diff --git a/android-project/src/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java b/android-project/src/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
--- a/android-project/src/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
+++ b/android-project/src/org/libsdl/app/SDLActivity.java
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@
     /** If shared libraries (e.g. SDL or the native application) could not be loaded. */
     public static boolean mBrokenLibraries;
 
+    /** If we want to separate mouse and touch events. */
+    public static boolean mSeparateMouseAndTouch;
+
     // Main components
     protected static SDLActivity mSingleton;
     protected static SDLSurface mSurface;
@@ -1131,7 +1134,7 @@
         float x,y,p;
 
         if (event.getSource() == InputDevice.SOURCE_MOUSE &&
-            SDLActivity.nativeGetHint("SDL_ANDROID_SEPARATE_MOUSE_AND_TOUCH").equals("1")) {
+            SDLActivity.mSeparateMouseAndTouch) {
                 mouseButton = 1;    // For Android==12 all mouse buttons are the left button
  
                 SDLActivity.onNativeMouse(mouseButton, action, event.getX(0), event.getY(0));
diff --git a/src/video/android/SDL_androidtouch.c b/src/video/android/SDL_androidtouch.c
--- a/src/video/android/SDL_androidtouch.c
+++ b/src/video/android/SDL_androidtouch.c
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@
                           const char *oldValue, const char *newValue)
 {
     separate_mouse_and_touch = (newValue && (SDL_strcmp(newValue, "1") == 0));
+    JNIEnv *env = Android_JNI_GetEnv();
+    jfieldID fid = (*env)->GetStaticFieldID(env, mActivityClass, "mSeparateMouseAndTouch", "Z");
+    (*env)->SetStaticBooleanField(env, mActivityClass, fid, separate_mouse_and_touch ? JNI_TRUE : JNI_FALSE);
 }
 
 void Android_InitTouch(void)