diff --git a/libc/bionic/system_property_api.cpp b/libc/bionic/system_property_api.cpp
index a641f12..051bc4c 100644
--- a/libc/bionic/system_property_api.cpp
+++ b/libc/bionic/system_property_api.cpp
@@ -100,13 +100,7 @@
 
 __BIONIC_WEAK_FOR_NATIVE_BRIDGE
 uint32_t __system_property_serial(const prop_info* pi) {
-  // N.B. a previous version of this function was much heavier-weight
-  // and enforced acquire semantics, so give our load here acquire
-  // semantics just in case somebody depends on
-  // __system_property_serial enforcing memory order, e.g., in case
-  // someone spins on the result of this function changing before
-  // loading some value.
-  return atomic_load_explicit(&pi->serial, memory_order_acquire);
+  return system_properties.Serial(pi);
 }
 
 __BIONIC_WEAK_FOR_NATIVE_BRIDGE
diff --git a/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/prop_area.h b/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/prop_area.h
index 53b2745..a69f90e 100644
--- a/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/prop_area.h
+++ b/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/prop_area.h
@@ -106,20 +106,6 @@
     memset(reserved_, 0, sizeof(reserved_));
     // Allocate enough space for the root node.
     bytes_used_ = sizeof(prop_bt);
-    // To make property reads wait-free, we reserve a
-    // PROP_VALUE_MAX-sized block of memory, the "dirty backup area",
-    // just after the root node. When we're about to modify a
-    // property, we copy the old value into the dirty backup area and
-    // copy the new value into the prop_info structure. Before
-    // starting the latter copy, we mark the property's serial as
-    // being dirty. If a reader comes along while we're doing the
-    // property update and sees a dirty serial, the reader copies from
-    // the dirty backup area instead of the property value
-    // proper. After the copy, the reader checks whether the property
-    // serial is the same: if it is, the dirty backup area hasn't been
-    // reused for something else and we can complete the
-    // read immediately.
-    bytes_used_ +=  __BIONIC_ALIGN(PROP_VALUE_MAX, sizeof(uint_least32_t));
   }
 
   const prop_info* find(const char* name);
@@ -136,9 +122,6 @@
   uint32_t version() const {
     return version_;
   }
-  char* dirty_backup_area() {
-    return data_ + sizeof (prop_bt);
-  }
 
  private:
   static prop_area* map_fd_ro(const int fd);
diff --git a/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/system_properties.h b/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/system_properties.h
index 0666e28..cad29cc 100644
--- a/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/system_properties.h
+++ b/libc/system_properties/include/system_properties/system_properties.h
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@
   int Get(const char* name, char* value);
   int Update(prop_info* pi, const char* value, unsigned int len);
   int Add(const char* name, unsigned int namelen, const char* value, unsigned int valuelen);
+  uint32_t Serial(const prop_info* pi);
   uint32_t WaitAny(uint32_t old_serial);
   bool Wait(const prop_info* pi, uint32_t old_serial, uint32_t* new_serial_ptr,
             const timespec* relative_timeout);
@@ -73,8 +74,6 @@
   int Foreach(void (*propfn)(const prop_info* pi, void* cookie), void* cookie);
 
  private:
-  uint32_t ReadMutablePropertyValue(const prop_info* pi, char* value);
-
   // We don't want to use new or malloc in properties (b/31659220), and we don't want to waste a
   // full page by using mmap(), so we set aside enough space to create any context of the three
   // contexts.
diff --git a/libc/system_properties/system_properties.cpp b/libc/system_properties/system_properties.cpp
index 8404778..d7c441b 100644
--- a/libc/system_properties/system_properties.cpp
+++ b/libc/system_properties/system_properties.cpp
@@ -140,58 +140,42 @@
   return strncmp(name, "ro.", 3) == 0;
 }
 
-uint32_t SystemProperties::ReadMutablePropertyValue(const prop_info* pi, char* value) {
-  // We assume the memcpy below gets serialized by the acquire fence.
-  uint32_t new_serial = load_const_atomic(&pi->serial, memory_order_acquire);
-  uint32_t serial;
-  unsigned int len;
-  for (;;) {
-    serial = new_serial;
-    len = SERIAL_VALUE_LEN(serial);
-    if (__predict_false(SERIAL_DIRTY(serial))) {
-      // See the comment in the prop_area constructor.
-      prop_area* pa = contexts_->GetPropAreaForName(pi->name);
-      memcpy(value, pa->dirty_backup_area(), len + 1);
-    } else {
-      memcpy(value, pi->value, len + 1);
-    }
-    atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_acquire);
-    new_serial = load_const_atomic(&pi->serial, memory_order_relaxed);
-    if (__predict_true(serial == new_serial)) {
-      break;
-    }
-    // We need another fence here because we want to ensure that the memcpy in the
-    // next iteration of the loop occurs after the load of new_serial above. We could
-    // get this guarantee by making the load_const_atomic of new_serial
-    // memory_order_acquire instead of memory_order_relaxed, but then we'd pay the
-    // penalty of the memory_order_acquire even in the overwhelmingly common case
-    // that the serial number didn't change.
-    atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_acquire);
-  }
-  return serial;
-}
-
 int SystemProperties::Read(const prop_info* pi, char* name, char* value) {
-  uint32_t serial = ReadMutablePropertyValue(pi, value);
-  if (name != nullptr) {
-    size_t namelen = strlcpy(name, pi->name, PROP_NAME_MAX);
-    if (namelen >= PROP_NAME_MAX) {
-      async_safe_format_log(ANDROID_LOG_ERROR, "libc",
-                            "The property name length for \"%s\" is >= %d;"
-                            " please use __system_property_read_callback"
-                            " to read this property. (the name is truncated to \"%s\")",
-                            pi->name, PROP_NAME_MAX - 1, name);
+  while (true) {
+    uint32_t serial = Serial(pi);  // acquire semantics
+    size_t len = SERIAL_VALUE_LEN(serial);
+    memcpy(value, pi->value, len + 1);
+    // TODO: Fix the synchronization scheme here.
+    // There is no fully supported way to implement this kind
+    // of synchronization in C++11, since the memcpy races with
+    // updates to pi, and the data being accessed is not atomic.
+    // The following fence is unintuitive, but would be the
+    // correct one if memcpy used memory_order_relaxed atomic accesses.
+    // In practice it seems unlikely that the generated code would
+    // would be any different, so this should be OK.
+    atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_acquire);
+    if (serial == load_const_atomic(&(pi->serial), memory_order_relaxed)) {
+      if (name != nullptr) {
+        size_t namelen = strlcpy(name, pi->name, PROP_NAME_MAX);
+        if (namelen >= PROP_NAME_MAX) {
+          async_safe_format_log(ANDROID_LOG_ERROR, "libc",
+                                "The property name length for \"%s\" is >= %d;"
+                                " please use __system_property_read_callback"
+                                " to read this property. (the name is truncated to \"%s\")",
+                                pi->name, PROP_NAME_MAX - 1, name);
+        }
+      }
+      if (is_read_only(pi->name) && pi->is_long()) {
+        async_safe_format_log(
+            ANDROID_LOG_ERROR, "libc",
+            "The property \"%s\" has a value with length %zu that is too large for"
+            " __system_property_get()/__system_property_read(); use"
+            " __system_property_read_callback() instead.",
+            pi->name, strlen(pi->long_value()));
+      }
+      return len;
     }
   }
-  if (is_read_only(pi->name) && pi->is_long()) {
-    async_safe_format_log(
-        ANDROID_LOG_ERROR, "libc",
-        "The property \"%s\" has a value with length %zu that is too large for"
-        " __system_property_get()/__system_property_read(); use"
-        " __system_property_read_callback() instead.",
-        pi->name, strlen(pi->long_value()));
-  }
-  return SERIAL_VALUE_LEN(serial);
 }
 
 void SystemProperties::ReadCallback(const prop_info* pi,
@@ -199,9 +183,9 @@
                                                      const char* value, uint32_t serial),
                                     void* cookie) {
   // Read only properties don't need to copy the value to a temporary buffer, since it can never
-  // change.  We use relaxed memory order on the serial load for the same reason.
+  // change.
   if (is_read_only(pi->name)) {
-    uint32_t serial = load_const_atomic(&pi->serial, memory_order_relaxed);
+    uint32_t serial = Serial(pi);
     if (pi->is_long()) {
       callback(cookie, pi->name, pi->long_value(), serial);
     } else {
@@ -210,9 +194,21 @@
     return;
   }
 
-  char value_buf[PROP_VALUE_MAX];
-  uint32_t serial = ReadMutablePropertyValue(pi, value_buf);
-  callback(cookie, pi->name, value_buf, serial);
+  while (true) {
+    uint32_t serial = Serial(pi);  // acquire semantics
+    size_t len = SERIAL_VALUE_LEN(serial);
+    char value_buf[len + 1];
+
+    memcpy(value_buf, pi->value, len);
+    value_buf[len] = '\0';
+
+    // TODO: see todo in Read function
+    atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_acquire);
+    if (serial == load_const_atomic(&(pi->serial), memory_order_relaxed)) {
+      callback(cookie, pi->name, value_buf, serial);
+      return;
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 int SystemProperties::Get(const char* name, char* value) {
@@ -235,37 +231,26 @@
     return -1;
   }
 
-  prop_area* serial_pa = contexts_->GetSerialPropArea();
-  if (!serial_pa) {
-    return -1;
-  }
-  prop_area* pa = contexts_->GetPropAreaForName(pi->name);
-  if (__predict_false(!pa)) {
-    async_safe_format_log(ANDROID_LOG_ERROR, "libc", "Could not find area for \"%s\"", pi->name);
+  prop_area* pa = contexts_->GetSerialPropArea();
+  if (!pa) {
     return -1;
   }
 
   uint32_t serial = atomic_load_explicit(&pi->serial, memory_order_relaxed);
-  unsigned int old_len = SERIAL_VALUE_LEN(serial);
-
-  // The contract with readers is that whenever the dirty bit is set, an undamaged copy
-  // of the pre-dirty value is available in the dirty backup area. The fence ensures
-  // that we publish our dirty area update before allowing readers to see a
-  // dirty serial.
-  memcpy(pa->dirty_backup_area(), pi->value, old_len + 1);
-  atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_release);
   serial |= 1;
   atomic_store_explicit(&pi->serial, serial, memory_order_relaxed);
-  strlcpy(pi->value, value, len + 1);
-  // Now the primary value property area is up-to-date. Let readers know that they should
-  // look at the property value instead of the backup area.
+  // The memcpy call here also races.  Again pretend it
+  // used memory_order_relaxed atomics, and use the analogous
+  // counterintuitive fence.
   atomic_thread_fence(memory_order_release);
-  atomic_store_explicit(&pi->serial, (len << 24) | ((serial + 1) & 0xffffff), memory_order_relaxed);
-  __futex_wake(&pi->serial, INT32_MAX);  // Fence by side effect
-  atomic_store_explicit(serial_pa->serial(),
-                        atomic_load_explicit(serial_pa->serial(), memory_order_relaxed) + 1,
+  strlcpy(pi->value, value, len + 1);
+
+  atomic_store_explicit(&pi->serial, (len << 24) | ((serial + 1) & 0xffffff), memory_order_release);
+  __futex_wake(&pi->serial, INT32_MAX);
+
+  atomic_store_explicit(pa->serial(), atomic_load_explicit(pa->serial(), memory_order_relaxed) + 1,
                         memory_order_release);
-  __futex_wake(serial_pa->serial(), INT32_MAX);
+  __futex_wake(pa->serial(), INT32_MAX);
 
   return 0;
 }
@@ -309,6 +294,16 @@
   return 0;
 }
 
+// Wait for non-locked serial, and retrieve it with acquire semantics.
+uint32_t SystemProperties::Serial(const prop_info* pi) {
+  uint32_t serial = load_const_atomic(&pi->serial, memory_order_acquire);
+  while (SERIAL_DIRTY(serial)) {
+    __futex_wait(const_cast<_Atomic(uint_least32_t)*>(&pi->serial), serial, nullptr);
+    serial = load_const_atomic(&pi->serial, memory_order_acquire);
+  }
+  return serial;
+}
+
 uint32_t SystemProperties::WaitAny(uint32_t old_serial) {
   uint32_t new_serial;
   Wait(nullptr, old_serial, &new_serial, nullptr);