Android recovery mode

The Android recovery mode is a mode of Android used for installing updates and wipe data. It consists of a Linux kernel with ramdisk on a separate partition from the main Android system.

Recovery mode can be useful when a phone is stuck in a bootloop or when it has been infected with malware.

The way of entering recovery is different for every vendor.

Examples:

• Zebra and symbol devices: left scan/action button

• Nexus 7: Volume Up + Volume Down + Power
• Samsung Galaxy S3: Volume Up + Home + Power
• Motorola Droid X: Home + Power
• Older Samsung devices [home]
• Samsung Galaxy A10s: Volume Up + Power

Features of the recovery mode usually include:

• Applying updates using the Android Debug Bridge
• Applying updates from the SD card
• Hard resetting
• Mounting partitions
• Running a system test

The recovery that is preinstalled on Android can be replaced by other software, such as TWRP, OrangeFox or ClockWorkMod. It can include features such as:

• Full backup and restore functionality
• Applying unsigned update packages
• USB mass storage access to SD cards
• Full ADB access, with ADB running as root

• Bootloader unlocking
• Qualcomm EDL mode