: This usually indicates that the image supports the A/B (seamless) update mechanism. A/B updates are a feature introduced by Google to ensure that devices can switch between two partitions (A and B) to perform updates without interrupting the user's experience. This allows for updates to be applied to a secondary partition while the device continues to boot and operate from the primary partition, and then switching to the updated partition on reboot.
If you hang around Android development forums, custom ROM threads, or the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) build logs, you’ll eventually stumble across filenames that look like they were generated by a cat walking across a keyboard. system-arm32-binder64-ab.img.xz
: This is a common abbreviation for "image," referring to a block-level image of a file system or a partition. In this context, it signifies that the file is an Android system image. : This usually indicates that the image supports
The .img is the raw flashable file, and .xz is a high-compression format used to make the download smaller. Why Does This Exist? (Project Treble) If you hang around Android development forums, custom
: Usually performed via a terminal: fastboot flash system system-arm32-binder64-ab.img