diff --git a/init/property_service.cpp b/init/property_service.cpp
index 842b2e5b7..f9a94d73a 100644
--- a/init/property_service.cpp
+++ b/init/property_service.cpp
@@ -877,28 +877,36 @@ static void property_derive_build_fingerprint() {
 }
 
 void PropertyLoadBootDefaults() {
-    // TODO(b/117892318): merge prop.default and build.prop files into one
     // We read the properties and their values into a map, in order to always allow properties
     // loaded in the later property files to override the properties in loaded in the earlier
     // property files, regardless of if they are "ro." properties or not.
     std::map<std::string, std::string> properties;
-    if (!load_properties_from_file("/system/etc/prop.default", nullptr, &properties)) {
-        // Try recovery path
-        if (!load_properties_from_file("/prop.default", nullptr, &properties)) {
-            // Try legacy path
-            load_properties_from_file("/default.prop", nullptr, &properties);
-        }
+
+    if (IsRecoveryMode()) {
+        load_properties_from_file("/prop.default", nullptr, &properties);
     }
+
+    // Try legacy (non-Treble) path. This file might not exist in most of the
+    // post-Oreo devices. Absence of the file is not an error.
+    load_properties_from_file("/default.prop", nullptr, &properties);
+
     load_properties_from_file("/system/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
     load_properties_from_file("/system_ext/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
-    load_properties_from_file("/vendor/default.prop", nullptr, &properties);
+
+    // TODO(b/117892318): uncomment the following condition when vendor.imgs for
+    // aosp_* targets are all updated.
+//    if (SelinuxGetVendorAndroidVersion() <= __ANDROID_API_R__) {
+        load_properties_from_file("/vendor/default.prop", nullptr, &properties);
+//    }
     load_properties_from_file("/vendor/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
+
     if (SelinuxGetVendorAndroidVersion() >= __ANDROID_API_Q__) {
         load_properties_from_file("/odm/etc/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
     } else {
         load_properties_from_file("/odm/default.prop", nullptr, &properties);
         load_properties_from_file("/odm/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
     }
+
     load_properties_from_file("/product/build.prop", nullptr, &properties);
     load_properties_from_file("/factory/factory.prop", "ro.*", &properties);
 
diff --git a/init/util_test.cpp b/init/util_test.cpp
index 96a5b5511..565e7d4f0 100644
--- a/init/util_test.cpp
+++ b/init/util_test.cpp
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ TEST(util, ReadFileWorldWiteable) {
 
 TEST(util, ReadFileSymbolicLink) {
     errno = 0;
-    // lrw------- 1 root root 23 2008-12-31 19:00 default.prop -> system/etc/prop.default
-    auto file_contents = ReadFile("/default.prop");
+    // lrwxr-xr-x 1 root shell 6 2009-01-01 09:00 /system/bin/ps -> toybox
+    auto file_contents = ReadFile("/system/bin/ps");
     EXPECT_EQ(ELOOP, errno);
     ASSERT_FALSE(file_contents.ok());
     EXPECT_EQ("open() failed: Too many symbolic links encountered",