diff --git a/bootloader_message/Android.mk b/bootloader_message/Android.mk
index 8653fd5..1d5c85f 100644
--- a/bootloader_message/Android.mk
+++ b/bootloader_message/Android.mk
@@ -37,5 +37,9 @@
     LOCAL_SHARED_LIBRARIES += libc++
 endif
 LOCAL_CFLAGS := -DEXCLUDE_FS_MGR
+# ignore bootloader's factory reset command even when written to /misc
+ifeq ($(TW_IGNORE_MISC_WIPE_DATA), true)
+    LOCAL_CFLAGS += -DIGNORE_MISC_WIPE_DATA
+endif
 LOCAL_EXPORT_C_INCLUDE_DIRS := $(LOCAL_PATH)/include
 include $(BUILD_SHARED_LIBRARY)
diff --git a/bootloader_message/bootloader_message.cpp b/bootloader_message/bootloader_message.cpp
index eb99bdb..362d9cb 100644
--- a/bootloader_message/bootloader_message.cpp
+++ b/bootloader_message/bootloader_message.cpp
@@ -284,6 +284,17 @@
             (*argv)[0] = strdup(arg);
             for (*argc = 1; *argc < MAX_ARGS; ++*argc) {
                 if ((arg = strtok(NULL, "\n")) == NULL) break;
+
+// if the device does not have an own recovery key combo we just want to open TWRP after
+// walking through the factory reset screen - without actually doing a factory reset
+#ifdef IGNORE_MISC_WIPE_DATA
+                if (!strcmp(arg, "--wipe_data")) {
+                    (*argv)[*argc] = "";
+                    *argc = *argc -1;
+                    printf("Bootloader arg \"%s\" ignored because TWRP was compiled with TW_IGNORE_MISC_WIPE_DATA\n", arg);
+                    continue;
+                }
+#endif
                 (*argv)[*argc] = strdup(arg);
             }
             printf("Got arguments from boot message\n");