If you have an Android device, you’ll probably want to customize it pretty much to showcase your creativity and make the device truly yours. By default, you have many options to customize your device, but there are even more if you use recovery mode.
All Android phones come with a mode called recovery mode, which, while designed to help you restore your device when something goes wrong, will also help you tweak a number of settings on your phone. You can also use recovery mode if your system has a problem and you think your device needs help.
Regardless of how you want to use the mode, here’s how you get into it and what you can do with each option available.
Reboot the device into recovery mode
Restart your device in recovery mode
There are several ways to reboot your Android device into recovery mode. Each method takes a unique approach to help you get into the mode, so you should choose the one that you think is right for you.
Using keyboard shortcuts
The easiest way is to use a special keyboard shortcut. Every Android device has a key combination that, when pressed, can reboot your device into recovery mode.
Here are the keyboard shortcuts for some popular Android device manufacturers:
- Samsung: Power + Home + Volume Up
- Nexus: Power + Volume Up + Volume Down
- LG: Power + Volume Down
- HTC: Power + Volume Down
- Motorola: Power + Home
- Sony: Power + Volume Up OR Volume Down
- Pixel: Power + Volume Down
- Huawei: Power + Volume Down
- Xiaomi: Power + Volume Up
- OnePlus: Power + Volume Down
Remember that your device must be turned off when using these keyboard shortcuts.
Using ADB
ADB has a number of commands to perform various actions on your Android device, and one of these commands allows you to reboot into recovery mode.
If you have the ADB toolkit configured on your computer, you need to do the following to enter recovery mode.
- Go to Settings> Developer Options on your Android device and enable USB debugging. option.
- Connect the device to your computer and launch a command prompt or terminal window in the ADB folder. Type the following command and hit Enter.
./adb devices (for Mac)
adb devices (for Windows)
- You will see your device in the list. Then enter the following command and press Enter.
./adb boot recovery (for Mac)
adb boot recovery (for Windows)
Your device will turn off immediately and reboot into Android recovery mode.
Using the application (requires root access)
Use the app (root required)
If you have access to the root directory on your device, you can use the app from the Google Play Store and go to recovery mode with one tap.
- Download and install the Quick Reboot app on your device. Open the app, grant the necessary permissions and click on Restart Recovery.
- You will quickly enter recovery mode.
How to use Android recovery mode options
How to use Android recovery mode options
If this is your first time using Android Recovery Mode, you may not be aware of the functionality of each option.
While most of the options are self-explanatory, and you can tell what they do by their names, it would be nice to have more information about each one. This way you will know when to use which option.
- Install from Internal Storage – This allows you to install a zip file from your device’s internal storage. It is usually used when you have downloaded a recovery flash file from the Internet and want to install it on your device.
- Install from ADB – This option allows you to use the ADB toolkit in recovery mode on your device. You can add, modify and delete data using ADB using this option.
- Clear Data and Cache – As the name suggests, it allows you to clear data as well as cache files from your device. It has three sub-parameters:
- Reset System Settings – allows you to reset the device to factory settings.
- Clear cache – clears all cache files from your device.
- Erase Everything – Use this if you want to delete everything on your device.
- Advanced – there are two sub-options:
- Reboot to fastboot – reboots the device to fastboot mode. This is a mode similar to recovery mode, but it allows you to flash custom files using ADB and fastboot.
- Reboot to Recovery – This reboots your device into recovery mode.
How to customize Android using recovery mode?
How can you customize Android using recovery mode?
Just knowing what each option does in recovery mode won’t help much in setting up your device. You will need to learn about the different files your Android device uses to configure.
Here are some of the file types that you can flash in recovery mode to customize your device:
Custom ROMs
A custom ROM is a customized version of the Android operating system for your device. It may or may not have all the standard applications, there may be some additional functions, and so on.
Its firmware replaces the stock Android installed on your device.
Custom Recovery
You’ve got access to the standard Android recovery and you also have the option to replace it with a custom recovery that offers more features.
The two most popular custom recoveries are ClockworkMod Recovery and TWRP Recovery
Custom kernels
A custom kernel is usually installed on an Android device when you want to overclock your device’s processor. Only do this if you know what you are doing, otherwise you will end up breaking your device.
Standard ROMs
Standard ROM is the standard Android OS for your device. It was preinstalled on your device. You should use this if your device fails and you have no other way to fix it.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Recovery Mode is a powerful hidden feature that lets you unleash the true power of your Android device.
As you get used to it, you’ll find yourself unplugging and unplugging your device over and over again and end up with a completely customizable Android experience that no one else has.
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