The introduction of A/B partitions has changed the flashing process completely. The scenario of active and inactive slots only makes matters worse, especially for people just starting out with custom development.
If you’re flashing a file to both the slots, you would have come across a command with the suffix “_ab” at the end. For instance, if you’re flashing a custom recovery, you can do it using the Fastboot flash recovery_ab command. However, this isn’t working for some users.
While the CMD window can send the file to the device, the device isn’t able to write it. Instead, it ends up giving the following error message – Failed remote: ‘(recovery ab_b) No such Partition’ error. If you’re getting this issue, then this guide will be helpful. In this guide, you will get to know how to fix Fastboot Flash Recovery_ab Not Working.
Steps to fix Fastboot Flash Recovery_ab Not Working?
Method 1: Update ADB
The older versions of ADB do not come with support for _ab command flashing. This is why you need to update it to the latest build and check if you’re able to execute the Fastboot flash recovery_ab command.
Method 2: Use –slot=all
Instead of making use of the _ab suffix, you should try to use the –slot=all suffix. For instance, in place of using Fastboot flash recovery_ab twrp.img, you can try to use Fastboot flash –slot=all recovery twrp.img.
Method 3: Manually give specific slots
Instead of combining both slots in one command, you should give them as two separate commands and then try flashing again. Instead of giving the Fastboot flash recovery_ab command, you should use Fastboot flash recovery_a and Fastboot flash recovery_b separately. Now, check if it resolves the Fastboot flash recovery_ab not working.
Method 4: Do not specify slots
While it may sound counterintuitive, in some cases, you don’t need to manually specify the slots. Just use the partition name and you’ll be good to go. For instance, instead of Fastboot flash recovery_ab, you should try to use the Fastboot flash recovery command and then check the results.
