• Booting into recovery on Android. Launching recovery mode on locked Android devices and rooted devices

    After purchasing a tablet or smartphone, many begin to study its functionality along with the instructions, in which the term Recovery Mode is often found. Let's try to figure out what kind of mode this is and why Recovery Mode is needed in your Android device.

    Typically, developers or engineers use recovery mode. Its main purpose: installation and configuration of custom (factory) firmware, create or use full copy operating system(including all information and settings of the smartphone). Also sometimes Recovery is used for full reset settings to factory values.

    Remember, using Recovey Mode on an Android system does not void the warranty on your smartphone. Entering Android recovery mode does not dangerous procedure, and even very “green” users can do this.

    How to enter recovery mode?

    Visually entering this mode may differ, but the principle is the same on all smartphones. And so for this you need:

    1. Turn off your smartphone;

    2. Hold down the volume control key (increase);
    3. Do not release the volume while holding down the Home key;
    4. Without releasing the previous two keys, press power on;
    5. Wait for the android to load in recovery mode.

    How to Use Recovery Mode in Android

    In Recovery Mode, navigation (moving) through the menu occurs using the volume control buttons (up/down) and confirmation (Home) or the power key.

    As a rule, this mode is different for many manufacturers, but the main content is always present:

    apply sdcard:file.zip - the file file.zip is installed, which must first be uploaded to /mnt/sdcard/file.zip;
    wipe data/factory reset - the data and cache partitions of the device’s internal memory are cleared, and also cleaned system folder android_secure. Cleaning means removing all installed applications and system settings are reset;
    wipe cache partition- the cache partition is cleaned (the partition in which applications store their information).

    Recovery - what kind of program is this? Translated from English language into Russian "recovery"- This "recovery". Recovery is a program preinstalled by the manufacturer on the hard drive of a laptop or in the internal memory of a smartphone, which allows you to roll back the device (laptop, phone, tablet) to its factory state. On smartphones, this program is launched from the off state by simultaneously pressing and holding the power button and the volume button (usually “up”, but sometimes “down” or both at once) for a few seconds. There is no such uniformity for laptops.

    How to run recovery on laptops

    After turning on the laptop, we begin to feverishly press the keys:
    F3– MSI recovery;
    F4– Samsung. Under the OS you can via Samsung Recovery Solution;
    F8 – Fujitsu Siemens. In general, it often allows you to get into other laptops (through troubleshooting) proprietary utility for Recovery.
    F8- Toshiba recovery;
    F9- ASUS recovery;
    F10 - Sony VAIO. Under OS it is possible through VAIO Recovery Utility;
    F10- Packard Bell;
    F11- HP recovery;
    F11- LG recovery;
    F11- Lenovo recovery.
    Alt+F10 - Acer recovery. Before doing this, select Disk-to-Disk (D2D recovery) in the BIOS;
    Ctrl+F11- Dell Inspiron;
    F8 or F9- Dell XPS.
    Clamp- Rover

    Android users probably know that the system they use is quite complex and has a number of unique features for interacting with and making changes to the platform. In this material we will talk about the Recovery menu (Recovery Mode). This is a special operating mode of the system, with which you can restore factory settings and return the phone to working condition in case of damage system components and install ROOT rights. Next, we’ll figure out what Recovery Mode is and how to enter the Recovery menu on an Android device.

    What is the Recovery menu on Android

    Recovery Mode is a specialized operating mode for Android devices that allows you to return a “damaged” system to working condition or reinstall it from scratch, if such a procedure is required. This menu looks specific, visually reminiscent of a console or terminal, therefore many users are not at all easy to deal with it, and they resort to services service centers. In fact, everything is not so scary and Recovery Mode can be mastered on your own, the main thing is to do it with a specific purpose and knowledge of the matter.

    The recovery menu works in several different modes:

    1. Device reboot mode (instant) – Reboot;
    2. Loading an archive from an SD card (usually the firmware is installed from archives) – Install ZIP;
    3. Full system reset to factory state – Wipe;
    4. Unloading cache – Wipe Cache;
    5. Creating a backup copy of the entire device (for further system recovery);
    6. Formatting partitions and connecting them – Mount Storage.

    Do not use this menu unless you fully understand what you are doing. Using this menu, you can both restore the system and disable it. Before working in this menu, thoroughly study the principles of its operation.

    How to enter Recovery on Android devices

    It’s worth starting with how to switch to Recovery mode. There are several different methods, but first it’s worth clarifying one point. The recovery menu can be stock - that is, standard, and custom - that is, custom. Stock Recovery is included in every Android device and is its basis. Custom Recovery is created by enthusiastic programmers and equipped with a large number useful functions and are used to install unique system builds.

    Universal method

    So, how to launch Recovery Mode? Stock Recovery on Samsung, LG, Lenovo, Sony and other devices is launched in one single universal way.

    To do this you will need:

    • Turn off your gadget;
    • Press and hold the volume up button and the gadget's power button at the same time.
    • Wait until the gadget turns on again (the manufacturer's logo lights up) and release the power button, leaving your finger on the volume up buttons.
    • After a while, something like a console (terminal) will appear on the screen. At this point, you can remove your fingers from the buttons.

    Before going to the Recovery menu, take your time and try holding down the power button and wait for the corresponding menu to appear. Perhaps there will be a key to switch to Recovery Mode.

    • Samsung– you need to hold down the phone’s power button and the central “Home” key. On devices that do not have a Home button, a universal shortcut is used.
    • Lenovo– to go to the Recovery menu, you need to turn off the phone, and then hold down the volume buttons and hold them together with the power button until Recovery appears.
    • Google Nexus– in branded Google gadgets you will have to enable the mode fast loading. This is done by pressing the volume down button and the device power off button. Already in this mode you need to find Recovery Mode and launch it.
    • LG– in the case of a smartphone from a Korean manufacturer, you will have to press the button combination twice. The first time is while the phone is booting until the company logo appears. As soon as it appears, you must immediately release both buttons and press them again.
    • Sony– often missing in Japanese smartphones Stock Recovery menu. In those that exist, it can be launched by three in different ways. Or universal method, described above, either in the same way as in the case of Lenovo, or by holding the gadget's power button and briefly pressing the volume up button.
    • HTC– HTC, like Google, uses access to the fast boot menu. You can go to it by holding down any of the volume control buttons and the device power off button.
    • ASUS– a universal combination of buttons is used, but you need to hold them until they vibrate, after which you will need to release the power button of the smartphone.
    • Huawei– on a Huawei device, you can use a combination of the device’s power off button and one of the volume control buttons. Not both at once, but one of them. IN different models- different combinations.
    • Meizu– in the “purebred” Chinese – there is no Recovery menu. To reinstall the firmware, a different mode is used. It is launched by holding the volume up button and the gadget's power button.
    • Xiaomi– you can use a universal combination of buttons to increase the volume and turn off the device.

    How to get into Recovery Mode via a computer

    Any device on Android based can be switched to Recovery Mode using a computer. This is done using special drivers and the command line.

    To go to this menu you need to do the following:

    • Download and install the ADB drivers and enable debugging mode.
    • Connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer.
    • on the phone.
    • Enter in command line the following: adb rebot recovey.
    • After this, the phone will turn off and boot into Recovery mode.

    Using Third Party Applications

    The transition to Recovery Mode can be done directly on your smartphone or tablet using a third-party software from Play Market.

    Let's talk about three of them:

    Boot Droid- This handy tool, which puts any Android device into Recovery Mode by pressing a single button. Just install it on your gadget, select Recovery menu and agree to the operation. After some time, the phone will reboot into Recovery Mode.

    Quick Boot- another utility for automatic switching on Recovery Mode. The program is officially distributed through the Play Market, so finding it will not be difficult. Roughly speaking, Quick Boot, like Boot Droid, “presses” the required key combination for you. It is important to understand that if stock Recovery is not installed on the device, then the utilities described above will not work.

    Terminal Emulator– working with the terminal is a little more difficult. After we have downloaded it, run it and enter the “su” command (it will give us ROOT rights to manage the system). Then enter the command “reboot recovery”. Immediately after this, your Android device will instantly reboot in the mode you need.

    Conclusion

    As you can see, getting into the Recovery menu on your Android device is not that difficult, and there are many methods for performing this procedure. For some it will be easier to go to it directly on the phone, for others it is more convenient to control the phone from a computer, but one way or another, now you know about all the most common methods.

    Any mobile device running on the Android operating system comes with built-in diagnostic software called Recovery. By and large, the concept of recovery for Android is in many ways similar to computer BIOS, which is installed separately from the operating system and has diagnostic functionality. What is recovery and why is it needed? Read in our article today.

    Stock recovery for Android

    What is recovery? This is software provided in Android devices that is used for hardware diagnostics, system recovery, and creating backups. Regardless of the manufacturer, every smartphone has this mode. The recovery package that was installed by the manufacturer is called stock. To enter this mode, you need to hold down a certain key combination while the device is off; the combination varies depending on the brand of the device. Recovery can also be launched using a computer using the adb application.

    Here are a few combinations for the most common devices:

    • On phones Samsung Galaxy To enter recovery mode, you need to hold down the power, home and volume up buttons. You must press and hold until the recovery starts loading on the screen;
    • On LG devices, recovery mode is invoked by pressing the power and volume down buttons. First, the company logo should appear on the screen, after which you need to press the buttons again, then the login menu will appear;
    • In Google Nexus, you first need to hold down the volume up and down buttons, and then add the power button to this. In the menu that appears, use the keys to change the sound level to select the recovery mode;
    • Works on most devices of any brand standard method Press and hold the volume up and down keys, as well as the power button.

    Stock recovery allows you to install new firmware, OTA updates and restore the device to factory settings. True, if you suddenly decide to install unofficial firmware from the community, then you will not be able to do it - only official ones are supported.

    Custom recovery for Android

    This software is created by the entire huge community using the operating system Android system. After flashing the custom recovery, it replaces the stock one, and a transition is made from the stock recovery mode to TWRP or Clockwork Mod.

    Such recovery has much wider capabilities, for example, TWRP will allow you to create complete backups systems, which allows you to return even a dead operating system to a working state. Thanks to custom recovery, you can install unofficial firmware, mount partitions, change the interface design, and much more. TWRP has official application, which is able to provide all the functions of such a mode without actually loading it. Its main advantage for users is the ability to install a convenient interface.
    Another popular option is Clockwork Mod. It can be installed using the ROM-manager application on devices that already have root rights activated. This recovery is capable of creating and restoring backups, making hard reset systems and install firmware. It does not have such a convenient and aesthetic interface as TWRP, but it is not inferior in functionality.

    Both applications are open to the community, which means anyone can add and improve their code, as well as port it to officially unsupported gadgets.

    Installing Clockwork Mod or TWRP

    There are several installation methods, including the method described above through the ROM-manager application, but here we will describe the most suitable for all types of devices, using the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit utility.

    First you will need to turn off your smartphone, and then enter it into recovery mode - we described how to do this above. Now we connect it to the computer and actually launch the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit, in which we press the 6 key corresponding to the Flash Recovery item. Next we will be asked to choose between TWRP and CWM - choose according to your preferences, you can try both modes in turn.

    You can download custom recovery either from the operating system or by selecting the Recovery item in Fastboot mode. Several lines of text should appear in front of you:

    • Reboot system now – normal reboot of the operating system;
    • Install zip from sdcard – installing an archive from the device’s memory or flash card;
    • Wipe data/factory reset – reset the system to factory settings and complete cleaning internal memory data;
    • Wipe cache partition – cleaning the cache partition, which would be good to do before installing each new firmware;
    • Backup and restore - everything is clear, the creation of recovery archives and the recovery itself;
    • Mounts and Storage – enable/disable, as well as format memory partitions.
    • Advanced – additional settings, in which you can reboot CWM or TWRP, markup internal memory, restore rights system applications and more.

    Remember that third-party recovery will be needed not only to install a new one unofficial firmware, but also very useful for solving everyday routine tasks, which will be too tough for you when using the built-in solution. In addition to the two most popular options, there are other third-party recoveries, most of which are suitable for each specific brand individually, so we recommend that you carefully study everything possible options for your smartphone model.

    We hope you now know what recovery is and how to use it to your advantage, but be careful when delving into the brains of your phone - electronic equipment is very sensitive to software changes and poor installation of new software can lead to undesirable consequences. Good luck in upgrading your device and see you next time!

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