diff --git a/core/java/android/content/res/Configuration.java b/core/java/android/content/res/Configuration.java
index 9cf54f41a64be..ac1cbd4619df9 100644
--- a/core/java/android/content/res/Configuration.java
+++ b/core/java/android/content/res/Configuration.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.HARD_KEYBOARD_HIDDEN;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.KEYBOARD;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.KEYBOARD_HIDDEN;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.LOCALES;
+import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.LOCALE_LIST;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.MCC;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.MNC;
 import static android.content.ConfigurationProto.NAVIGATION;
@@ -1111,7 +1112,7 @@ public final class Configuration implements Parcelable, Comparable<Configuration
             protoOutputStream.write(MCC, mcc);
             protoOutputStream.write(MNC, mnc);
             if (mLocaleList != null) {
-                mLocaleList.writeToProto(protoOutputStream, LOCALES);
+                protoOutputStream.write(LOCALE_LIST, mLocaleList.toLanguageTags());
             }
             protoOutputStream.write(SCREEN_LAYOUT, screenLayout);
             protoOutputStream.write(COLOR_MODE, colorMode);
@@ -1283,6 +1284,14 @@ public final class Configuration implements Parcelable, Comparable<Configuration
                     case (int) WINDOW_CONFIGURATION:
                         windowConfiguration.readFromProto(protoInputStream, WINDOW_CONFIGURATION);
                         break;
+                    case (int) LOCALE_LIST:
+                        try {
+                            setLocales(LocaleList.forLanguageTags(protoInputStream.readString(
+                                    LOCALE_LIST)));
+                        } catch (Exception e) {
+                            Slog.e(TAG, "error parsing locale list in configuration.", e);
+                        }
+                        break;
                 }
             }
         } finally {
diff --git a/core/java/android/os/LocaleList.java b/core/java/android/os/LocaleList.java
index 7782753e4abc9..0de09efad8eae 100644
--- a/core/java/android/os/LocaleList.java
+++ b/core/java/android/os/LocaleList.java
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ import android.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.annotation.Nullable;
 import android.annotation.Size;
 import android.annotation.UnsupportedAppUsage;
-import android.content.LocaleProto;
 import android.icu.util.ULocale;
-import android.util.proto.ProtoOutputStream;
 
 import com.android.internal.annotations.GuardedBy;
 
@@ -142,26 +140,6 @@ public final class LocaleList implements Parcelable {
         dest.writeString(mStringRepresentation);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Helper to write LocaleList to a protocol buffer output stream.  Assumes the parent
-     * protobuf has declared the locale as repeated.
-     *
-     * @param protoOutputStream Stream to write the locale to.
-     * @param fieldId Field Id of the Locale as defined in the parent message.
-     * @hide
-     */
-    public void writeToProto(ProtoOutputStream protoOutputStream, long fieldId) {
-        for (int i = 0; i < mList.length; i++) {
-            final Locale locale = mList[i];
-            final long token = protoOutputStream.start(fieldId);
-            protoOutputStream.write(LocaleProto.LANGUAGE, locale.getLanguage());
-            protoOutputStream.write(LocaleProto.COUNTRY, locale.getCountry());
-            protoOutputStream.write(LocaleProto.VARIANT, locale.getVariant());
-            protoOutputStream.write(LocaleProto.SCRIPT, locale.getScript());
-            protoOutputStream.end(token);
-        }
-    }
-
     /**
      * Retrieves a String representation of the language tags in this list.
      */
diff --git a/core/proto/android/content/configuration.proto b/core/proto/android/content/configuration.proto
index 57ced09240f27..7fa0ff64f8bfb 100644
--- a/core/proto/android/content/configuration.proto
+++ b/core/proto/android/content/configuration.proto
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ message ConfigurationProto {
     optional float font_scale = 1;
     optional uint32 mcc = 2;
     optional uint32 mnc = 3 [ (.android.privacy).dest = DEST_EXPLICIT ];
-    repeated LocaleProto locales = 4;
+    repeated LocaleProto locales = 4 [deprecated = true];
     optional uint32 screen_layout = 5;
     optional uint32 color_mode = 6;
     optional uint32 touchscreen = 7;
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ message ConfigurationProto {
     optional uint32 smallest_screen_width_dp = 17;
     optional uint32 density_dpi = 18;
     optional .android.app.WindowConfigurationProto window_configuration = 19;
+    optional string locale_list = 20;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/proto/android/content/locale.proto b/core/proto/android/content/locale.proto
index bae6ec1419818..a8f2a13340380 100644
--- a/core/proto/android/content/locale.proto
+++ b/core/proto/android/content/locale.proto
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import "frameworks/base/core/proto/android/privacy.proto";
 package android.content;
 
 message LocaleProto {
+    option deprecated = true;
     option (.android.msg_privacy).dest = DEST_AUTOMATIC;
 
     optional string language = 1;
diff --git a/core/tests/coretests/src/android/content/res/ConfigurationTest.java b/core/tests/coretests/src/android/content/res/ConfigurationTest.java
index 2fc3e36e79483..4a93f42a0f7ca 100644
--- a/core/tests/coretests/src/android/content/res/ConfigurationTest.java
+++ b/core/tests/coretests/src/android/content/res/ConfigurationTest.java
@@ -16,16 +16,29 @@
 
 package android.content.res;
 
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.os.LocaleList;
 import android.platform.test.annotations.Presubmit;
+import android.util.AtomicFile;
+import android.util.proto.ProtoInputStream;
+import android.util.proto.ProtoOutputStream;
 
+import androidx.test.InstrumentationRegistry;
 import androidx.test.filters.SmallTest;
 
+import com.android.server.usage.IntervalStatsProto;
+
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.junit.runners.JUnit4;
 
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileInputStream;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
+import java.util.Locale;
+
 /**
  * Build/install/run: bit FrameworksCoreTests:android.content.res.ConfigurationTest
  */
@@ -54,4 +67,70 @@ public class ConfigurationTest extends TestCase {
         config2.updateFrom(config);
         assertEquals(config2.screenLayout, Configuration.SCREENLAYOUT_COMPAT_NEEDED);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testReadWriteProto() throws Exception {
+        final Context context = InstrumentationRegistry.getTargetContext();
+        final File testDir = new File(context.getFilesDir(), "ConfigurationTest");
+        testDir.mkdirs();
+        final File proto = new File(testDir, "configs");
+        if (proto.exists()) {
+            proto.delete();
+        }
+
+        final Locale arabic = new Locale.Builder().setLocale(new Locale("ar", "AE")).build();
+        final Locale urdu = new Locale.Builder().setLocale(new Locale("ur", "IN")).build();
+        final Locale urduExtension = new Locale.Builder().setLocale(new Locale("ur", "IN"))
+                .setExtension('u', "nu-latn").build();
+        Configuration write = new Configuration();
+        write.setLocales(new LocaleList(arabic, urdu, urduExtension));
+        writeToProto(proto, write);
+        assertTrue("Failed to write configs to proto.", proto.exists());
+
+        final Configuration read = new Configuration();
+        try {
+            readFromProto(proto, read);
+        } finally {
+            proto.delete();
+        }
+
+        assertEquals("Missing locales in proto file written to disk.",
+                read.getLocales().size(), write.getLocales().size());
+        assertTrue("Arabic locale not found in Configuration locale list.",
+                read.getLocales().indexOf(arabic) != -1);
+        assertTrue("Urdu locale not found in Configuration locale list.",
+                read.getLocales().indexOf(urdu) != -1);
+        assertTrue("Urdu locale with extensions not found in Configuration locale list.",
+                read.getLocales().indexOf(urduExtension) != -1);
+    }
+
+    private void writeToProto(File f, Configuration config) throws Exception {
+        final AtomicFile af = new AtomicFile(f);
+        FileOutputStream fos = af.startWrite();
+        try {
+            final ProtoOutputStream protoOut = new ProtoOutputStream(fos);
+            final long token = protoOut.start(IntervalStatsProto.CONFIGURATIONS);
+            config.writeToProto(protoOut, IntervalStatsProto.Configuration.CONFIG, false, false);
+            protoOut.end(token);
+            protoOut.flush();
+            af.finishWrite(fos);
+            fos = null;
+        } finally {
+            af.failWrite(fos);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void readFromProto(File f, Configuration config) throws Exception {
+        final AtomicFile afRead = new AtomicFile(f);
+        try (FileInputStream in = afRead.openRead()) {
+            final ProtoInputStream protoIn = new ProtoInputStream(in);
+            if (protoIn.nextField(IntervalStatsProto.CONFIGURATIONS)) {
+                final long token = protoIn.start(IntervalStatsProto.CONFIGURATIONS);
+                if (protoIn.nextField(IntervalStatsProto.Configuration.CONFIG)) {
+                    config.readFromProto(protoIn, IntervalStatsProto.Configuration.CONFIG);
+                    protoIn.end(token);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }