diff --git a/playback/player/android/README.md b/playback/player/android/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ba71782289
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playback/player/android/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Android GStreamer sample player application
+
+## Build and deploy
+
+First of all you need to replace the gold linker with bfd in the `gst-android-1.14/armv7/share/gst-android/ndk-build/gstreamer-1.0.mk`
+See also this [NDK issue](https://github.com/android-ndk/ndk/issues/337)
+
+Then to build and deploy the player app to your device, use a command similar to:
+
+```bash
+$ GSTREAMER_ROOT_ANDROID=/path/to/gst-android-1.14/ PATH=~/dev/android/tools/bin:~/dev/android/ndk-bundle:$PATH ANDROID_HOME="$HOME/dev/android/" ./gradlew installDebug
+```
+
+## Run the application on the device
+
+```bash
+$ adb shell am start -n org.freedesktop.gstreamer.play/.Play http://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/graphics/blender/demo/movies/Sintel.2010.720p.mkv
+```
+
+To see the GStreamer logs at runtime:
+
+```bash
+$ adb logcat | egrep '(gst)'
+```
diff --git a/playback/player/android/app/build.gradle b/playback/player/android/app/build.gradle
index 48b718d6b2..c48b4073c7 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/app/build.gradle
+++ b/playback/player/android/app/build.gradle
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
 
 android {
     compileSdkVersion 23
-    buildToolsVersion "23.0.3"
+    buildToolsVersion '27.0.3'
 
     defaultConfig {
         applicationId "org.freedesktop.gstreamer.play"
@@ -26,10 +26,11 @@ android {
 
                 arguments "NDK_APPLICATION_MK=src/main/jni/Application.mk", "GSTREAMER_JAVA_SRC_DIR=src/main/java", "GSTREAMER_ROOT_ANDROID=$gstRoot", "GSTREAMER_ASSETS_DIR=src/main/assets"
 
-                targets "gstplayer", "gstreamer_android"
+                targets "gstplayer"
 
                 // All archs except MIPS and MIPS64 are supported
-                abiFilters 'armeabi', 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86', 'x86_64'
+                abiFilters  'armeabi', 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86'
+                // x86_64 abis disabled because of https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=795454
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 9823f22709..02966720d7 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK"/>
     <uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00020000"/>
 
-    <application android:label="@string/app_name">
+    <application android:theme="@style/Theme.AppCompat.Light" android:label="@string/app_name">
         <activity android:name=".Play"
                   android:label="@string/app_name">
             <!-- Files whose MIME type is known to Android -->
diff --git a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/java/org/freedesktop/gstreamer/player/Play.java b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/java/org/freedesktop/gstreamer/player/Play.java
index ec6e5cfc17..10ba4b2eaf 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/java/org/freedesktop/gstreamer/player/Play.java
+++ b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/java/org/freedesktop/gstreamer/player/Play.java
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.TimeZone;
 
-import android.app.Activity;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.os.Bundle;
@@ -39,10 +38,11 @@ import android.widget.SeekBar;
 import android.widget.SeekBar.OnSeekBarChangeListener;
 import android.widget.TextView;
 import android.widget.Toast;
+import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
 
 import org.freedesktop.gstreamer.Player;
 
-public class Play extends Activity implements SurfaceHolder.Callback, OnSeekBarChangeListener {
+public class Play extends AppCompatActivity implements SurfaceHolder.Callback, OnSeekBarChangeListener {
     private PowerManager.WakeLock wake_lock;
     private Player player;
 
diff --git a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/jni/player.c b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/jni/player.c
index 769c75c96e..b1d78b2ee1 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/app/src/main/jni/player.c
+++ b/playback/player/android/app/src/main/jni/player.c
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
 #include <android/native_window.h>
 #include <android/native_window_jni.h>
 
-#include <gst/player/player.h>
+#include <gst/player/gstplayer.h>
+#include <gst/player/gstplayer-video-overlay-video-renderer.h>
 
 GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_STATIC (debug_category);
 #define GST_CAT_DEFAULT debug_category
diff --git a/playback/player/android/build.gradle b/playback/player/android/build.gradle
index a3330d4857..268076aa6d 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/build.gradle
+++ b/playback/player/android/build.gradle
@@ -3,9 +3,10 @@
 buildscript {
     repositories {
         jcenter()
+        google()
     }
     dependencies {
-        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.2.0'
+        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:3.1.1'
 
         // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
         // in the individual module build.gradle files
diff --git a/playback/player/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/playback/player/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index fc500fd545..205e07cbee 100644
--- a/playback/player/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/playback/player/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-#Tue Aug 23 11:07:06 IST 2016
+#Sat Apr 21 19:58:19 WEST 2018
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 zipStorePath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-2.14.1-all.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-4.4-all.zip