diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index f2b1d67586..a7d1aa0fbc 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ git-annex (4.20130522) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * XMPP: Send pings and use them to detect when contact with the server
     is lost.
   * hook special remote: Added combined hook program support.
+  * Android app: Avoid using hard links to app's lib directory, which
+    is sometimes on a different filesystem than the data directory.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Tue, 21 May 2013 18:22:46 -0400
 
diff --git a/standalone/android/Makefile b/standalone/android/Makefile
index 74a48c89fb..85457a7190 100644
--- a/standalone/android/Makefile
+++ b/standalone/android/Makefile
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ build: start
 		$(GITTREE)/libexec/git-core/git-web--browse
 	# Most of git is in one multicall binary, but a few important
 	# commands are still shell scripts. Those are put into
-	# a tarball, along with a list of all the hard links that should be
+	# a tarball, along with a list of all the links that should be
 	# set up.
 	cd $(GITTREE) && mkdir -p links
 	cd $(GITTREE) && find -samefile bin/git -not -wholename ./bin/git > links/git
diff --git a/standalone/android/runshell b/standalone/android/runshell
index 0bd193b74d..5e461f0624 100755
--- a/standalone/android/runshell
+++ b/standalone/android/runshell
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ buildtree () {
 		if $cmd test -e "$base/bin/$prog"; then
 			$cmd rm -f "$base/bin/$prog"
 		fi
-		$cmd ln "$base/lib/lib.$prog.so" "$base/bin/$prog"
+		$cmd ln -s "$base/lib/lib.$prog.so" "$base/bin/$prog"
 	done
 
 	$cmd --install $base/bin
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ buildtree () {
 			if $cmd test -e "$base/$link"; then
 				$cmd rm -f "$base/$link"
 			fi
-			$cmd ln "$base/bin/$prog" "$base/$link"
+			$cmd ln -s "$base/bin/$prog" "$base/$link"
 		done
 		$cmd rm -f "$base/links/$prog"
 	done
diff --git a/standalone/android/start.c b/standalone/android/start.c
index d49a086c71..c67c5da0ce 100644
--- a/standalone/android/start.c
+++ b/standalone/android/start.c
@@ -47,11 +47,15 @@ main () {
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* If this is the first run, set up busybox link. */
+	/* If this is the first run, set up busybox symlink,
+	 * which allows busybox to run. */
 	if (stat("busybox", &st_buf) != 0) {
-		if (link("lib/lib.busybox.so", "busybox") != 0) {
-			perror("link busybox");
-			exit(1);
+		if (symlink("lib/lib.busybox.so", "busybox") != 0) {
+			/* Just in case! */
+			if (link("lib/lib.busybox.so", "busybox") != 0) {
+				perror("link busybox");
+				exit(1);
+			}
 		}
 	}