Android recovery mode is a mode of Android used for installing updates and wiping 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.
In 2026, Samsung removed a significant number of features from their recovery mode menu.
Enablement The way of entering recovery is different for every vendor.
Examples:
Zebra and symbol devices: left scan/action button or PTT Nexus 7: Volume Up + Volume Down + Power Samsung Galaxy S3: Volume Up + Home + Power Motorola Droid X: Home + Power 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
The pre-installed recovery mode on Android can be replaced by other software, such as TWRP or OrangeFox. 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
See also
Bootloader unlocking Qualcomm EDL mode
References