diff --git a/android/app/build.gradle.kts b/android/app/build.gradle.kts
index 49fc6159d7dd..90a14dbbfb05 100644
--- a/android/app/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/android/app/build.gradle.kts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 import com.android.build.gradle.internal.cxx.configure.gradleLocalProperties
 import com.android.build.gradle.internal.tasks.factory.dependsOn
 import com.github.triplet.gradle.androidpublisher.ReleaseStatus
-import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream
 import java.io.FileInputStream
-import java.io.FileOutputStream
 import java.util.Properties
 import org.gradle.internal.extensions.stdlib.capitalized
 
@@ -22,7 +20,6 @@ plugins {
 
 val repoRootPath = rootProject.projectDir.absoluteFile.parentFile.absolutePath
 val relayListDirectory = file("$repoRootPath/dist-assets/relays/").absolutePath
-val relayListPath = file("$relayListDirectory/relays.json")
 val defaultChangelogAssetsDirectory = "$repoRootPath/android/src/main/play/release-notes/"
 val rustJniLibsDir = layout.buildDirectory.dir("rustJniLibs/android").get()
 
@@ -246,10 +243,7 @@ android {
         }
 
         // Ensure all relevant assemble tasks depend on our ensure task.
-        tasks["assemble$capitalizedVariantName"].apply {
-            dependsOn(tasks["ensureRelayListExist"])
-            dependsOn(tasks["ensureValidVersionCode"])
-        }
+        tasks["assemble$capitalizedVariantName"].dependsOn(tasks["ensureValidVersionCode"])
     }
 }
 
@@ -261,8 +255,10 @@ junitPlatform {
 }
 
 cargo {
+    val localProperties = gradleLocalProperties(rootProject.projectDir, providers)
     val isReleaseBuild = isReleaseBuild()
-    val enableApiOverride = !isReleaseBuild || isDevBuild() || isAlphaBuild()
+    val enableApiOverride =
+        !isReleaseBuild || isDevBuild(localProperties) || isAlphaBuild(localProperties)
     module = repoRootPath
     libname = "mullvad-jni"
     // All available targets:
@@ -296,14 +292,6 @@ cargo {
     }
 }
 
-tasks.register("ensureRelayListExist") {
-    doLast {
-        if (isReleaseBuild() && !isDevBuild() && !relayListPath.exists()) {
-            throw GradleException("Missing relay list: $relayListPath")
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 tasks.register<Exec>("cargoClean") {
     workingDir = File(repoRootPath)
     commandLine("cargo", "clean")
@@ -317,23 +305,6 @@ if (
     tasks["clean"].dependsOn("cargoClean")
 }
 
-// This is a hack and will not work correctly under all scenarios.
-// See DROID-1696 for how we can improve this.
-fun isReleaseBuild() =
-    gradle.startParameter.getTaskNames().any { it.contains("release", ignoreCase = true) }
-
-fun isAlphaBuild(): Boolean {
-    val localProperties = gradleLocalProperties(rootProject.projectDir, providers)
-    val versionName = generateVersionName(localProperties)
-    return versionName.contains("alpha")
-}
-
-fun isDevBuild(): Boolean {
-    val localProperties = gradleLocalProperties(rootProject.projectDir, providers)
-    val versionName = generateVersionName(localProperties)
-    return versionName.contains("dev")
-}
-
 androidComponents {
     beforeVariants { variantBuilder ->
         variantBuilder.enable =
diff --git a/android/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/Utils.kt b/android/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/Utils.kt
index af00586beaa9..b5d9cb947283 100644
--- a/android/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/Utils.kt
+++ b/android/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/Utils.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
 import java.util.*
 import org.gradle.api.Project
 
+// This is a hack and will not work correctly under all scenarios.
+// See DROID-1696 for how we can improve this.
+fun Project.isReleaseBuild() =
+    gradle.startParameter.getTaskNames().any { it.contains("release", ignoreCase = true) }
+
+fun Project.isAlphaBuild(localProperties: Properties): Boolean {
+    val versionName = generateVersionName(localProperties)
+    return versionName.contains("alpha")
+}
+
+fun Project.isDevBuild(localProperties: Properties): Boolean {
+    val versionName = generateVersionName(localProperties)
+    return versionName.contains("-dev-")
+}
+
 fun Project.generateVersionCode(localProperties: Properties): Int {
     return localProperties.getProperty("OVERRIDE_VERSION_CODE")?.toIntOrNull()
         ?: execVersionCodeCargoCommand()
diff --git a/android/service/build.gradle.kts b/android/service/build.gradle.kts
index 717e2c6ef781..8c9f0034cbad 100644
--- a/android/service/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/android/service/build.gradle.kts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import com.android.build.gradle.internal.cxx.configure.gradleLocalProperties
+
 plugins {
     alias(libs.plugins.android.library)
     alias(libs.plugins.kotlin.android)
@@ -9,7 +11,16 @@ android {
     compileSdk = Versions.compileSdkVersion
     buildToolsVersion = Versions.buildToolsVersion
 
-    defaultConfig { minSdk = Versions.minSdkVersion }
+    defaultConfig {
+        minSdk = Versions.minSdkVersion
+        val localProperties = gradleLocalProperties(rootProject.projectDir, providers)
+        val shouldRequireBundleRelayFile = isReleaseBuild() && !isDevBuild(localProperties)
+        buildConfigField(
+            "Boolean",
+            "REQUIRE_BUNDLED_RELAY_FILE",
+            shouldRequireBundleRelayFile.toString(),
+        )
+    }
 
     compileOptions {
         sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
diff --git a/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/MullvadVpnService.kt b/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/MullvadVpnService.kt
index e4c8eba3c60c..3c26ad89de1f 100644
--- a/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/MullvadVpnService.kt
+++ b/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/MullvadVpnService.kt
@@ -220,7 +220,10 @@ class MullvadVpnService : TalpidVpnService() {
     }
 
     private fun Context.prepareFiles() {
-        extractAndOverwriteIfAssetMoreRecent(RELAY_LIST_ASSET_NAME)
+        extractAndOverwriteIfAssetMoreRecent(
+            RELAY_LIST_ASSET_NAME,
+            BuildConfig.REQUIRE_BUNDLED_RELAY_FILE,
+        )
     }
 
     companion object {
diff --git a/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/util/ContextExtensions.kt b/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/util/ContextExtensions.kt
index 9b169bf3bad5..b4d50caa25ce 100644
--- a/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/util/ContextExtensions.kt
+++ b/android/service/src/main/kotlin/net/mullvad/mullvadvpn/service/util/ContextExtensions.kt
@@ -3,25 +3,28 @@ package net.mullvad.mullvadvpn.service.util
 import android.content.Context
 import co.touchlab.kermit.Logger
 import java.io.File
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException
 import java.io.FileOutputStream
 
-fun Context.extractAndOverwriteIfAssetMoreRecent(assetName: String) {
+fun Context.extractAndOverwriteIfAssetMoreRecent(assetName: String, requireAssetFile: Boolean) {
     val forceOverwriteIfMoreRecent = lastUpdatedTime() > File(filesDir, assetName).lastModified()
     val destination = File(filesDir, assetName)
 
     if (!destination.exists() || forceOverwriteIfMoreRecent) {
-        extractFile(assetName, destination)
+        extractFile(assetName, destination, requireAssetFile)
     }
 }
 
 private fun Context.lastUpdatedTime(): Long =
     packageManager.getPackageInfo(packageName, 0).lastUpdateTime
 
-private fun Context.extractFile(asset: String, destination: File) {
+private fun Context.extractFile(asset: String, destination: File, requireAssetFile: Boolean) {
     if (assets.list("")?.contains(asset) == true) {
         val destinationStream = FileOutputStream(destination)
         assets.open(asset).copyTo(destinationStream)
         destinationStream.close()
+    } else if (requireAssetFile) {
+        throw FileNotFoundException("Asset $asset not found")
     } else {
         Logger.i("Asset $asset not found")
     }
diff --git a/prepare-release.sh b/prepare-release.sh
index b3e62d7c1d9a..4170b0fbe92e 100755
--- a/prepare-release.sh
+++ b/prepare-release.sh
@@ -70,9 +70,8 @@ if [[ "$ANDROID" == "true" ]]; then
     echo "Generate relays.json"
     mkdir dist-assets/relays
     cargo run -q -p mullvad-api --bin relay_list > dist-assets/relays/relays.json
-    
-    git add dist-assets/relays/relays.json
-    git commit -S -m "Bundle relay list" \
+
+    git commit -S -m "Add relay list to bundle with $PRODUCT_VERSION" \
         dist-assets/relays/relays.json
 fi