diff --git a/media/codec2/vndk/C2Fence.cpp b/media/codec2/vndk/C2Fence.cpp
index fe8a9eb3748..c095035c1dc 100644
--- a/media/codec2/vndk/C2Fence.cpp
+++ b/media/codec2/vndk/C2Fence.cpp
@@ -472,6 +472,10 @@ std::vector<int> ExtractFdsFromCodec2SyncFence(const C2Fence& fence) {
     return retFds;
 }
 
+C2Fence _C2FenceFactory::CreateSyncFence(int fenceFd) {
+    return CreateSyncFence(fenceFd, true);
+}
+
 C2Fence _C2FenceFactory::CreateSyncFence(int fenceFd, bool validate) {
     std::shared_ptr<C2Fence::Impl> p;
     if (fenceFd >= 0) {
@@ -812,4 +816,3 @@ C2Fence _C2FenceFactory::CreateFromNativeHandle(
     }
     return C2Fence(p);
 }
-
diff --git a/media/codec2/vndk/include/C2FenceFactory.h b/media/codec2/vndk/include/C2FenceFactory.h
index cabd5d91cd6..d8e1bb3f261 100644
--- a/media/codec2/vndk/include/C2FenceFactory.h
+++ b/media/codec2/vndk/include/C2FenceFactory.h
@@ -67,7 +67,10 @@ struct _C2FenceFactory {
      * \param validate          If true, the fence fd will be validated to ensure
      *                          it is a valid pending sync fence fd.
      */
-    static C2Fence CreateSyncFence(int fenceFd, bool validate = true);
+    // Keep the legacy one-argument ABI for vendor Codec2 implementations that
+    // were built before fence validation became an explicit parameter.
+    static C2Fence CreateSyncFence(int fenceFd);
+    static C2Fence CreateSyncFence(int fenceFd, bool validate);
 
     /*
      * Create C2Fence from list of sync fence fds, while also merging them to