diff --git a/apps/buffering.c b/apps/buffering.c
index 9c0ad138f7..1482d6790b 100644
--- a/apps/buffering.c
+++ b/apps/buffering.c
@@ -1012,7 +1012,11 @@ int bufopen(const char *file, size_t offset, enum data_type type,
 
         return h->id;
     }
-
+#ifdef APPLICATION
+    /* loading code from memory is not supported in application builds */
+    else if (type == TYPE_CODEC)
+        return ERR_UNSUPPORTED_TYPE;
+#endif
     /* Other cases: there is a little more work. */
     int fd = open(file, O_RDONLY);
     if (fd < 0)
diff --git a/apps/buffering.h b/apps/buffering.h
index 6e17b65d8c..c3a9f928d1 100644
--- a/apps/buffering.h
+++ b/apps/buffering.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ enum data_type {
 #define ERR_INVALID_VALUE       -3
 #define ERR_FILE_ERROR          -4
 #define ERR_HANDLE_NOT_DONE     -5
+#define ERR_UNSUPPORTED_TYPE    -6
 
 
 /* Initialise the buffering subsystem */
diff --git a/apps/playback.c b/apps/playback.c
index 9030161f4a..3a7faa3d8d 100644
--- a/apps/playback.c
+++ b/apps/playback.c
@@ -1066,7 +1066,7 @@ static bool audio_release_tracks(void)
 
 static bool audio_loadcodec(bool start_play)
 {
-    int prev_track;
+    int prev_track, hid;
     char codec_path[MAX_PATH]; /* Full path to codec */
     const struct mp3entry *id3, *prev_id3;
 
@@ -1121,11 +1121,18 @@ static bool audio_loadcodec(bool start_play)
 
     codec_get_full_path(codec_path, codec_fn);
 
-    tracks[track_widx].codec_hid = bufopen(codec_path, 0, TYPE_CODEC, NULL);
-    if (tracks[track_widx].codec_hid < 0)
+    hid = tracks[track_widx].codec_hid = bufopen(codec_path, 0, TYPE_CODEC, NULL);
+
+    /* not an error if codec load it supported, will load it from disk
+     * application builds don't support it
+     */
+    if (hid < 0 && hid != ERR_UNSUPPORTED_TYPE)
         return false;
 
-    logf("Loaded codec");
+    if (hid > 0)
+        logf("Loaded codec");
+    else
+        logf("Buffering codec unsupported, load later from disk");
 
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/firmware/load_code.c b/firmware/load_code.c
index 2337ee5cad..59eb7ac0f7 100644
--- a/firmware/load_code.c
+++ b/firmware/load_code.c
@@ -134,6 +134,16 @@ void * _lc_open(const _lc_open_char *filename, unsigned char *buf, size_t buf_si
 
 void *lc_open_from_mem(void *addr, size_t blob_size)
 {
+#ifndef SIMULATOR
+    (void)addr;
+    (void)blob_size;
+    /* we don't support loading code from memory on application builds,
+     * it doesn't make sense (since it means writing the blob to disk again and
+     * then falling back to load from disk) and requires the ability to write
+     * to an executable directory */
+    return NULL;
+#else
+    /* support it in the sim for the sake of simulating */
     int fd, i;
     char temp_filename[MAX_PATH];
 
@@ -143,17 +153,8 @@ void *lc_open_from_mem(void *addr, size_t blob_size)
        to find an unused filename */
     for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
     {
-#if (CONFIG_PLATFORM & PLATFORM_ANDROID)
-        /* we need that path fixed, since _get_user_file_path()
-         * gives us the folder on the sdcard where we cannot load libraries
-         * from (no exec permissions)
-         */
-        snprintf(temp_filename, sizeof(temp_filename),
-                 "/data/data/org.rockbox/app_rockbox/libtemp_binary_%d.so", i);
-#else
         snprintf(temp_filename, sizeof(temp_filename),
                  ROCKBOX_DIR "/libtemp_binary_%d.dll", i);
-#endif
         fd = open(temp_filename, O_WRONLY|O_CREAT|O_TRUNC, 0700);
         if (fd >= 0)
             break;  /* Created a file ok */
@@ -175,6 +176,7 @@ void *lc_open_from_mem(void *addr, size_t blob_size)
 
     close(fd);
     return lc_open(temp_filename, NULL, 0);
+#endif
 }