diff --git a/components/app_update/Makefile.projbuild b/components/app_update/Makefile.projbuild
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..29d223dc5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/app_update/Makefile.projbuild
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#
+# Generate partition binary
+#
+.PHONY: erase_ota blank_ota_data
+
+GEN_EMPTY_PART := $(PYTHON) $(COMPONENT_PATH)/gen_empty_partition.py
+BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE = $(BUILD_DIR_BASE)/ota_data_initial.bin
+
+# If there is no otadata partition, both OTA_DATA_OFFSET and BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE 
+# expand to empty values.
+ESPTOOL_ALL_FLASH_ARGS += $(OTA_DATA_OFFSET) $(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE)
+
+$(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE): partition_table_get_info
+	$(GEN_EMPTY_PART) --size $(OTA_DATA_SIZE) $(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE)
+	$(eval BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE = $(shell if [ $(OTA_DATA_SIZE) != 0 ]; then echo $(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE); else echo " "; fi) )
+
+blank_ota_data: $(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE)
+
+erase_ota: partition_table_get_info
+	@echo $(if $(OTA_DATA_OFFSET), "Erase ota_data [addr=$(OTA_DATA_OFFSET) size=$(OTA_DATA_SIZE)] ...", $(error "ERROR: Partition table does not have ota_data partition."))
+	$(ESPTOOLPY_SERIAL) erase_region $(OTA_DATA_OFFSET) $(OTA_DATA_SIZE)
+
+all: blank_ota_data
+flash: blank_ota_data
+
+clean:
+	rm -f $(BLANK_OTA_DATA_FILE)
diff --git a/components/app_update/gen_empty_partition.py b/components/app_update/gen_empty_partition.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f51df22403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/app_update/gen_empty_partition.py
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+#
+# generates an empty binary file
+# 
+# This tool generates an empty binary file of the required size.
+#
+# Copyright 2018 Espressif Systems (Shanghai) PTE LTD
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http:#www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+from __future__ import print_function, division
+import argparse
+import os
+import re
+import struct
+import sys
+import hashlib
+import binascii
+
+__version__ = '1.0'
+
+quiet = False
+
+def status(msg):
+    """ Print status message to stderr """
+    if not quiet:
+        critical(msg)
+
+def critical(msg):
+    """ Print critical message to stderr """
+    if not quiet:
+        sys.stderr.write(msg)
+        sys.stderr.write('\n')
+
+def generate_blanked_file(size, output_path):
+    output = ""
+    for i in range(size):
+        output += b"\xFF"
+    try:
+        stdout_binary = sys.stdout.buffer  # Python 3
+    except AttributeError:
+        stdout_binary = sys.stdout
+    with stdout_binary if output_path == '-' else open(output_path, 'wb') as f:
+        f.write(output)
+
+def main():
+    global quiet
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Generates an empty binary file of the required size.')
+
+    parser.add_argument('--quiet', '-q', help="Don't print status messages to stderr", action='store_true')
+
+    parser.add_argument('--size', help='Size of generated the file',  type=str, required=True)
+    
+    parser.add_argument('output', help='Path for binary file.', nargs='?', default='-')
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    quiet = args.quiet
+
+    size = int(args.size, 0)
+    if size > 0 :
+        generate_blanked_file(size, args.output)
+    return 0
+    
+class InputError(RuntimeError):
+    def __init__(self, e):
+        super(InputError, self).__init__(e)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    try:
+        r = main()
+        sys.exit(r)
+    except InputError as e:
+        print(e, file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(2)
diff --git a/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild b/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
index 4973201f38..b534196206 100644
--- a/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
+++ b/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
@@ -65,9 +65,13 @@ all_binaries: $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN) partition_table_get_info
 partition_table_get_info: $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)
 	$(eval PHY_DATA_OFFSET:=$(shell $(GET_PART_INFO) --type data --subtype phy --offset $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)))
 	$(eval APP_OFFSET:=$(shell $(GET_PART_INFO) --default-boot-partition --offset $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)))
+	$(eval OTA_DATA_SIZE := $(shell $(GET_PART_INFO) --type data --subtype ota --size $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN) || echo 0) )
+	$(eval OTA_DATA_OFFSET := $(shell $(GET_PART_INFO) --type data --subtype ota --offset $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)) )
 
 export APP_OFFSET
 export PHY_DATA_OFFSET
+export OTA_DATA_OFFSET
+export OTA_DATA_SIZE
 
 PARTITION_TABLE_FLASH_CMD = $(ESPTOOLPY_SERIAL) write_flash $(PARTITION_TABLE_OFFSET) $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)
 ESPTOOL_ALL_FLASH_ARGS += $(PARTITION_TABLE_OFFSET) $(PARTITION_TABLE_BIN)
diff --git a/docs/en/get-started/make-project.rst b/docs/en/get-started/make-project.rst
index 956b097d04..8f27c89272 100644
--- a/docs/en/get-started/make-project.rst
+++ b/docs/en/get-started/make-project.rst
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ When ``make all`` finishes, it will print a command line to use esptool.py to fl
 
     make flash
 
-This will flash the entire project (app, bootloader and partition table) to a new chip. The settings for serial port flashing can be configured with `make menuconfig`.
+This will flash the entire project (app, bootloader and partition table) to a new chip. Also if partition table has ota_data then this command will flash a initial ota_data. 
+It allows to run the newly loaded app from a factory partition (or the first OTA partition, if factory partition is not present). 
+The settings for serial port flashing can be configured with `make menuconfig`.
 
 You don't need to run ``make all`` before running ``make flash``, ``make flash`` will automatically rebuild anything which needs it.
 
diff --git a/examples/system/ota/README.md b/examples/system/ota/README.md
index 2b0e0202b0..316789dbcc 100644
--- a/examples/system/ota/README.md
+++ b/examples/system/ota/README.md
@@ -63,13 +63,15 @@ Save your changes, and type `make` to build the example.
 
 ## Step 4: Flash OTA Example
 
-When flashing, use the `erase_flash` target first to erase the entire flash (this deletes any leftover data in the ota_data partition). Then flash the factory image over serial:
+When flashing, use the `make flash` to flash the factory image. This command will find if partition table has ota_data partition (as in our case) then ota_data will erase to initial. 
+It allows to run the newly loaded app from a factory partition.
 
 ```
-make erase_flash flash
+make flash
 ```
 
-(The `make erase_flash flash` means "erase everything, then flash". `make flash` only erases the parts of flash which are being rewritten.)
+After first update, if you want to return back to factory app (or the first OTA partition, if factory partition is not present) then use the command `make erase_ota`. 
+It erases ota_data partition to initial.
 
 ## Step 5: Run the OTA Example
 
diff --git a/make/project.mk b/make/project.mk
index 5a27cb776f..a5fea2f52c 100644
--- a/make/project.mk
+++ b/make/project.mk
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ help:
 	@echo "make size-components, size-files - Finer-grained memory footprints"
 	@echo "make size-symbols - Per symbol memory footprint. Requires COMPONENT=<component>"
 	@echo "make erase_flash - Erase entire flash contents"
+	@echo "make erase_ota - Erase ota_data partition. After that will boot first bootable partition (factory or OTAx)."
 	@echo "make monitor - Run idf_monitor tool to monitor serial output from app"
 	@echo "make simple_monitor - Monitor serial output on terminal console"
 	@echo "make list-components - List all components in the project"
@@ -547,7 +548,7 @@ list-components:
 	$(foreach cp,$(COMPONENT_PATHS),$(info $(cp)))
 
 # print flash command, so users can dump this to config files and download somewhere without idf
-print_flash_cmd: partition_table_get_info
+print_flash_cmd: partition_table_get_info blank_ota_data
 	echo $(ESPTOOL_WRITE_FLASH_OPTIONS) $(ESPTOOL_ALL_FLASH_ARGS) | sed -e 's:'$(PWD)/build/'::g'
 
 # Check toolchain version using the output of xtensa-esp32-elf-gcc --version command.
diff --git a/tools/ci/executable-list.txt b/tools/ci/executable-list.txt
index f576153b1f..2626fc0741 100644
--- a/tools/ci/executable-list.txt
+++ b/tools/ci/executable-list.txt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ components/heap/test_multi_heap_host/test_all_configs.sh
 components/idf_test/unit_test/TestCaseScript/IDFUnitTest/__init__.py
 components/partition_table/gen_esp32part.py
 components/partition_table/parttool.py
+components/app_update/gen_empty_partition.py
 components/partition_table/test_gen_esp32part_host/gen_esp32part_tests.py
 components/ulp/esp32ulp_mapgen.py
 components/nvs_flash/nvs_partition_generator/nvs_partition_gen.py
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile b/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
index 272fbe8265..006bf9753e 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ $(BINARIES_DIR)/%/$(PROJECT_NAME).bin: configs/%
 	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/$(PROJECT_NAME).elf $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/
 	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/$(PROJECT_NAME).bin $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/
 	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/$(PROJECT_NAME).map $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/
-	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/partition_table*.bin $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/
+	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/*.bin $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/
 	cp $(BUILDS_DIR)/$*/sdkconfig $(BINARIES_DIR)/$*/