diff --git a/meta/recipes-multimedia/libpng/libpng_1.6.39.bb b/meta/recipes-multimedia/libpng/libpng_1.6.39.bb
index d9dcf379e9..a6c229f5cf 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-multimedia/libpng/libpng_1.6.39.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-multimedia/libpng/libpng_1.6.39.bb
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ BINCONFIG = "${bindir}/libpng-config ${bindir}/libpng16-config"
 inherit autotools binconfig-disabled pkgconfig
 
 # Work around missing symbols
-EXTRA_OECONF:append:class-target = " ${@bb.utils.contains("TUNE_FEATURES", "neon", "--enable-arm-neon=on", "--enable-arm-neon=off", d)}"
+ARMNEON = "${@bb.utils.contains("TUNE_FEATURES", "neon", "--enable-arm-neon=on", "--enable-arm-neon=off", d)}"
+ARMNEON:aarch64 = "--enable-hardware-optimizations=on"
+EXTRA_OECONF += "${ARMNEON}"
 
 PACKAGES =+ "${PN}-tools"