diff --git a/api/system-current.txt b/api/system-current.txt
index 741b67228c4e1..28cfe49316a35 100755
--- a/api/system-current.txt
+++ b/api/system-current.txt
@@ -4389,6 +4389,7 @@ package android.media.audiofx {
 
   public class AudioEffect {
     ctor @RequiresPermission("android.permission.MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS") public AudioEffect(@NonNull java.util.UUID, @NonNull android.media.AudioDeviceAttributes);
+    method @RequiresPermission("android.permission.MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS") public static boolean isEffectSupportedForDevice(@NonNull java.util.UUID, @NonNull android.media.AudioDeviceAttributes);
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/media/java/android/media/audiofx/AudioEffect.java b/media/java/android/media/audiofx/AudioEffect.java
index 2587350b68304..42635216e98f3 100644
--- a/media/java/android/media/audiofx/AudioEffect.java
+++ b/media/java/android/media/audiofx/AudioEffect.java
@@ -477,13 +477,21 @@ public class AudioEffect {
     @SystemApi
     @RequiresPermission(android.Manifest.permission.MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS)
     public AudioEffect(@NonNull UUID uuid, @NonNull AudioDeviceAttributes device) {
-        this(EFFECT_TYPE_NULL, Objects.requireNonNull(uuid), 0, -2, Objects.requireNonNull(device));
+        this(EFFECT_TYPE_NULL, Objects.requireNonNull(uuid),
+                0, -2, Objects.requireNonNull(device));
     }
 
     private AudioEffect(UUID type, UUID uuid, int priority,
             int audioSession, @Nullable AudioDeviceAttributes device)
             throws IllegalArgumentException, UnsupportedOperationException,
             RuntimeException {
+        this(type, uuid, priority, audioSession, device, false);
+    }
+
+    private AudioEffect(UUID type, UUID uuid, int priority,
+            int audioSession, @Nullable AudioDeviceAttributes device, boolean probe)
+            throws IllegalArgumentException, UnsupportedOperationException,
+            RuntimeException {
         int[] id = new int[1];
         Descriptor[] desc = new Descriptor[1];
 
@@ -498,7 +506,7 @@ public class AudioEffect {
         int initResult = native_setup(new WeakReference<AudioEffect>(this),
                 type.toString(), uuid.toString(), priority, audioSession,
                 deviceType, deviceAddress,
-                id, desc, ActivityThread.currentOpPackageName());
+                id, desc, ActivityThread.currentOpPackageName(), probe);
         if (initResult != SUCCESS && initResult != ALREADY_EXISTS) {
             Log.e(TAG, "Error code " + initResult
                     + " when initializing AudioEffect.");
@@ -517,8 +525,33 @@ public class AudioEffect {
         }
         mId = id[0];
         mDescriptor = desc[0];
-        synchronized (mStateLock) {
-            mState = STATE_INITIALIZED;
+        if (!probe) {
+            synchronized (mStateLock) {
+                mState = STATE_INITIALIZED;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks if an AudioEffect identified by the supplied uuid can be attached
+     * to an audio device described by the supplied AudioDeviceAttributes.
+     * @param uuid unique identifier of a particular effect implementation.
+     * @param device the device the effect would be attached to.
+     * @return true if possible, false otherwise.
+     * @hide
+     */
+    @SystemApi
+    @RequiresPermission(android.Manifest.permission.MODIFY_DEFAULT_AUDIO_EFFECTS)
+    public static boolean isEffectSupportedForDevice(
+            @NonNull UUID uuid, @NonNull AudioDeviceAttributes device) {
+        try {
+            AudioEffect fx = new AudioEffect(
+                    EFFECT_TYPE_NULL, Objects.requireNonNull(uuid),
+                    0, -2, Objects.requireNonNull(device), true);
+            fx.release();
+            return true;
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            return false;
         }
     }
 
@@ -1340,7 +1373,7 @@ public class AudioEffect {
     private native final int native_setup(Object audioeffect_this, String type,
             String uuid, int priority, int audioSession,
             int deviceType, String deviceAddress, int[] id, Object[] desc,
-            String opPackageName);
+            String opPackageName, boolean probe);
 
     private native final void native_finalize();
 
diff --git a/media/jni/audioeffect/android_media_AudioEffect.cpp b/media/jni/audioeffect/android_media_AudioEffect.cpp
index 007dd10aba1f9..dbe7b4b619c93 100644
--- a/media/jni/audioeffect/android_media_AudioEffect.cpp
+++ b/media/jni/audioeffect/android_media_AudioEffect.cpp
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ static jint
 android_media_AudioEffect_native_setup(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject weak_this,
         jstring type, jstring uuid, jint priority, jint sessionId,
         jint deviceType, jstring deviceAddress,
-        jintArray jId, jobjectArray javadesc, jstring opPackageName)
+        jintArray jId, jobjectArray javadesc, jstring opPackageName, jboolean probe)
 {
     ALOGV("android_media_AudioEffect_native_setup");
     AudioEffectJniStorage* lpJniStorage = NULL;
@@ -345,12 +345,14 @@ android_media_AudioEffect_native_setup(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject weak_t
                                     &lpJniStorage->mCallbackData,
                                     (audio_session_t) sessionId,
                                     AUDIO_IO_HANDLE_NONE,
-                                    device);
+                                    device,
+                                    probe);
     if (lpAudioEffect == 0) {
         ALOGE("Error creating AudioEffect");
         goto setup_failure;
     }
 
+
     lStatus = AudioEffectJni::translateNativeErrorToJava(lpAudioEffect->initCheck());
     if (lStatus != AUDIOEFFECT_SUCCESS && lStatus != AUDIOEFFECT_ERROR_ALREADY_EXISTS) {
         ALOGE("AudioEffect initCheck failed %d", lStatus);
@@ -387,7 +389,13 @@ android_media_AudioEffect_native_setup(JNIEnv *env, jobject thiz, jobject weak_t
     env->SetObjectArrayElement(javadesc, 0, jdesc);
     env->DeleteLocalRef(jdesc);
 
-    setAudioEffect(env, thiz, lpAudioEffect);
+    // In probe mode, release the native object and clear our strong reference
+    // to force all method calls from JAVA to be rejected.
+    if (probe) {
+        setAudioEffect(env, thiz, 0);
+    } else {
+        setAudioEffect(env, thiz, lpAudioEffect);
+    }
 
     env->SetLongField(thiz, fields.fidJniData, (jlong)lpJniStorage);
 
@@ -766,7 +774,7 @@ android_media_AudioEffect_native_queryPreProcessings(JNIEnv *env, jclass clazz _
 // Dalvik VM type signatures
 static const JNINativeMethod gMethods[] = {
     {"native_init",          "()V",      (void *)android_media_AudioEffect_native_init},
-    {"native_setup",         "(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;IIILjava/lang/String;[I[Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/String;)I",
+    {"native_setup",         "(Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/String;IIILjava/lang/String;[I[Ljava/lang/Object;Ljava/lang/String;Z)I",
                                          (void *)android_media_AudioEffect_native_setup},
     {"native_finalize",      "()V",      (void *)android_media_AudioEffect_native_finalize},
     {"native_release",       "()V",      (void *)android_media_AudioEffect_native_release},