diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index 27008cfb22..cc40b6363d 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -1382,7 +1382,7 @@ void bdrv_set_dirty(BlockDriverState *bs, int64_t offset, int64_t bytes);
 
 void bdrv_clear_dirty_bitmap(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap, HBitmap **out);
 void bdrv_restore_dirty_bitmap(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap, HBitmap *backup);
-bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
+void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
                                       const BdrvDirtyBitmap *src,
                                       HBitmap **backup, bool lock);
 
diff --git a/include/qemu/hbitmap.h b/include/qemu/hbitmap.h
index 5e71b6d6f7..4dc1c6ad14 100644
--- a/include/qemu/hbitmap.h
+++ b/include/qemu/hbitmap.h
@@ -76,20 +76,9 @@ void hbitmap_truncate(HBitmap *hb, uint64_t size);
  *
  * Store result of merging @a and @b into @result.
  * @result is allowed to be equal to @a or @b.
- *
- * Return true if the merge was successful,
- *        false if it was not attempted.
+ * All bitmaps must have same size.
  */
-bool hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result);
-
-/**
- * hbitmap_can_merge:
- *
- * hbitmap_can_merge(a, b) && hbitmap_can_merge(a, result) is sufficient and
- * necessary for hbitmap_merge will not fail.
- *
- */
-bool hbitmap_can_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b);
+void hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result);
 
 /**
  * hbitmap_empty:
diff --git a/block/backup.c b/block/backup.c
index 21d5983779..fb3d4b0e13 100644
--- a/block/backup.c
+++ b/block/backup.c
@@ -228,15 +228,13 @@ out:
 
 static void backup_init_bcs_bitmap(BackupBlockJob *job)
 {
-    bool ret;
     uint64_t estimate;
     BdrvDirtyBitmap *bcs_bitmap = block_copy_dirty_bitmap(job->bcs);
 
     if (job->sync_mode == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_BITMAP) {
         bdrv_clear_dirty_bitmap(bcs_bitmap, NULL);
-        ret = bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(bcs_bitmap, job->sync_bitmap,
-                                               NULL, true);
-        assert(ret);
+        bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(bcs_bitmap, job->sync_bitmap, NULL,
+                                         true);
     } else if (job->sync_mode == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_TOP) {
         /*
          * We can't hog the coroutine to initialize this thoroughly.
diff --git a/block/dirty-bitmap.c b/block/dirty-bitmap.c
index 94a0276833..99337e72de 100644
--- a/block/dirty-bitmap.c
+++ b/block/dirty-bitmap.c
@@ -309,10 +309,7 @@ BdrvDirtyBitmap *bdrv_reclaim_dirty_bitmap_locked(BdrvDirtyBitmap *parent,
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    if (!hbitmap_merge(parent->bitmap, successor->bitmap, parent->bitmap)) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Merging of parent and successor bitmap failed");
-        return NULL;
-    }
+    hbitmap_merge(parent->bitmap, successor->bitmap, parent->bitmap);
 
     parent->disabled = successor->disabled;
     parent->busy = false;
@@ -902,13 +899,15 @@ bool bdrv_merge_dirty_bitmap(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest, const BdrvDirtyBitmap *src,
         goto out;
     }
 
-    if (!hbitmap_can_merge(dest->bitmap, src->bitmap)) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Bitmaps are incompatible and can't be merged");
+    if (bdrv_dirty_bitmap_size(src) != bdrv_dirty_bitmap_size(dest)) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Bitmaps are of different sizes (destination size is %"
+                   PRId64 ", source size is %" PRId64 ") and can't be merged",
+                   bdrv_dirty_bitmap_size(dest), bdrv_dirty_bitmap_size(src));
         goto out;
     }
 
-    ret = bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(dest, src, backup, false);
-    assert(ret);
+    bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(dest, src, backup, false);
+    ret = true;
 
 out:
     bdrv_dirty_bitmaps_unlock(dest->bs);
@@ -922,18 +921,16 @@ out:
 /**
  * bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal: merge src into dest.
  * Does NOT check bitmap permissions; not suitable for use as public API.
+ * @dest, @src and @backup (if not NULL) must have same size.
  *
  * @backup: If provided, make a copy of dest here prior to merge.
  * @lock: If true, lock and unlock bitmaps on the way in/out.
- * returns true if the merge succeeded; false if unattempted.
  */
-bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
+void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
                                       const BdrvDirtyBitmap *src,
                                       HBitmap **backup,
                                       bool lock)
 {
-    bool ret;
-
     assert(!bdrv_dirty_bitmap_readonly(dest));
     assert(!bdrv_dirty_bitmap_inconsistent(dest));
     assert(!bdrv_dirty_bitmap_inconsistent(src));
@@ -948,9 +945,9 @@ bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
     if (backup) {
         *backup = dest->bitmap;
         dest->bitmap = hbitmap_alloc(dest->size, hbitmap_granularity(*backup));
-        ret = hbitmap_merge(*backup, src->bitmap, dest->bitmap);
+        hbitmap_merge(*backup, src->bitmap, dest->bitmap);
     } else {
-        ret = hbitmap_merge(dest->bitmap, src->bitmap, dest->bitmap);
+        hbitmap_merge(dest->bitmap, src->bitmap, dest->bitmap);
     }
 
     if (lock) {
@@ -959,6 +956,4 @@ bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_merge_internal(BdrvDirtyBitmap *dest,
             bdrv_dirty_bitmaps_unlock(src->bs);
         }
     }
-
-    return ret;
 }
diff --git a/util/hbitmap.c b/util/hbitmap.c
index 305b894a63..d0aaf205ed 100644
--- a/util/hbitmap.c
+++ b/util/hbitmap.c
@@ -840,11 +840,6 @@ void hbitmap_truncate(HBitmap *hb, uint64_t size)
     }
 }
 
-bool hbitmap_can_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b)
-{
-    return (a->orig_size == b->orig_size);
-}
-
 /**
  * hbitmap_sparse_merge: performs dst = dst | src
  * works with differing granularities.
@@ -868,28 +863,24 @@ static void hbitmap_sparse_merge(HBitmap *dst, const HBitmap *src)
  * Given HBitmaps A and B, let R := A (BITOR) B.
  * Bitmaps A and B will not be modified,
  *     except when bitmap R is an alias of A or B.
- *
- * @return true if the merge was successful,
- *         false if it was not attempted.
+ * Bitmaps must have same size.
  */
-bool hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result)
+void hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result)
 {
     int i;
     uint64_t j;
 
-    if (!hbitmap_can_merge(a, b) || !hbitmap_can_merge(a, result)) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    assert(hbitmap_can_merge(b, result));
+    assert(a->orig_size == result->orig_size);
+    assert(b->orig_size == result->orig_size);
 
     if ((!hbitmap_count(a) && result == b) ||
         (!hbitmap_count(b) && result == a)) {
-        return true;
+        return;
     }
 
     if (!hbitmap_count(a) && !hbitmap_count(b)) {
         hbitmap_reset_all(result);
-        return true;
+        return;
     }
 
     if (a->granularity != b->granularity) {
@@ -902,7 +893,7 @@ bool hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result)
         if (b != result) {
             hbitmap_sparse_merge(result, b);
         }
-        return true;
+        return;
     }
 
     /* This merge is O(size), as BITS_PER_LONG and HBITMAP_LEVELS are constant.
@@ -918,8 +909,6 @@ bool hbitmap_merge(const HBitmap *a, const HBitmap *b, HBitmap *result)
 
     /* Recompute the dirty count */
     result->count = hb_count_between(result, 0, result->size - 1);
-
-    return true;
 }
 
 char *hbitmap_sha256(const HBitmap *bitmap, Error **errp)
