diff --git a/tools/assets/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle b/tools/assets/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle
index b6218c322..609cf9840 100644
--- a/tools/assets/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle
+++ b/tools/assets/App_Resources/Android/app.gradle
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 
 android {  
   compileSdkVersion 29
+  // added ndkVersion because CI tries to use a higer version and fails
+  // if having trouble running or building locally, comment this line
+  // todo: remove once ndk 23+ is supported
+  ndkVersion "22.1.7171670"
   defaultConfig {  
     minSdkVersion 17
     targetSdkVersion 29