diff --git a/core/java/android/content/res/ApkAssets.java b/core/java/android/content/res/ApkAssets.java
index 2d381eb85e90a..f5e1719050968 100644
--- a/core/java/android/content/res/ApkAssets.java
+++ b/core/java/android/content/res/ApkAssets.java
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ import android.content.res.loader.ResourcesProvider;
 
 import com.android.internal.annotations.GuardedBy;
 
-import libcore.util.NativeAllocationRegistry;
-
 import java.io.FileDescriptor;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
@@ -103,11 +101,11 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
     public @interface FormatType {}
 
     @GuardedBy("this")
-    private final long mNativePtr;
+    private long mNativePtr;  // final, except cleared in finalizer.
 
     @Nullable
     @GuardedBy("this")
-    private final StringBlock mStringBlock;
+    private final StringBlock mStringBlock;  // null or closed if mNativePtr = 0.
 
     @PropertyFlags
     private final int mFlags;
@@ -115,19 +113,6 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
     @Nullable
     private final AssetsProvider mAssets;
 
-    @GuardedBy("this")
-    @Nullable
-    private final Runnable mRunNativeCleanup;
-
-    // Use a Holder to allow static initialization of ApkAssets in the boot image, and
-    // possibly to avoid some initialization ordering issues.
-    private static class NoImagePreloadHolder {
-        // TODO(175425996): Make size estimate more accurate
-        public static final NativeAllocationRegistry REGISTRY =
-                NativeAllocationRegistry.createMalloced(ApkAssets.class.getClassLoader(),
-                                                        nativeGetFinalizer());
-    }
-
     /**
      * Creates a new ApkAssets instance from the given path on disk.
      *
@@ -302,8 +287,6 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
         mFlags = flags;
         mNativePtr = nativeLoad(format, path, flags, assets);
         mStringBlock = new StringBlock(nativeGetStringBlock(mNativePtr), true /*useSparse*/);
-        mRunNativeCleanup = NoImagePreloadHolder.REGISTRY.registerNativeAllocation(
-                this, mNativePtr);
         mAssets = assets;
     }
 
@@ -315,8 +298,6 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
         mFlags = flags;
         mNativePtr = nativeLoadFd(format, fd, friendlyName, flags, assets);
         mStringBlock = new StringBlock(nativeGetStringBlock(mNativePtr), true /*useSparse*/);
-        mRunNativeCleanup = NoImagePreloadHolder.REGISTRY.registerNativeAllocation(
-                this, mNativePtr);
         mAssets = assets;
     }
 
@@ -328,8 +309,6 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
         mFlags = flags;
         mNativePtr = nativeLoadFdOffsets(format, fd, friendlyName, offset, length, flags, assets);
         mStringBlock = new StringBlock(nativeGetStringBlock(mNativePtr), true /*useSparse*/);
-        mRunNativeCleanup = NoImagePreloadHolder.REGISTRY.registerNativeAllocation(
-                this, mNativePtr);
         mAssets = assets;
     }
 
@@ -337,7 +316,6 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
         mFlags = flags;
         mNativePtr = nativeLoadEmpty(flags, assets);
         mStringBlock = null;
-        mRunNativeCleanup = null;
         mAssets = assets;
     }
 
@@ -425,16 +403,22 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
         return "ApkAssets{path=" + getAssetPath() + "}";
     }
 
+    @Override
+    protected void finalize() throws Throwable {
+        close();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Closes this class and the contained {@link #mStringBlock}.
      */
     public void close() {
         synchronized (this) {
-            if (mStringBlock != null) {
-                mStringBlock.close();
-            }
-            if (mRunNativeCleanup != null) {
-                mRunNativeCleanup.run();
+            if (mNativePtr != 0) {
+                if (mStringBlock != null) {
+                    mStringBlock.close();
+                }
+                nativeDestroy(mNativePtr);
+                mNativePtr = 0;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -449,6 +433,7 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
     private static native long nativeLoadFdOffsets(@FormatType int format,
             @NonNull FileDescriptor fd, @NonNull String friendlyName, long offset, long length,
             @PropertyFlags int flags, @Nullable AssetsProvider asset) throws IOException;
+    private static native void nativeDestroy(long ptr);
     private static native @NonNull String nativeGetAssetPath(long ptr);
     private static native long nativeGetStringBlock(long ptr);
     private static native boolean nativeIsUpToDate(long ptr);
@@ -456,5 +441,4 @@ public final class ApkAssets {
     private static native @Nullable OverlayableInfo nativeGetOverlayableInfo(long ptr,
             String overlayableName) throws IOException;
     private static native boolean nativeDefinesOverlayable(long ptr) throws IOException;
-    private static native final long nativeGetFinalizer();
 }
diff --git a/core/jni/android_content_res_ApkAssets.cpp b/core/jni/android_content_res_ApkAssets.cpp
index af06e2e80cec5..247b8dafc9ff9 100644
--- a/core/jni/android_content_res_ApkAssets.cpp
+++ b/core/jni/android_content_res_ApkAssets.cpp
@@ -349,14 +349,10 @@ static jlong NativeLoadEmpty(JNIEnv* env, jclass /*clazz*/, jint flags, jobject
   return reinterpret_cast<jlong>(apk_assets.release());
 }
 
-static void NativeDestroy(void* ptr) {
+static void NativeDestroy(JNIEnv* /*env*/, jclass /*clazz*/, jlong ptr) {
   delete reinterpret_cast<ApkAssets*>(ptr);
 }
 
-static jlong NativeGetFinalizer(JNIEnv* /*env*/, jclass /*clazz*/) {
-  return reinterpret_cast<jlong>(&NativeDestroy);
-}
-
 static jstring NativeGetAssetPath(JNIEnv* env, jclass /*clazz*/, jlong ptr) {
   const ApkAssets* apk_assets = reinterpret_cast<const ApkAssets*>(ptr);
   return env->NewStringUTF(apk_assets->GetPath().c_str());
@@ -465,7 +461,7 @@ static const JNINativeMethod gApkAssetsMethods[] = {
     {"nativeLoadFdOffsets",
      "(ILjava/io/FileDescriptor;Ljava/lang/String;JJILandroid/content/res/loader/AssetsProvider;)J",
      (void*)NativeLoadFromFdOffset},
-    {"nativeGetFinalizer", "()J", (void*)NativeGetFinalizer},
+    {"nativeDestroy", "(J)V", (void*)NativeDestroy},
     {"nativeGetAssetPath", "(J)Ljava/lang/String;", (void*)NativeGetAssetPath},
     {"nativeGetStringBlock", "(J)J", (void*)NativeGetStringBlock},
     {"nativeIsUpToDate", "(J)Z", (void*)NativeIsUpToDate},