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FAILED (remote: ‘Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress’)

In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the FAILED (remote: ‘Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress’) error. Recently I was flashing a Generic System Image, popularly known as GSI ROM onto my device.

Everything went smoothly except for the last step which involved factory resetting the device and removing all its data. for which, I used the fastboot -w command. And to my surprise, this command threw out an error.

FAILED (remote 'Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress')

As to why I was taken aback, well, out of all the commands, this is the one that I least expected to give out an error of any sort. But here was I, stuck in the middle of nowhere. If you are also stuck in a similar position, then first and foremost, do not reboot your device to the OS and try resetting from the Settings menu.

Because as soon as you try to access the OS, you’ll be stuck in a bootloop, or even worse, your device will end up in a bricked state. So keeping that risky approach aside, this guide will make you aware of numerous workarounds that should help you address this bug. So without further ado, let’s get started.

FAILED (remote: ‘Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress’)

FAILED (remote 'Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress')

It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success. Moreover, Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.

FIX 1: Try USB Tweaks

You might have seen this coming from a few miles away, but trust us, in most cases, it’s either the USB cable or the USB port that is to be blamed. So try using a different cable and more importantly, use the USB 2.0 port on your PC instead of the 3.0 port [the blue one]. So try out these tweaks and check if they fix the FAILED (remote: ‘Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress’) error.Install ADB Drivers Windows 11

FIX 2: Format Data from FastbootD Mode

If you are unable to reset your device from the Bootloader/FastbootD, then you may try doing so from the FastbootD Mode as well. To do so, boot your device to FastbootD Mode from the current Fastboot Mode via fastboot reboot fastboot and then do a format data via fastboot -w. Check if it rectifies the underlying issue.

fastbootd gsi

FIX 3: Use Recovery Mode

You can also use the recovery mode to get this job done. For that, there are two ways out- either use the hardware key combination to boot your device to Recovery Mode or leave your device untouched, it will automatically boot to the recovery [though it might take up to 8-10 minutes]. Once you are in the recovery mode, try doing a format data and then check out the result.

Copy Apps & Data Downgrade Android 14

That’s it. These were the various methods to fix the “FAILED (remote: ‘Cannot erase userdata while a snapshot update is in progress’)” error.  If you have any queries concerning any of the two aforementioned methods, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.


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