diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.cpp b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.cpp
index 37d77d3bee..2a69aaf812 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.cpp
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ struct {
     jmethodID getBufferType;
 } gNioUtils;
 
-AutoBuffer::AutoBuffer(JNIEnv *env, jobject buffer, jint size) noexcept : mEnv(env) {
+AutoBuffer::AutoBuffer(JNIEnv *env, jobject buffer, jint size, bool commit) noexcept : mEnv(env),
+        mDoCommit(commit) {
     mBuffer = env->NewGlobalRef(buffer);
 
     mType = (BufferType) env->CallStaticIntMethod(
@@ -108,27 +109,28 @@ AutoBuffer::AutoBuffer(AutoBuffer &&rhs) noexcept {
 AutoBuffer::~AutoBuffer() noexcept {
     JNIEnv *env = mEnv;
     if (mBaseArray) {
+        jint mode = mDoCommit ? 0 : JNI_ABORT;
         switch (mType) {
             case BufferType::BYTE:
-                env->ReleaseByteArrayElements((jbyteArray)mBaseArray, (jbyte *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseByteArrayElements((jbyteArray)mBaseArray, (jbyte *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::CHAR:
-                env->ReleaseCharArrayElements((jcharArray)mBaseArray, (jchar *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseCharArrayElements((jcharArray)mBaseArray, (jchar *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::SHORT:
-                env->ReleaseShortArrayElements((jshortArray)mBaseArray, (jshort *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseShortArrayElements((jshortArray)mBaseArray, (jshort *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::INT:
-                env->ReleaseIntArrayElements((jintArray)mBaseArray, (jint *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseIntArrayElements((jintArray)mBaseArray, (jint *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::LONG:
-                env->ReleaseLongArrayElements((jlongArray)mBaseArray, (jlong *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseLongArrayElements((jlongArray)mBaseArray, (jlong *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::FLOAT:
-                env->ReleaseFloatArrayElements((jfloatArray)mBaseArray, (jfloat *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseFloatArrayElements((jfloatArray)mBaseArray, (jfloat *) mData, mode);
                 break;
             case BufferType::DOUBLE:
-                env->ReleaseDoubleArrayElements((jdoubleArray)mBaseArray, (jdouble *) mData, JNI_ABORT);
+                env->ReleaseDoubleArrayElements((jdoubleArray)mBaseArray, (jdouble *) mData, mode);
                 break;
         }
         env->DeleteGlobalRef(mBaseArray);
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.h b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.h
index b444ccb058..1ae7af4617 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.h
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/NioUtils.h
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ public:
         DOUBLE
     };
 
-    AutoBuffer(JNIEnv* env, jobject buffer, jint size) noexcept;
+    // Clients should pass "true" for the commit argument if they intend to mutate the buffer
+    // contents from native code.
+    AutoBuffer(JNIEnv* env, jobject buffer, jint size, bool commit = false) noexcept;
     AutoBuffer(AutoBuffer&& rhs) noexcept;
     ~AutoBuffer() noexcept;
 
@@ -62,4 +64,5 @@ private:
     void* mData = nullptr;
     jobject mBuffer = nullptr;
     jarray mBaseArray = nullptr;
+    bool mDoCommit = false;
 };
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/VertexBuffer.cpp b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/VertexBuffer.cpp
index 5b99567540..93310e41f4 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/VertexBuffer.cpp
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/VertexBuffer.cpp
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ Java_com_google_android_filament_VertexBuffer_nPopulateTangentQuaternions(JNIEnv
         jint outStride, jobject normals, jint normalsRemaining, jint normalsStride,
         jobject tangents, jint tangentsRemaining, jint tangentsStride) {
 
-    AutoBuffer outNioBuffer(env, outBuffer, outRemaining);
+    AutoBuffer outNioBuffer(env, outBuffer, outRemaining, true);
     void* outData = outNioBuffer.getData();
 
     AutoBuffer normalsNioBuffer(env, normals, normalsRemaining);