Recovery Mode is a special boot mode in Android that allows you to perform system maintenance, factory resets, and advanced operations outside of the normal operating system.
What is Recovery Mode?
Recovery mode is a separate bootable partition on your Android device that contains tools for device recovery and maintenance. It operates independently of the main Android OS.
Stock Recovery Features
- Reboot system now
- Apply update from ADB
- Apply update from SD card
- Wipe data/factory reset
- Wipe cache partition
- Mount /system
How to Access Recovery Mode
The key combination varies by manufacturer:
- Most devices: Power + Volume Down
- Samsung: Power + Volume Up + Home
- Google Pixel: Power + Volume Down, then select Recovery
- Huawei/Honor: Power + Volume Up
Custom Recovery
Custom recoveries like TWRP and CWM offer additional features:
- Full device backups (Nandroid)
- Install custom ROMs
- Flash ZIP files
- Advanced wipe options