diff --git a/build/android/apk_operations.py b/build/android/apk_operations.py
index 1343924..c7fef4a2 100755
--- a/build/android/apk_operations.py
+++ b/build/android/apk_operations.py
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
 
 
 def _LaunchUrl(devices, input_args, device_args_file, url, apk,
-               wait_for_java_debugger):
+               wait_for_debugger):
   if input_args and device_args_file is None:
     raise Exception('This apk does not support any flags.')
   if url:
@@ -92,10 +92,8 @@
   def launch(device):
     # Set debug app in order to enable reading command line flags on user
     # builds.
-    cmd = ['am', 'set-debug-app', apk.GetPackageName()]
-    if wait_for_java_debugger:
-      # To wait for debugging on a non-primary process:
-      #     am set-debug-app org.chromium.chrome:privileged_process0
+    cmd = ['am', 'set-debug-app', '--persistent', apk.GetPackageName()]
+    if wait_for_debugger:
       cmd[-1:-1] = ['-w']
     # Ignore error since it will fail if apk is not debuggable.
     device.RunShellCommand(cmd, check_return=False)
@@ -846,15 +844,13 @@
   all_devices_by_default = True
 
   def _RegisterExtraArgs(self, group):
-    group.add_argument('-w', '--wait-for-java-debugger', action='store_true',
-                       help='Pause execution until debugger attaches. Applies '
-                            'only to the main process. To have renderers wait, '
-                            'use --args="--renderer-wait-for-java-debugger"')
+    group.add_argument('-w', '--wait-for-debugger', action='store_true',
+                       help='Pause execution until debugger attaches.')
     group.add_argument('url', nargs='?', help='A URL to launch with.')
 
   def Run(self):
     _LaunchUrl(self.devices, self.args.args, self.args.command_line_flags_file,
-               self.args.url, self.apk_helper, self.args.wait_for_java_debugger)
+               self.args.url, self.apk_helper, self.args.wait_for_debugger)
 
 
 class _StopCommand(_Command):
diff --git a/build/android/pylib/gtest/gtest_test_instance.py b/build/android/pylib/gtest/gtest_test_instance.py
index 4de7c81..26fedbf 100644
--- a/build/android/pylib/gtest/gtest_test_instance.py
+++ b/build/android/pylib/gtest/gtest_test_instance.py
@@ -293,7 +293,6 @@
     self._suite = args.suite_name[0]
     self._symbolizer = stack_symbolizer.Symbolizer(None, False)
     self._gs_test_artifacts_bucket = args.gs_test_artifacts_bucket
-    self._wait_for_java_debugger = args.wait_for_java_debugger
 
     # GYP:
     if args.executable_dist_dir:
@@ -328,8 +327,6 @@
         self._extras[_EXTRA_SHARD_SIZE_LIMIT] = 1
         self._extras[EXTRA_SHARD_NANO_TIMEOUT] = int(1e9 * self._shard_timeout)
         self._shard_timeout = 10 * self._shard_timeout
-      if args.wait_for_java_debugger:
-        self._extras[EXTRA_SHARD_NANO_TIMEOUT] = int(1e15)  # Forever
 
     if not self._apk_helper and not self._exe_dist_dir:
       error_func('Could not find apk or executable for %s' % self._suite)
@@ -472,10 +469,6 @@
   def total_external_shards(self):
     return self._total_external_shards
 
-  @property
-  def wait_for_java_debugger(self):
-    return self._wait_for_java_debugger
-
   #override
   def TestType(self):
     return 'gtest'
diff --git a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_environment.py b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_environment.py
index 6f1d0389..1bae4a0 100644
--- a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_environment.py
+++ b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_environment.py
@@ -145,10 +145,6 @@
     self._trace_all = None
     if hasattr(args, 'trace_all'):
       self._trace_all = args.trace_all
-    self._wait_for_java_debugger = args.wait_for_java_debugger
-
-    if self._wait_for_java_debugger:
-      self._max_tries = 1
 
     devil_chromium.Initialize(
         output_directory=constants.GetOutDirectory(),
@@ -254,10 +250,6 @@
   def trace_output(self):
     return self._trace_output
 
-  @property
-  def wait_for_java_debugger(self):
-    return self._wait_for_java_debugger
-
   #override
   def TearDown(self):
     if self.trace_output:
diff --git a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_gtest_run.py b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_gtest_run.py
index 6d9ae3a..22794a43 100644
--- a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_gtest_run.py
+++ b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_gtest_run.py
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@
     self._suite = test_instance.suite
     self._component = '%s/%s' % (self._package, self._runner)
     self._extras = test_instance.extras
-    self._wait_for_java_debugger = test_instance.wait_for_java_debugger
 
   def GetTestDataRoot(self, device):
     # pylint: disable=no-self-use
@@ -170,10 +169,6 @@
         device.adb, dir=device.GetExternalStoragePath(), suffix='.gtest_out')
     extras[_EXTRA_STDOUT_FILE] = stdout_file.name
 
-    if self._wait_for_java_debugger:
-      cmd = ['am', 'set-debug-app', '-w', self._package]
-      device.RunShellCommand(cmd, check_return=True)
-
     with command_line_file, test_list_file, stdout_file:
       try:
         device.StartInstrumentation(
@@ -375,12 +370,9 @@
     @local_device_environment.handle_shard_failures_with(
         on_failure=self._env.BlacklistDevice)
     def list_tests(dev):
-      timeout = 30
-      if self._test_instance.wait_for_java_debugger:
-        timeout = None
       raw_test_list = crash_handler.RetryOnSystemCrash(
           lambda d: self._delegate.Run(
-              None, d, flags='--gtest_list_tests', timeout=timeout),
+              None, d, flags='--gtest_list_tests', timeout=30),
           device=dev)
       tests = gtest_test_instance.ParseGTestListTests(raw_test_list)
       if not tests:
@@ -428,8 +420,6 @@
     # Run the test.
     timeout = (self._test_instance.shard_timeout
                * self.GetTool(device).GetTimeoutScale())
-    if self._test_instance.wait_for_java_debugger:
-      timeout = None
     if self._test_instance.store_tombstones:
       tombstones.ClearAllTombstones(device)
     with device_temp_file.DeviceTempFile(
diff --git a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_instrumentation_test_run.py b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_instrumentation_test_run.py
index 94ff92b..2c781791f 100644
--- a/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_instrumentation_test_run.py
+++ b/build/android/pylib/local/device/local_device_instrumentation_test_run.py
@@ -202,16 +202,15 @@
       def set_debug_app(dev):
         # Set debug app in order to enable reading command line flags on user
         # builds
-        if not self._test_instance.package_info:
-          logging.error("Couldn't set debug app: no package info")
-        elif not self._test_instance.package_info.package:
-          logging.error("Couldn't set debug app: no package defined")
-        else:
-          cmd = ['am', 'set-debug-app', '--persistent']
-          if self._env.wait_for_java_debugger:
-            cmd.append('-w')
-          cmd.append(self._test_instance.package_info.package)
-          dev.RunShellCommand(cmd, check_return=True)
+        if self._test_instance.flags:
+          if not self._test_instance.package_info:
+            logging.error("Couldn't set debug app: no package info")
+          elif not self._test_instance.package_info.package:
+            logging.error("Couldn't set debug app: no package defined")
+          else:
+            dev.RunShellCommand(['am', 'set-debug-app', '--persistent',
+                               self._test_instance.package_info.package],
+                              check_return=True)
 
       @trace_event.traced
       def edit_shared_prefs(dev):
@@ -422,8 +421,6 @@
         valgrind_tools.SetChromeTimeoutScale(
             device, test_timeout_scale * self._test_instance.timeout_scale)
 
-    if self._env.wait_for_java_debugger:
-      timeout = None
     logging.info('preparing to run %s: %s', test_display_name, test)
 
     render_tests_device_output_dir = None
@@ -614,11 +611,8 @@
           extras['log'] = 'true'
           extras[_EXTRA_TEST_LIST] = dev_test_list_json.name
           target = '%s/%s' % (test_package, junit4_runner_class)
-          kwargs = {}
-          if self._env.wait_for_java_debugger:
-            kwargs['timeout'] = None
           test_list_run_output = dev.StartInstrumentation(
-              target, extras=extras, retries=0, **kwargs)
+              target, extras=extras)
           if any(test_list_run_output):
             logging.error('Unexpected output while listing tests:')
             for line in test_list_run_output:
diff --git a/build/android/test_runner.py b/build/android/test_runner.py
index 7c368105..ecb088f 100755
--- a/build/android/test_runner.py
+++ b/build/android/test_runner.py
@@ -334,10 +334,6 @@
       '--test-apk-incremental-install-json',
       type=os.path.realpath,
       help='Path to install json for the test apk.')
-  parser.add_argument(
-      '-w', '--wait-for-java-debugger', action='store_true',
-      help='Wait for java debugger to attach before running any application '
-           'code. Also disables test timeouts and sets retries=0.')
 
   filter_group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group()
   filter_group.add_argument(
@@ -485,10 +481,6 @@
       '--ui-screenshot-directory',
       dest='ui_screenshot_dir', type=os.path.realpath,
       help='Destination for screenshots captured by the tests')
-  parser.add_argument(
-      '-w', '--wait-for-java-debugger', action='store_true',
-      help='Wait for java debugger to attach before running any application '
-           'code. Also disables test timeouts and sets retries=0.')
 
   # These arguments are suppressed from the help text because they should
   # only ever be specified by an intermediate script.
diff --git a/docs/android_debugging_instructions.md b/docs/android_debugging_instructions.md
index 62fd19fe..705b538 100644
--- a/docs/android_debugging_instructions.md
+++ b/docs/android_debugging_instructions.md
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@
 
 ## Waiting for Java Debugger on Early Startup
 
-*   To debug early startup, pass `--wait-for-java-debugger` to the wrapper
-    scripts (works for both apk wrappers as well as test wrappers).
+*   To debug early startup, pass `--wait-for-java-debugger` as a command line
+    flag.
 
 ## Debugging C/C++