diff --git a/toolchain/Android.cmake b/toolchain/Android.cmake
--- a/toolchain/Android.cmake
+++ b/toolchain/Android.cmake
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@
 #
 #   make create-apk-myapp ARGS="--sign ~/my.keystore alias_name"
 #
+# In case it's needed for your application to set the APK directory from cmake
+# scripting you can also set the directory as the ANDROID_APK_DIR property of
+# the create-apk-myapp target.
+#
 # See Android documentation on how to create a keystore to use
 
 # =============================================================================
@@ -198,8 +202,13 @@
         list(GET ANDROID_APK_DIR ${idx} APK_DIR)
         if(APK_DIR AND NOT EXISTS "${APK_DIR}/AndroidManifest.xml")
             message(FATAL_ERROR "Cannot find ${APK_DIR}/AndroidManifest.xml according to ANDROID_APK_DIR. ${ANDROID_APK_DIR} ${exportedTarget}")
+        elseif(NOT APK_DIR)
+            get_filename_component(_qt5Core_install_prefix "${Qt5Core_DIR}/../../../" ABSOLUTE)
+            set(ANDROID_APK_DIR "${_qt5Core_install_prefix}/src/android/templates/")
         endif()
-        ecm_androiddeployqt("${exportedTarget}" "${ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH}" "${APK_DIR}")
+
+        ecm_androiddeployqt("${exportedTarget}" "${ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH}")
+        set_target_properties(create-apk-${exportedTarget} PROPERTIES ANDROID_APK_DIR "${APK_DIR}")
     endforeach()
 else()
     message(STATUS "You can export a target by specifying -DQTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET=<targetname> and -DANDROID_APK_DIR=<paths>")
diff --git a/toolchain/ECMAndroidDeployQt.cmake b/toolchain/ECMAndroidDeployQt.cmake
--- a/toolchain/ECMAndroidDeployQt.cmake
+++ b/toolchain/ECMAndroidDeployQt.cmake
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 find_package(Qt5Core REQUIRED)
 
-function(ecm_androiddeployqt QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH ANDROID_APK_DIR)
-    get_filename_component(_qt5Core_install_prefix "${Qt5Core_DIR}/../../../" ABSOLUTE)
-    if(NOT ANDROID_APK_DIR)
-        set(ANDROID_APK_DIR "${_qt5Core_install_prefix}/src/android/templates/")
-    endif()
-
+function(ecm_androiddeployqt QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH)
     set(EXPORT_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}_build_apk/")
     set(EXECUTABLE_DESTINATION_PATH "${EXPORT_DIR}/libs/${CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI}/lib${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}.so")
     set(QML_IMPORT_PATHS "")
@@ -33,7 +28,9 @@
         endif()
     endforeach()
     string(TOLOWER "${CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME}" _LOWER_CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME)
-    configure_file("${_CMAKE_ANDROID_DIR}/deployment-file.json.in" "${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in")
+    configure_file("${_CMAKE_ANDROID_DIR}/deployment-file.json.in" "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in1")
+    file(GENERATE OUTPUT "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in2"
+                  INPUT  "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in1")
 
     if (CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL "Unix Makefiles")
         set(arguments "\\$(ARGS)")
@@ -54,10 +51,10 @@
     add_custom_target(${CREATEAPK_TARGET_NAME}
         COMMAND cmake -E echo "Generating $<TARGET_NAME:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}> with $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:Qt5::qmake>/androiddeployqt"
         COMMAND cmake -E remove_directory "${EXPORT_DIR}"
-        COMMAND cmake -E copy_directory "${ANDROID_APK_DIR}" "${EXPORT_DIR}"
+        COMMAND cmake -E copy_directory "$<TARGET_PROPERTY:create-apk-${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET},ANDROID_APK_DIR>" "${EXPORT_DIR}"
         COMMAND cmake -E copy "$<TARGET_FILE:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" "${EXECUTABLE_DESTINATION_PATH}"
         COMMAND LANG=C cmake "-DTARGET=$<TARGET_FILE:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" -P ${_CMAKE_ANDROID_DIR}/hasMainSymbol.cmake
-        COMMAND LANG=C cmake -DINPUT_FILE="${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in" -DOUTPUT_FILE="${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json" "-DTARGET=$<TARGET_FILE:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" "-DOUTPUT_DIR=$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" "-DEXPORT_DIR=${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}" "-DECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH=\"${ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH}\"" "-DANDROID_EXTRA_LIBS=\"${ANDROID_EXTRA_LIBS}\"" -P ${_CMAKE_ANDROID_DIR}/specifydependencies.cmake
+        COMMAND LANG=C cmake -DINPUT_FILE="${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json.in2" -DOUTPUT_FILE="${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json" "-DTARGET=$<TARGET_FILE:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" "-DOUTPUT_DIR=$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}>" "-DEXPORT_DIR=${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}" "-DECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH=\"${ECM_ADDITIONAL_FIND_ROOT_PATH}\"" "-DANDROID_EXTRA_LIBS=\"${ANDROID_EXTRA_LIBS}\"" -P ${_CMAKE_ANDROID_DIR}/specifydependencies.cmake
         COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:Qt5::qmake>/androiddeployqt --gradle --input "${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET}-deployment.json" --output "${EXPORT_DIR}" --deployment bundled ${arguments}
     )
 
diff --git a/toolchain/deployment-file.json.in b/toolchain/deployment-file.json.in
--- a/toolchain/deployment-file.json.in
+++ b/toolchain/deployment-file.json.in
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
    @DEFINE_QML_IMPORT_PATHS@
    ##EXTRALIBS##
    ##EXTRAPLUGINS##
-   "android-package-source-directory": "@ANDROID_APK_DIR@",
+   "android-package-source-directory": "$<TARGET_PROPERTY:create-apk-${QTANDROID_EXPORTED_TARGET},ANDROID_APK_DIR>",
    "stdcpp-path":##CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_LIBRARIES##,
    "sdkBuildToolsRevision": "@ANDROID_SDK_BUILD_TOOLS_REVISION@",
    "extraPrefixDirs": [ @EXTRA_PREFIX_DIRS@ ]