Android phones have quickly become a central
part of millions of people's daily lives. So much
so, that to being without that pocket digital
assistant would be an unconscionable situation
for many of us. While we protect the exteriors
with cases , and use services such as Android
Device Manager to find them when they get lost
or stolen, one area that can strike fear into the
heart is that of the device itself becoming
corrupted by a virus, or simply stopping working
due to some software fault. Thankfully Android
phones feature built-in software that can help
recover the system if things go awry.
The recovery mode is something that you won't
want to use often, but will be very grateful if it
comes to your rescue. Essentially its a part of
the system that resides on your phone and
handles the wiping and writing of data relating
to the operating system. So when you install
updates or perform factory resets, these tasks
are performed by the recovery mode tools. As
you can guess, they're very powerful, and can
destroy data quickly, so it's a good idea not to
experiment too much when you're using them.
But, if you're careful, they can be incredibly
useful tools with which to fix your troubled
phone.
How to fix an android phone with recovery mode:
When would I use recovery mode?
If your device is having issues booting up when
you turn it on, or displays an error message of
some kind, or even gets locked in a boot cycle
where it just keeps starting over and over again,
the recovery mode could come in quite handy. As
it bypasses the normal loading procedure you
have the chance to delete any apps that might
have corrupted your system, install updates from
an SD card or PC, install a custom ROM if that's
your kind of thing, or simply wipe the entire
phone so you can start again with a clean
handset.
If you're still under contract with your mobile
provider, then it's a good idea to let them
investigate a faulty phone before you go wiping
various things, but many problems can be solved
via the recovery mode, so it's a reasonable
option for the DIY types.
How to fix an android phone with recovery mode:
Accessing the recovery mode menu
Accessing the recovery mode is reasonably
straightforward when you know the right buttons
to press, but as these vary from device to device
it will require a few minutes on Google, or the
manufactures website, to work out which is the
combination for you. In all cases you'll need to
power off your phone completely before you
begin. On our test phone, the Moto G, the
process is started by holding down the power
button as well as the volume down button for a
few seconds. When you release the combination
your phone should avoid the normal startup
screen, with its graphics and manufacturers logo,
and instead display a small list of options. Again
the precise nature of the screens will vary
slightly depending on your device, but the general
principles should remain the same.
For many Android phones the first menu you'll
meet is the Fastboot one. This gives you access
to a normal boot up sequence, switching into the
recovery mode, or a factory reset, the last of
which will delete all information and installed
apps from the phone. You'll often see a few
other options with mysterious names like 'BP
Tools', but it's best off leaving those ones alone
as they can mess up your handset if you choose
the wrong options. For now you will want to
choose the recovery mode option. To navigate
the menu you'll need to read the instructions
written on the screen. For the Moto G the
volume down button cycled through the options
and the volume up selected the one you wanted.
How to fix an android phone with recovery
mode: Using the recovery mode menu
We encountered a slight problem after selecting
the Recovery mode option, in that the Moto G
started to load up a new page but then displayed
a prone Android figure with the words No
Command underneath. After some searching
online we discovered that this is not an
uncommon situation, and holding the volume up
button for around fifteen seconds then tapping
the power button, brought us to the Recovery
menu. This kind of thing is to be expected when
you use these system level features, as there are
no instructions or help sections for these sort of
ventures. So be sure to have access to a
computer before you begin, and do look up the
guidelines for your particular model of phone.
Once inside the recovery mode there are a few
different options available. The first is a simple
reboot, which won't affect the system at all, but
each of the others are a little more serious. If
you've downloaded an update to the operating
system on your computer, then you'll be able to
load it onto the phone here. The two methods
available are from an SD card (if your device has
one) or the ADB (which stands for Android Debug
Bridge). Both are not for the beginner, as side
loading an operating system can have quite
catastrophic outcomes if not done correctly. For
those who want to proceed down that route you
will find several guides available online, but the
overly technical nature means we won't be
covering them in this guide.
The two remaining options are still destructive,
but in a safer way. Wipe data/factory reset is
pretty self explanatory, and will remove any data
currently on your phone. It doesn't back it up
anywhere, so you won't be able to recover
anything once you choose to start that process,
but if your phone has become unreliable, very
laggy, or you fear you might have unwittingly
downloaded a virus, this is the thorough wipe
that could clear the problem. Wipe cache
partition is a little different, in that it will delete
the various temporary files that Android uses
when installing apps or other system related
tasks. It doesn't delete user data, and your apps
will remain intact. It's only really something to
try if your system is slowing down or developing
odd glitches, but you don't want to go straight
to the wipe everything command. We're selecting
wipe data/factory reset as we want our Moto G
back to day it arrived. Again read the
instructions on the screen as to which buttons
do what. You'll notice on the Moto G that they
are different in the recovery mode menu than
they are to the Fast boot menu, which could
have caused a nasty accident.
Again read the instructions on the screen as to
which buttons do what. You'll notice on the
Moto G that they are different in the recovery
mode menu than they are to the Fast boot menu,
which could have caused a nasty accident. The
menus are very clear about the dangers of
wiping data though, and ask you very clearly
whether you really want to proceed.
How to fix an android phone with recovery mode:
Getting your phone back to its factory settings
When you select the wipe data/factory reset
option you'll see some writing appear at the
bottom on the screen, informing you of the
progress. Once this has finished it will say Data
wipe complete, and you'll be able to select the
Reboot system option.
Your device will now go through its power up
sequence and when it has finished you'll be
presented with a clean operating system into
which you'll need to enter your various account
details and being reinstalling your apps.
Hopefully now, any problems you were
experiencing will have disappeared. Just don't go
downloading any suspicious apps from the app
store and you should be fine.
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