Android recovery mode
Mode on Android operating system for installing system updates and wipe data
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Android recovery mode is a mode of Android used for installing updates and wiping data.[1][2] It consists of a Linux kernel with ramdisk on a separate partition from the main Android system.
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Recovery mode can be useful when a phone is stuck in a bootloop or when it has been infected with malware.[3]
In 2026, Samsung removed a significant number of features from their recovery mode menu.[4]
Enablement
The way of entering recovery is different for every vendor.[5]
Examples:[6]
- 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
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
Custom recovery
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The pre-installed recovery mode on Android can be replaced by other software, such as TWRP or OrangeFox. It can include features such as:[7]
- Full backup and restore functionality
- Applying unsigned update packages
- USB mass storage access to SD cards
- Full ADB access, with ADB running as root