diff --git a/api/current.xml b/api/current.xml
index 3af1426b99681..031506b558e84 100644
--- a/api/current.xml
+++ b/api/current.xml
@@ -6785,6 +6785,17 @@
  visibility="public"
 >
 </field>
+<field name="restoreAnyVersion"
+ type="int"
+ transient="false"
+ volatile="false"
+ value="16843451"
+ static="true"
+ final="true"
+ deprecated="not deprecated"
+ visibility="public"
+>
+</field>
 <field name="restoreNeedsApplication"
  type="int"
  transient="false"
@@ -14630,7 +14641,7 @@
 </parameter>
 <parameter name="features" type="java.lang.String[]">
 </parameter>
-<parameter name="activityForPrompting" type="android.app.Activity">
+<parameter name="activity" type="android.app.Activity">
 </parameter>
 <parameter name="addAccountOptions" type="android.os.Bundle">
 </parameter>
diff --git a/core/java/android/content/pm/ApplicationInfo.java b/core/java/android/content/pm/ApplicationInfo.java
index 2e405c107cffc..8773f59de1001 100644
--- a/core/java/android/content/pm/ApplicationInfo.java
+++ b/core/java/android/content/pm/ApplicationInfo.java
@@ -247,6 +247,19 @@ public class ApplicationInfo extends PackageItemInfo implements Parcelable {
      */
     public static final int FLAG_NATIVE_DEBUGGABLE = 1<<21;
 
+    /**
+     * Value for {@link #flags}: Set to true if the application's backup
+     * agent claims to be able to handle restore data even "from the future,"
+     * i.e. from versions of the application with a versionCode greater than
+     * the one currently installed on the device.
+     *
+     * <p>If android:allowBackup is set to false or no android:backupAgent
+     * is specified, this flag will be ignored.
+     *
+     * {@hide}
+     */
+    public static final int FLAG_RESTORE_ANY_VERSION = 1<<22;
+
     /**
      * Flags associated with the application.  Any combination of
      * {@link #FLAG_SYSTEM}, {@link #FLAG_DEBUGGABLE}, {@link #FLAG_HAS_CODE},
diff --git a/core/java/android/content/pm/PackageParser.java b/core/java/android/content/pm/PackageParser.java
index 582356013452e..98aacaacf2f79 100644
--- a/core/java/android/content/pm/PackageParser.java
+++ b/core/java/android/content/pm/PackageParser.java
@@ -1369,8 +1369,8 @@ public class PackageParser {
         if (allowBackup) {
             ai.flags |= ApplicationInfo.FLAG_ALLOW_BACKUP;
 
-            // backupAgent, killAfterRestore, and restoreNeedsApplication are only relevant
-            // if backup is possible for the given application.
+            // backupAgent, killAfterRestore, restoreNeedsApplication, and restoreAnyVersion
+            // are only relevant if backup is possible for the given application.
             String backupAgent = sa.getNonResourceString(
                     com.android.internal.R.styleable.AndroidManifestApplication_backupAgent);
             if (backupAgent != null) {
@@ -1390,6 +1390,11 @@ public class PackageParser {
                         false)) {
                     ai.flags |= ApplicationInfo.FLAG_RESTORE_NEEDS_APPLICATION;
                 }
+                if (sa.getBoolean(
+                        com.android.internal.R.styleable.AndroidManifestApplication_restoreAnyVersion,
+                        false)) {
+                    ai.flags |= ApplicationInfo.FLAG_RESTORE_ANY_VERSION;
+                }
             }
         }
         
diff --git a/core/res/res/values/attrs_manifest.xml b/core/res/res/values/attrs_manifest.xml
index b3adf49c46113..d66f513a66dc1 100644
--- a/core/res/res/values/attrs_manifest.xml
+++ b/core/res/res/values/attrs_manifest.xml
@@ -593,12 +593,15 @@
     <attr name="backupAgent" format="string" />
 
     <!-- Whether to allow the application to participate in backup
-         infrastructure.
-         STOPSHIP: more explanation -->
+         infrastructure.  If this attribute is set to <code>false</code>, no backup
+         of the application will ever be performed, even by a full-system backup that
+         would otherwise cause all application data to be saved via adb.  The
+         default value of this attribute is <code>true</code>. -->
     <attr name="allowBackup" format="boolean" />
 
     <!-- Whether the application in question should be terminated after its
-         settings have been restored.  The default is to do so. -->
+         settings have been restored.  The default is <code>true</code>,
+         which means to do so. -->
     <attr name="killAfterRestore" format="boolean" />
 
     <!-- Whether the application needs to have its own Application subclass
@@ -606,6 +609,16 @@
          Application class to avoid interference with application logic. -->
     <attr name="restoreNeedsApplication" format="boolean" />
 
+    <!-- Indicate that the application is prepared to attempt a restore of any
+         backed-up dataset, even if the backup is apparently from a newer version
+         of the application than is currently installed on the device.  Setting
+         this attribute to <code>true</code> will permit the Backup Manager to
+         attempt restore even when a version mismatch suggests that the data are
+         incompatible.  <em>Use with caution!</em>
+
+         <p>The default value of this attribute is <code>false</code>. -->
+    <attr name="restoreAnyVersion" format="boolean" />
+
     <!-- The default install location defined by an application. -->
     <attr name="installLocation">
         <!-- Let the system decide ideal install location -->
@@ -700,6 +713,7 @@
         <attr name="allowBackup" />
         <attr name="killAfterRestore" />
         <attr name="restoreNeedsApplication" />
+        <attr name="restoreAnyVersion" />
         <attr name="neverEncrypt" />
     </declare-styleable>
     
diff --git a/core/res/res/values/public.xml b/core/res/res/values/public.xml
index b3343375e90f1..5da8e8585f104 100644
--- a/core/res/res/values/public.xml
+++ b/core/res/res/values/public.xml
@@ -1231,6 +1231,7 @@
   <public type="attr" name="safeMode" id="0x010102b8" />
   <public type="attr" name="webTextViewStyle" id="0x010102b9" />
   <public type="attr" name="overscrollMode" id="0x010102ba" />
+  <public type="attr" name="restoreAnyVersion" id="0x010102bb" />
 
   <public type="anim" name="cycle_interpolator" id="0x010a000c" />
     
diff --git a/services/java/com/android/server/BackupManagerService.java b/services/java/com/android/server/BackupManagerService.java
index f79a02a9166e8..d4b28e20cd8f3 100644
--- a/services/java/com/android/server/BackupManagerService.java
+++ b/services/java/com/android/server/BackupManagerService.java
@@ -1647,11 +1647,22 @@ class BackupManagerService extends IBackupManager.Stub {
                     }
 
                     if (metaInfo.versionCode > packageInfo.versionCode) {
-                        String message = "Version " + metaInfo.versionCode
-                                + " > installed version " + packageInfo.versionCode;
-                        Log.w(TAG, "Package " + packageName + ": " + message);
-                        EventLog.writeEvent(EventLogTags.RESTORE_AGENT_FAILURE, packageName, message);
-                        continue;
+                        // Data is from a "newer" version of the app than we have currently
+                        // installed.  If the app has not declared that it is prepared to
+                        // handle this case, we do not attempt the restore.
+                        if ((packageInfo.applicationInfo.flags
+                                & ApplicationInfo.FLAG_RESTORE_ANY_VERSION) == 0) {
+                            String message = "Version " + metaInfo.versionCode
+                                    + " > installed version " + packageInfo.versionCode;
+                            Log.w(TAG, "Package " + packageName + ": " + message);
+                            EventLog.writeEvent(EventLogTags.RESTORE_AGENT_FAILURE,
+                                    packageName, message);
+                            continue;
+                        } else {
+                            if (DEBUG) Log.v(TAG, "Version " + metaInfo.versionCode
+                                    + " > installed " + packageInfo.versionCode
+                                    + " but restoreAnyVersion");
+                        }
                     }
 
                     if (!signaturesMatch(metaInfo.signatures, packageInfo)) {
@@ -1695,8 +1706,10 @@ class BackupManagerService extends IBackupManager.Stub {
                         // The agent was probably running with a stub Application object,
                         // which isn't a valid run mode for the main app logic.  Shut
                         // down the app so that next time it's launched, it gets the
-                        // usual full initialization.
-                        if ((packageInfo.applicationInfo.flags
+                        // usual full initialization.  Note that this is only done for
+                        // full-system restores: when a single app has requested a restore,
+                        // it is explicitly not killed following that operation.
+                        if (mTargetPackage == null && (packageInfo.applicationInfo.flags
                                 & ApplicationInfo.FLAG_KILL_AFTER_RESTORE) != 0) {
                             if (DEBUG) Log.d(TAG, "Restore complete, killing host process of "
                                     + packageInfo.applicationInfo.processName);