.Environment;
-import android.provider.Settings;
-import java.io.File;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.io.InputStream;
-import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.io.FileOutputStream;
-import android.Manifest;
 import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
-import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat;
-import androidx.core.content.ContextCompat;
-import android.util.Log;
 
+import android.provider.Settings;
 import android.view.ViewGroup;
 import android.widget.Button;
 import android.widget.FrameLayout;
@@ -28,28 +20,48 @@
 import android.view.View;
 import android.widget.ImageView;
 
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+
 //This class is the main SDLActivity and just sets up a bunch of default files and the input overlay
-public class MainActivity extends SDLActivity{
+public class MainActivity extends SDLActivity {
 
-    private static final int STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE = 1;
+    private static final int FILE_HANDLER_REQUEST_CODE = 0;
+    private static final int SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE = 1;
 
     SharedPreferences preferences;
 
+    private boolean hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = false;
+
+    private boolean permissionPopupIsOpen = false;
+
+    // this is a case where I feel like it is actually clearer to have a double negative boolean,
+    // than to have one named "permissionPopupChargeIsAvailable = true", but you can let me know
+    // if you would prefer to reorganize this.
+    private boolean permissionPopupWasDeclined = false;
+
+    private boolean hasInstalledExternalAssetFiles = false;
+
+    @Override
+    protected String[] getLibraries() {
+        return new String[] {
+            "SDL2",
+            "2ship"
+        };
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
 
-        preferences = getSharedPreferences("com.dishii.mm.prefs",Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
+        preferences = getSharedPreferences("com.dishii.mm.prefs", Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
 
-        setupControllerOverlay();
+        doVersionCheck();
 
-        // Check if storage permissions are granted
-        if (hasStoragePermission()) {
-            doVersionCheck();
-            setupFiles();
-        } else {
-            requestStoragePermission();
-        }
+        setupControllerOverlay();
         attachController();
     }
 
@@ -58,97 +70,108 @@ private void doVersionCheck(){
         int storedVersion = preferences.getInt("appVersion", 1);
 
         if (currentVersion > storedVersion) {
-            deleteOutdatedAssets();
+            // I tend to just copy all assets on every app launch, overwriting the old ones,
+            // so that I don't have to change appVersion every time I need to make sure that the newest assets
+            // are guaranteed to always be present. Also, when /storage/emulated/0/com.dishii.mm is used, the assets
+            // could be from a whole different version of the app and that wouldn't be detected (at least by this
+            // particular SharedPreferences), so my way always overwrites those.
+            // My way is also very slow to load at every startup, which is ok for
+            // apps that have only a few external assets, but for apps like this one that have
+            // a lot of external assets, the slowness is pretty severe. Let me know if that is not desirable
+            // and you would prefer it to work differently.
+            //deleteOutdatedAssets();
             preferences.edit().putInt("appVersion", currentVersion).apply();
         }
     }
 
-    private void deleteOutdatedAssets(){
-        File externalSohFile = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "2ship.o2r");
-        externalSohFile.delete();
-        File externalOotFile = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "mm.o2r");
-        externalOotFile.delete();
-        File externalAssetsFolder = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "assets");
-        deleteRecursive(externalAssetsFolder);
+    // called from native code through JNI where necessary
+    public String getExternalAssetsPath() {
+        // the original location, /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.dishii.mm/files,
+        // can be the fallback if the user denies the permission
+        String externalAssetsPath = getExternalFilesDir(null).getAbsolutePath();
 
-    }
+        if (!permissionPopupWasDeclined) {
+            requestSpecialExternalStoragePermission();
+        }
 
-    private void deleteRecursive(File fileOrDirectory) {
-        if (fileOrDirectory.isDirectory()) {
-            for (File child : fileOrDirectory.listFiles()) {
-                deleteRecursive(child);
+        while(permissionPopupIsOpen) {
+            // Do nothing until a permission is chosen
+            try {
+                Thread.sleep(250);
+            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                // do nothing
             }
         }
-        fileOrDirectory.delete();
-    }
 
+        if (hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission) {
+            // /storage/emulated/0/com.dishii.mm, also mounted at /sdcard/com.dishii.mm
+            externalAssetsPath = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath() + "/" + getApplicationContext().getPackageName();
+        }
 
+        if (!hasInstalledExternalAssetFiles) {
+            setupFiles(externalAssetsPath);
+        }
 
-    // Check if storage permission is granted
-    private boolean hasStoragePermission() {
-        return ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)
-                == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED &&
-                ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE)
-                        == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
+        return externalAssetsPath;
     }
 
-    // Request storage permission
-    private void requestStoragePermission() {
-        ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this,
-                new String[]{Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
-                        Manifest.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE},
-                STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
+    // Request the special external storage permission
+    private void requestSpecialExternalStoragePermission() {
+        // Android 5 or older
+        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT <= Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP_MR1) {
+            hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = true;
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Android 10 or older
+        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT <= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q) {
+            if (checkSelfPermission("android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE") == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
+                hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = true;
+                return;
+            }
+
+            requestPermissions(new String[]{"android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"}, SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
+            permissionPopupIsOpen = true;
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Android 11 or newer
+        if (Environment.isExternalStorageManager()) {
+            hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = true;
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            Intent intent = new Intent(Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_APP_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION);
+            intent.addCategory("android.intent.category.DEFAULT");
+            intent.setData(Uri.parse(String.format("package:%s", getApplicationContext().getPackageName())));
+            startActivityForResult(intent, SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Intent intent = new Intent();
+            intent.setAction(Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION);
+            startActivityForResult(intent, SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
+        }
+
+        permissionPopupIsOpen = true;
     }
 
     // Handle permission request result
     @Override
     public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
         super.onRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
-        if (requestCode == STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE) {
+        if (requestCode == SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE) {
             if (grantResults.length > 0 && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
-                setupFiles();
+                hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = true;
             } else {
-                // Permission denied, handle accordingly (e.g., show a message)
+                permissionPopupWasDeclined = true;
             }
+            permissionPopupIsOpen = false;
         }
     }
 
-    private void setupFiles(){
-        //Copy assets folder for rom extraction
-        File externalAssetsDir = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "assets");
-        if (!externalAssetsDir.exists()) {
-            try {
-                externalAssetsDir.mkdirs();
-                AssetCopyUtil.copyAssetsToExternal(this, "assets", externalAssetsDir.getAbsolutePath());
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-            }
-        }
-
-        //Create empty mods folder
-        File externalModsDir = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "mods");
-        externalModsDir.mkdirs();
-
-        //Copy 2ship.o2r
-        File externalSohOtrFile = new File(getExternalFilesDir(null), "2ship.o2r");
-        if (!externalSohOtrFile.exists()) {
-            try {
-                InputStream in = getAssets().open("2ship.o2r");
-                OutputStream out = new FileOutputStream(externalSohOtrFile);
-
-                byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
-                int read;
-                while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
-                    out.write(buffer, 0, read);
-                }
-
-                in.close();
-                out.close();
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-            }
-        }
-
+    private void setupFiles(String externalAssetsPath) {
+        AssetCopyUtil.copyAssetsToExternal(this, externalAssetsPath);
+        hasInstalledExternalAssetFiles = true;
     }
 
     private native void nativeHandleSelectedFile(String filePath);
@@ -156,10 +179,11 @@ private void setupFiles(){
     @Override
     protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
         super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);
-        if (requestCode == 0 && resultCode == RESULT_OK) {
+
+        if (requestCode == FILE_HANDLER_REQUEST_CODE && resultCode == RESULT_OK) {
             Uri selectedFileUri = data.getData();
             String fileName = "MM.z64";
-            File destinationDirectory = getExternalFilesDir(null); // The second argument can specify a subdirectory, or you can pass null to use the root directory.
+            String destinationDirectory = getExternalAssetsPath();
             File destinationFile = new File(destinationDirectory, fileName);
 
             if (destinationDirectory != null) {
@@ -181,8 +205,20 @@ protected void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data) {
             }
             nativeHandleSelectedFile(destinationFile.getPath());
         }
+
+        if (requestCode == SPECIAL_STORAGE_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE) {
+            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.R /* Android 11 or newer */) {
+                if (Environment.isExternalStorageManager()) {
+                    hasSpecialExternalStoragePermission = true;
+                } else {
+                    permissionPopupWasDeclined = true;
+                }
+            }
+            permissionPopupIsOpen = false;
+        }
     }
 
+    // called from native code through JNI where necessary
     public void openFilePicker() {
         // Create an Intent to open the file picker dialog
         Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_OPEN_DOCUMENT);
@@ -192,13 +228,6 @@ public void openFilePicker() {
         startActivityForResult(intent, 0);
     }
 
-    // Check if external storage is available and writable
-    private boolean isExternalStorageWritable() {
-        String state = Environment.getExternalStorageState();
-        return Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED.equals(state);
-    }
-
-
     public native void attachController();
     public native void detachController();
     // Native method for setting button state
diff --git a/Android/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java b/Android/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
index 42092dbd02..27ecad87df 100644
--- a/Android/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
+++ b/Android/app/src/main/java/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@
 public class SDLActivity extends Activity implements View.OnSystemUiVisibilityChangeListener {
     private static final String TAG = "SDL";
     private static final int SDL_MAJOR_VERSION = 2;
-    private static final int SDL_MINOR_VERSION = 30;
-    private static final int SDL_MICRO_VERSION = 5;
+    private static final int SDL_MINOR_VERSION = 32;
+    private static final int SDL_MICRO_VERSION = 0;
 /*
     // Display InputType.SOURCE/CLASS of events and devices
     //
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ public static void debugSource(int sources, String prefix) {
                 | InputDevice.SOURCE_CLASS_POSITION
                 | InputDevice.SOURCE_CLASS_TRACKBALL);
 
-        if (s2 != 0) cls += "Some_Unkown";
+        if (s2 != 0) cls += "Some_Unknown";
 
         s2 = s_copy & InputDevice.SOURCE_ANY; // keep source only, no class;
 
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ public static void debugSource(int sources, String prefix) {
         if (s == FLAG_TAINTED) src += " FLAG_TAINTED";
         s2 &= ~FLAG_TAINTED;
 
-        if (s2 != 0) src += " Some_Unkown";
+        if (s2 != 0) src += " Some_Unknown";
 
         Log.v(TAG, prefix + "int=" + s_copy + " CLASS={" + cls + " } source(s):" + src);
     }
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ protected String[] getLibraries() {
             // "SDL2_mixer",
             // "SDL2_net",
             // "SDL2_ttf",
-            "2ship"
+            "main"
         };
     }
 
@@ -790,6 +790,9 @@ public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
                                 window.clearFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN);
                                 SDLActivity.mFullscreenModeActive = false;
                             }
+                            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 28 /* Android 9 (Pie) */) {
+                                window.getAttributes().layoutInDisplayCutoutMode = WindowManager.LayoutParams.LAYOUT_IN_DISPLAY_CUTOUT_MODE_SHORT_EDGES;
+                            }
                         }
                     } else {
                         Log.e(TAG, "error handling message, getContext() returned no Activity");
diff --git a/Android/build.gradle b/Android/build.gradle
index 6f629c8aa7..2c61244cd0 100644
--- a/Android/build.gradle
+++ b/Android/build.gradle
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ buildscript {
         google()
     }
     dependencies {
-        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:7.0.3'
+        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:8.8.0'
 
         // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
         // in the individual module build.gradle files
@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ allprojects {
     }
 }
 
-task clean(type: Delete) {
+tasks.register('clean', Delete) {
     delete rootProject.buildDir
 }
diff --git a/Android/gradle.properties b/Android/gradle.properties
index 48e100c5f6..427fd2e247 100644
--- a/Android/gradle.properties
+++ b/Android/gradle.properties
@@ -18,3 +18,8 @@ org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx1536m
 # org.gradle.parallel=true
 
 android.useAndroidX=true
+android.nonTransitiveRClass=false
+android.nonFinalResIds=false
+
+# set to Release or RelWithDebInfo to avoid slow mm.o2r generation
+elfBuildType=Debug
diff --git a/Android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/Android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index ada5af48a6..fd52d260aa 100644
--- a/Android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/Android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #Thu Nov 11 18:20:34 PST 2021
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.3-bin.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.10.2-bin.zip
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
 zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 19e4a97efb..b885d0e3df 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -148,6 +148,8 @@ file(COPY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/OTRExporter/CFG/filelists/" DESTINATION "${CMAKE_
 file(COPY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/OTRExporter/CFG/ActorList_MM.txt" DESTINATION "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Android/app/src/main/assets/assets/extractor/symbols")
 file(COPY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/OTRExporter/CFG/ObjectList_MM.txt" DESTINATION "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Android/app/src/main/assets/assets/extractor/symbols")
 file(COPY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/OTRExporter/CFG/SymbolMap_MM.txt" DESTINATION "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Android/app/src/main/assets/assets/extractor/symbols")
+file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Android/app/src/main/assets/mods")
+file(TOUCH "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/Android/app/src/main/assets/mods/custom_mod_files_go_here.txt")
 endif()
 
 
diff --git a/libultraship b/libultraship
index e823c0fa72..1799c5f863 160000
--- a/libultraship
+++ b/libultraship
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit e823c0fa72f667a2f6f90ff69d03ec430eeaff15
+Subproject commit 1799c5f863ada0bb222afb37f613c9877b5e2648
diff --git a/mm/2s2h/Extractor/Extract.cpp b/mm/2s2h/Extractor/Extract.cpp
index 4fda9a9998..9db75eb721 100644
--- a/mm/2s2h/Extractor/Extract.cpp
+++ b/mm/2s2h/Extractor/Extract.cpp
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ enum class ButtonId : int {
 
 #ifdef __ANDROID__
 
-const char* javaRomPath = NULL;
+static char javaRomPath[4096] = { 0 };
 bool fileDialogOpen = false;
 
 //function to be called from C
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ void openFilePickerFromC(JNIEnv* env, jobject javaObject) {
 // Define the native method to handle the selected file path
 extern "C" void JNICALL Java_com_dishii_mm_MainActivity_nativeHandleSelectedFile(JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, jstring filePath) {
     const char* filePathStr = env->GetStringUTFChars(filePath, 0);
-    javaRomPath = strdup(filePathStr); // save filepath to string
+    snprintf(javaRomPath, sizeof(javaRomPath), "%s", filePathStr);
     fileDialogOpen = false;
     env->ReleaseStringUTFChars(filePath, filePathStr);
 }
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ bool Extractor::GetRomPathFromBox() {
         //Do nothing until it's chosen
         SDL_Delay(250);
     }
-    SDL_Log("%s",javaRomPath);
+    SDL_Log("javaRomPath: %s", javaRomPath);
     selection.push_back(javaRomPath);
 #endif
     if (selection.empty()) {
@@ -332,12 +332,6 @@ bool Extractor::GetRomPathFromBox() {
     mCurrentRomPath = selection[0];
 #endif
     mCurRomSize = GetCurRomSize();
-#ifdef __ANDROID__
-    if (javaRomPath) {
-        free((void*)javaRomPath);
-        javaRomPath = NULL;
-    }
-#endif
     return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.cpp b/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.cpp
index a841ca4396..7a82550fb6 100644
--- a/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.cpp
+++ b/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,21 @@ typedef enum FlashSlotFile {
     ((GET_NEWF(save, 0) == 'Z') && (GET_NEWF(save, 1) == 'E') && (GET_NEWF(save, 2) == 'L') && \
      (GET_NEWF(save, 3) == 'D') && (GET_NEWF(save, 4) == 'A') && (GET_NEWF(save, 5) == '3'))
 
+#if !defined(__ANDROID__)
 const std::filesystem::path savesFolderPath(Ship::Context::GetPathRelativeToAppDirectory("saves", appShortName));
+#else
+// in Android, when targeting SurfaceFlinger (ANativeWindow, ART, calling JNI), to avoid problems, one should usually
+// try to avoid using C++ features that run port-sensitive code in early initialization BEFORE main() (SDL_main())
+// actually runs, like __attribute__((constructor)) and method-initialized global variables,
+// because it is necessary to wait until after the Java Activity initializes JNI before calling certain methods.
+// the Java Activity will call SDL_main() when it is ready to execute native code, and does not expect native application
+// code to be running before that point.
+std::filesystem::path savesFolderPath;
+// call this function early in main() before any other functions that use savesFolderPath are called.
+void SaveManager_Init(void) {
+    savesFolderPath = Ship::Context::GetPathRelativeToAppDirectory("saves", appShortName);
+}
+#endif
 
 // Migrations
 // The idea here is that we can read in any version of the save as generic JSON, then apply migrations
diff --git a/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.h b/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.h
index 31dcd67352..68e46770ac 100644
--- a/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.h
+++ b/mm/2s2h/SaveManager/SaveManager.h
@@ -15,4 +15,15 @@ void SaveManager_SysFlashrom_WriteData(u8* addr, u32 pageNum, u32 pageCount);
 s32 SaveManager_SysFlashrom_ReadData(void* addr, u32 pageNum, u32 pageCount);
 #endif
 
+#if defined(__ANDROID__)
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+{
+#endif
+void SaveManager_Init();
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+#endif
+
 #endif // SAVE_MANAGER_H
diff --git a/mm/src/code/main.c b/mm/src/code/main.c
index 6665d2cc70..dcacb530b5 100644
--- a/mm/src/code/main.c
+++ b/mm/src/code/main.c
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 #include "stackcheck.h"
 #include "BenPort.h"
 
+#if defined(__ANDROID__)
+#include "SaveManager/SaveManager.h"
+#endif
+
 // Variables are put before most headers as a hacky way to bypass bss reordering
 OSMesgQueue sSerialEventQueue;
 OSMesg sSerialMsgBuf[1];
@@ -75,6 +79,10 @@ void SDL_main(int argc, char** argv /* void* arg*/) {
     setlocale(LC_ALL, ".UTF8");
 #endif // _WIN32
 
+#if defined(__ANDROID__)
+    SaveManager_Init();
+#endif
+
     InitOTR();
     Heaps_Alloc();