diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index cfe011f0ca4..00bf9cc1456 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ pre_args = [
   '-DPACKAGE_VERSION="@0@"'.format(meson.project_version()),
   '-DPACKAGE_BUGREPORT="https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/issues"',
 ]
+c_args = []
+cpp_args = []
 
 with_vulkan_icd_dir = get_option('vulkan-icd-dir')
 with_tests = get_option('build-tests')
@@ -454,6 +456,14 @@ if (not ['freebsd', 'openbsd', 'haiku'].contains(host_machine.system()) and
     (not with_platform_windows or not with_shared_glapi))
   pre_args += '-DUSE_ELF_TLS'
   use_elf_tls = true
+
+  if with_platform_android
+    # By default the NDK compiler, at least, emits emutls references instead of
+    # ELF TLS, even when building targeting newer API levels.  Make it actually do
+    # ELF TLS instead.
+    c_args += '-fno-emulated-tls'
+    cpp_args += '-fno-emulated-tls'
+  endif
 endif
 
 if with_glx != 'disabled'
@@ -1013,10 +1023,8 @@ elif host_machine.system() == 'openbsd'
 endif
 
 # Check for generic C arguments
-c_args = []
 c_msvc_compat_args = []
 no_override_init_args = []
-cpp_args = []
 cpp_msvc_compat_args = []
 if cc.get_id() == 'msvc'
   foreach a : ['/wd4018',  # signed/unsigned mismatch
diff --git a/src/util/u_thread.h b/src/util/u_thread.h
index e79d91ddff8..67383aefe66 100644
--- a/src/util/u_thread.h
+++ b/src/util/u_thread.h
@@ -77,6 +77,15 @@
  */
 #ifdef _MSC_VER
 #define __THREAD_INITIAL_EXEC __declspec(thread)
+#elif defined(ANDROID)
+/* Android 29 gained ELF TLS support, but it doesn't support initial-exec and
+ * it will throw:
+ *
+ *     dlopen failed: TLS symbol "(null)" in dlopened
+ *     "/vendor/lib64/egl/libEGL_mesa.so" referenced from
+ *     "/vendor/lib64/egl/libEGL_mesa.so" using IE access model.
+ */
+#define __THREAD_INITIAL_EXEC __thread
 #else
 #define __THREAD_INITIAL_EXEC __thread __attribute__((tls_model("initial-exec")))
 #endif