diff --git a/api/system-current.txt b/api/system-current.txt
index 3dbb333ef7894..71df2726919cc 100644
--- a/api/system-current.txt
+++ b/api/system-current.txt
@@ -3806,6 +3806,7 @@ package android.os {
     method public void resume();
     method public void suspend();
     method public boolean unbind();
+    method public boolean verifyPayloadMetadata(java.lang.String);
   }
 
   public static final class UpdateEngine.ErrorCodeConstants {
diff --git a/core/java/android/os/UpdateEngine.java b/core/java/android/os/UpdateEngine.java
index c6149bed9d6da..24c9c9177360d 100644
--- a/core/java/android/os/UpdateEngine.java
+++ b/core/java/android/os/UpdateEngine.java
@@ -271,4 +271,22 @@ public class UpdateEngine {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Verifies that a payload associated with the given payload metadata
+     * {@code payloadMetadataFilename} can be safely applied to ths device.
+     * Returns {@code true} if the update can successfully be applied and
+     * returns {@code false} otherwise.
+     *
+     * @param payloadMetadataFilename the location of the metadata without the
+     * {@code file://} prefix.
+     */
+    @SystemApi
+    public boolean verifyPayloadMetadata(String payloadMetadataFilename) {
+        try {
+            return mUpdateEngine.verifyPayloadApplicable(payloadMetadataFilename);
+        } catch (RemoteException e) {
+            throw e.rethrowFromSystemServer();
+        }
+    }
 }