--- a/build/moz.configure/init.configure
+++ b/build/moz.configure/init.configure
@@ -679,16 +679,35 @@ set_config('NIGHTLY_BUILD', delayed_geta
 set_define('NIGHTLY_BUILD', delayed_getattr(milestone, 'is_nightly'))
 add_old_configure_assignment('NIGHTLY_BUILD',
                              delayed_getattr(milestone, 'is_nightly'))
 set_config('RELEASE_BUILD', delayed_getattr(milestone, 'is_release'))
 set_define('RELEASE_BUILD', delayed_getattr(milestone, 'is_release'))
 add_old_configure_assignment('RELEASE_BUILD',
                              delayed_getattr(milestone, 'is_release'))
 
+# The app update channel is 'default' when not supplied. The value is used in
+# the application's confvars.sh (and is made available a project specific
+# moz.configure).
+option('--enable-update-channel',
+       nargs=1,
+       help='Select application update channel',
+       default='default')
+
+@depends('--enable-update-channel')
+def update_channel(channel):
+    if channel[0] == '':
+        return 'default'
+    return channel[0].lower()
+
+set_config('MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL', update_channel)
+set_define('MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL', update_channel)
+add_old_configure_assignment('MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL', update_channel)
+
+
 # A template providing a shorthand for setting a variable. The created
 # option will only be settable with imply_option.
 # It is expected that a project-specific moz.configure will call imply_option
 # to set a value other than the default.
 # If required, the set_as_define and set_for_old_configure arguments
 # will additionally cause the variable to be set using set_define and
 # add_old_configure_assignment. util.configure would be an appropriate place for
 # this, but it uses add_old_configure_assignment, which is defined in this file.

--- a/build/moz.configure/old.configure
+++ b/build/moz.configure/old.configure
@@ -252,17 +252,16 @@ def old_configure_options(*options):
     '--enable-system-sqlite',
     '--enable-tasktracer',
     '--enable-tests',
     '--enable-thread-sanitizer',
     '--enable-trace-logging',
     '--enable-tree-freetype',
     '--enable-ui-locale',
     '--enable-universalchardet',
-    '--enable-update-channel',
     '--enable-updater',
     '--enable-url-classifier',
     '--enable-valgrind',
     '--enable-verify-mar',
     '--enable-warnings-as-errors',
     '--enable-webapp-runtime',
     '--enable-webrtc',
     '--enable-websms-backend',

--- a/js/src/old-configure.in
+++ b/js/src/old-configure.in
@@ -1762,33 +1762,16 @@ if test -n "$SKIP_COMPILER_CHECKS"; then
 fi # SKIP_COMPILER_CHECKS
 
 dnl Mozilla specific options
 dnl ========================================================
 dnl The macros used for command line options
 dnl are defined in build/autoconf/altoptions.m4.
 
 dnl ========================================================
-dnl = Mozilla update channel, used for disabling features
-dnl = not wanted for release.
-dnl ========================================================
-
-# app update channel is 'default' when not supplied.
-MOZ_ARG_ENABLE_STRING([update-channel],
-[  --enable-update-channel=CHANNEL
-                          Select application update channel (default=default)],
-    MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL=`echo $enableval | tr A-Z a-z`)
-
-if test -z "$MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL"; then
-    MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL=default
-fi
-AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL, $MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL)
-AC_SUBST(MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL)
-
-dnl ========================================================
 dnl =
 dnl = Check for external package dependencies
 dnl =
 dnl ========================================================
 MOZ_ARG_HEADER(External Packages)
 
 MOZ_CONFIG_NSPR(js)
 

--- a/old-configure.in
+++ b/old-configure.in
@@ -2723,29 +2723,16 @@ case "${target}" in
         NSS_DISABLE_DBM=1
         MOZ_THEME_FASTSTRIPE=1
         MOZ_TREE_FREETYPE=1
         MOZ_RAW=1
         ;;
 
 esac
 
-# The app update channel is 'default' when not supplied. The value is used in
-# the application's confvars.sh so it must be set before confvars.sh is called.
-MOZ_ARG_ENABLE_STRING([update-channel],
-[  --enable-update-channel=CHANNEL
-                          Select application update channel (default=default)],
-    MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL=`echo $enableval | tr A-Z a-z`)
-
-if test -z "$MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL"; then
-    MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL=default
-fi
-AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL, $MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL)
-AC_SUBST(MOZ_UPDATE_CHANNEL)
-
 # Allow to specify a Mozilla API key file that contains the secret key to be
 # used for various Mozilla API requests.
 MOZ_ARG_WITH_STRING(mozilla-api-keyfile,
 [  --with-mozilla-api-keyfile=file   Use the secret key contained in the given keyfile for Mozilla API requests],
   MOZ_MOZILLA_API_KEY=`cat $withval`)
 if test -z "$MOZ_MOZILLA_API_KEY"; then
     MOZ_MOZILLA_API_KEY=no-mozilla-api-key
 fi