diff --git a/libc/Android.mk b/libc/Android.mk
index 0f828ed7c..116430103 100644
--- a/libc/Android.mk
+++ b/libc/Android.mk
@@ -1120,10 +1120,7 @@ ifneq ($(TARGET_BUILD_VARIANT),user)
 # ========================================================
 include $(CLEAR_VARS)
 
-LOCAL_CFLAGS := \
-    $(libc_common_cflags) \
-    -DMALLOC_LEAK_CHECK \
-
+LOCAL_CFLAGS := $(libc_common_cflags)
 LOCAL_CONLYFLAGS := $(libc_common_conlyflags)
 LOCAL_CPPFLAGS := $(libc_common_cppflags)
 
diff --git a/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_common.cpp b/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_common.cpp
index 0b6a1421b..38c65830a 100644
--- a/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_common.cpp
+++ b/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_common.cpp
@@ -29,14 +29,13 @@
 // Contains definition of structures, global variables, and implementation of
 // routines that are used by malloc leak detection code and other components in
 // the system. The trick is that some components expect these data and
-// routines to be defined / implemented in libc.so library, regardless
-// whether or not MALLOC_LEAK_CHECK macro is defined. To make things even
-// more tricky, malloc leak detection code, implemented in
-// libc_malloc_debug.so also requires access to these variables and routines
-// (to fill allocation entry hash table, for example). So, all relevant
-// variables and routines are defined / implemented here and exported
-// to all, leak detection code and other components via dynamic (libc.so),
-// or static (libc.a) linking.
+// routines to be defined / implemented in libc.so, regardless whether or not
+// malloc leak detection code is going to run. To make things even more tricky,
+// malloc leak detection code, implemented in libc_malloc_debug.so also
+// requires access to these variables and routines (to fill allocation entry
+// hash table, for example). So, all relevant variables and routines are
+// defined / implemented here and exported to all, leak detection code and
+// other components via dynamic (libc.so), or static (libc.a) linking.
 
 #include "malloc_debug_common.h"
 
diff --git a/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_leak.cpp b/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_leak.cpp
index df0f997e5..64f2112e9 100644
--- a/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_leak.cpp
+++ b/libc/bionic/malloc_debug_leak.cpp
@@ -55,13 +55,6 @@
 #include "private/libc_logging.h"
 #include "private/ScopedPthreadMutexLocker.h"
 
-// This file should be included into the build only when
-// MALLOC_LEAK_CHECK, or MALLOC_QEMU_INSTRUMENT, or both
-// macros are defined.
-#ifndef MALLOC_LEAK_CHECK
-#error MALLOC_LEAK_CHECK is not defined.
-#endif  // !MALLOC_LEAK_CHECK
-
 extern int gMallocLeakZygoteChild;
 extern HashTable* g_hash_table;
 extern const MallocDebug* g_malloc_dispatch;