[Android General] prince.d.emperor:
TWRP Recovery – Explored and Explained !

Most of us here are very well aware of what TWRP is, especially people who flash ROMs every

now and then. Today, I’m here to explore this simple yet very unique recovery and explain in

detail the functionality of all of its features. I will also help you on how to flash a Custom

ROM/Kernel/Mod using TWRP. To get on with that, I need to let you know, what TWRP is ! !

What is TWRP?

TeamWin Recovery Project or in short; TWRP, initiated in 2011, is an Android Custom Recovery

with full touch UI. This Recovery brought in and created a new trend of Touch-based

recoveries. It adds customization support and enormous other amazing features to the AOSP

recovery code which makes it one of the best Android Custom Recoveries available till date.

The GUI is fully XML based, so you can modify each and every aspect of this

recovery according to your desires, provided that you have appropriate knowledge of XML and

Android.

Why choose TWRP over others?

TWRP was the first to bring in the concept of touch-based UI on recoveries,

which in turn defines its uniqueness. Since the early days, this recovery has evolved more than

any other recoveries available, bringing in huge changes in the code and UI. If you choose

TWRP, you’re assured to be updated regularly with more and more features accompanied by

stability.

Exploring the Main Menu:

As soon as you boot your Android into the latest build of TWRP, the following menu will serve

you, known as the main menu. The main menu consists of 8 tabs (Install, Wipe, Backup, Restore, Mount, Settings, Advanced &

Reboot), each having its own sub-tabs and functions. Let us now begin with the first tab on the

screen.

Install:

The Install tab is simple and make its role in flashing files (ROMs/Kernels/Mods). Another thing

that is unique here, is that you can add a queue of files and the same will be flashed in the

respective order.

Now, lets get to know how simply this works.

1. Press on the “Install” tab.

2. Browse and choose the file that you desire to flash.

3. Press on Add more zips if you desire to flash another zip(s).

4. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the flashing

process.

Wipe:

This tab serves the function of wiping the partitions on your device. Wipe-able partitions

include System, Data, Cache, Dalvik Cache, Internal Storage and USB-OTG (if any). Wiping the

partitions is necessary as a pre-flashing process and is different for Installing

ROMs/Kernels/Mods and updating them. So, before you set yourself for opening this menu,

make sure to know what you’re doing.

Here, I’m gonna mention some basic wiping steps for Installing ROMs/Kernels. Note that these

are universal for every ROM and Kernel, until and unless the developer himself states some

specific steps.

Wiping before Installing a Custom ROM:

1. Press on “Wipe” tab.

2. Press on “Advanced Wipe”.

3. Select the partitions: Dalvik Cache, System, Data & Cache.

4. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the wiping process.

Wiping before Installing a Custom Kernel:

1. Press on “Wipe” tab.

2. Press on “Advanced Wipe”.

3. Select the partitions: Dalvik Cache & Cache.

4. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the wiping process.

Backup:

The Backup tab holds a very important and useful function. Situations might arise when you

accidentally Install a wrong (corrupted/damaged) or may be un-desirable ROM/Kernel/Mod.

Post these situations, we find ourselves stuck. So, the Backup option gives us an helping hand to come out. This option is also well known as Nandroid Backup, but is now certainly referred

to as a common term; Backup.

TWRP offers some unique privileges in the Backup option too. A user can simply select the

partitions that he/she might want to backup viz Boot (Kernel & Ram-disk), Recovery (Present

Recovery), System (Firmware files), Data (User Apps and Information) & Cache (Dalvik Cache

and Cache).

To Backup your current ROM, simply follow these steps:

1. Press on “Backup” tab.

2. Select the partitions you want to backup (Usually, ROM backup includes System, Data,

Cache & Boot).

3. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the backup

process.

Apart from backing up, you can also Set Backup Name (set a specific name for your backup),

Enable compression and Skip md5 generation during backup.

Restore:

The Restore option in simple words, restores the Backup. A backup made with the Backup tab

is to be restored from this tab. This option also allows you to delete a previous backup and

even enable md5 verification. Restoring a backup is quite easy:

1. Press on “Restore” tab.

2. Press on the backup you want to restore.

3. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the restore process.

Mount:

It certainly is essential to mount partitions while flashing some specific files. Mount-able

partitions includes: System, Data, Cache, Internal Memory, SD-card and USB-OTG (if any). To mount a partition:

1. Press on “Mount” tab.

2. Select the partitions to mount.

Settings:

This tab holds all the settings related to the recovery subsystem. The following come under this tab:

1. zip file signature verification (Enable flashing only if the zip file is signed properly).

2. Use rm -rf instead of formatting (Option enables manual rm -rf command to wipe instead

of automatic formatting)

3. Skip md5 generation during backup (disables the generation of md5 sum during backup

process)

4. Enable md5 verification of backup files (enables restore of backup, only if md5 sum verifies)

5. Use military time (Use the time format followed by Military/Army)

6. Simulate actions for theme testing (enables modification of actions during theme testing)

7. Time Zone (Set time zone according to your country)

8. Screen (Enable/disable/set screen timeout)

9. Restore defaults (Restores all the settings to their default value)

Advanced:

It provides all the advance functions of the TWRP recovery. Advanced functions include:

1. Copy Log to SD (Transfers the error log generated to the SD card)

2. Fix permissions (Fixes the permissions of the System files to fix errors)

3. File Manager (In-built recovery file manager to manage files on Internal and External

memory)

4. Terminal Command (In-built terminal emulator to execute commands)

5. Reload Theme (Reloads the theme from TWRP/theme, necessary when applying a new

theme)

6. ADB sideload (Initiates sideload over ADB to flash zips)

Reboot:

This menu lists ways to reboot the device to various locations. You can reboot your device into

the following modes just with a simple gesture. You can perform the following actions within

the Reboot menu:

System (Boot your device normally into the OS)

Power Off (Powers down your device completely)

Recovery (Reboots into the recovery mode)

Bootloader (Reboots the device into bootloader/fastboot mode)

To reboot:

1. Press on “Reboot” tab.

2. Press on the desire button where you’re willing to boot.

3. Swipe the round button present on the bottom of the screen to initiate the rebooting

process.

That’s all about TWRP, that every user needs to know and understand.

Things to Do Before and After Installing a Custom ROM:

Become familiar with Recovery and its working

Ensure a decent battery level

Backup your current ROM using recovery(It will help you if in case you are stuck in bootloop in future or if you want to go back to Stock

Go to settings and do factory reset

Reboot to recovery and flash ROM zip and Gapps

Clear cache and dalvik/ART cache

Reboot

ROM: Although ROM in computers mean Read Only Memory (memory storage which once written, can’t be edited or deleted) but When it comes to smartphones and tablets, the term ROM is used to refer to the firmware stored in the internal memory of the device, rather than the internal memory itself. It can also refer to a file prepared for the purpose of replacing this firmware with another version of using a special method.

Thus, when you are told by someone to download a ROM, they are referring to the file that contains the firmware in a format ready to be installed to your phone to replace it’s existing firmware. Similarly, when asked what ROM is your phone running or when told by someone their phone is running a particular ROM, they are again talking about the particular variant of the firmware.

ROM Distinction:

Truly Stock ROMs / firmware:

This is the operating system in its default form, without any modifications made to it except for any device-specific support required to run it on the particular device. Truly stock firmware provides the standard user experience of the operating system without any cosmetic or functional changes made. These days, truly stock firmware is primarily found in cases where both the device and the operating system is built by the same company. Amongst modern mobile devices, examples of truly stock firmware can be found on Nexus and (new) Moto devices.

Manufacturer or Carrier branded Stock ROM / Firmware:

This type of firmware has had enhancements added over the default operating system by the device manufacturer or the mobile service carrier. This often includes interface enhancements, proprietary applications and in most cases, restrictions intended to limit the use of the device with a specific carrier or region. There are often further restrictions preventing installation of firmware not released by the carrier or manufacturer.

Custom ROM / firmware:

Almost all devices ship with either of the above two categories of firmware, though things don’t end there. Independent developers who like to customize their devices beyond the standard options provided often tend to release the fruits of their labor for the rest to enjoy, in form of custom ROMs. The more open the platform, the more independent development it attracts, a good example of which is the independent custom ROM development for Android.

Stock v/s Custom ROMs:

Stock firmware is the result of a lot of research and testing done by the operating system vendor, the device manufacturer and/or the mobile service carrier. Therefore, it carries several advantages:

It is usually quite stable upon release.

Almost all bugs are patched during the extensive beta testing before release.

It carries the official support by the firmware vendor, device manufacturer and the mobile service carrier.

Updates are pushed automatically to the device by the carrier.

Along with its advantages, stock firmware also carries its disadvantages and these include:

Updates aren’t frequent, as development is done mostly by corporations who have to follow a scheduled release cycle.

Updates are often released first in the United States, leaving the rest of the world waiting. (A world does happen to exist beyond the United States, we’ve confirmed it ourselves!)

Worse still, when manufacturers choose to no longer release official updates for their older devices in favor of newer ones, their users are essentially stuck with old versions of the operating system. This case is evident with many Android devices barely a year and a half old.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Custom ROMs

Custom ROMs are as good or as bad as the effort put into them by their developers. Key advantages of custom ROMs are:

First and foremost, choice! There are thousands of custom ROMs out there for a range of devices, each offering a diverse set of features not found in the stock ROM.

Update frequency – custom ROMs are often under active development and newer releases of the core operating system are incorporated in them way before updated official ROMs are released. This is particularly true in case of Android devices, where developers start porting newer versions of Android to several devices as soon as they are released.

Custom ROMs usually have all the extra restrictions removed, enabling users to sideload apps, tether their mobile data connection to their computer without paying extra for it, gain root access, use their device in any region etc. without any need for circumventing the protection themselves.

Performance enhancements and optimizations found in many custom ROMs can make them much faster than stock ROMs, enabling users to get the most out of their devices.

Overclocking options are built into some custom ROMs, further speeding up the devices.

Undervolting options found in some ROMs on the other hand result in improved battery life.

Old phones with little internal memory can benefit most from custom ROMs that allow them to use the external SD card memory for the apps exactly the way they would use the internal memory.

So with all these advantages, there should be no reason to stick with the stock ROM, right? Not necessarily! Like all things in life, custom ROMs come with their disadvantages as well:

Due to the lack of extensive testing prior to release, many custom ROMs can be buggy in the beginning and installing a ROM with missing or corrupt critical files can even brick your phone.

Several custom ROMs that are ports of ROMs from other phones can have missing functionality that hasn’t been made to work on your phone with the ROM yet.

Installing a custom ROM usually involves wiping your phone to factory settings, so you lose your data and start from scratch. Fortunately, Android’s built-in contact syncing along with apps offering message, call log and app backup/restore make this process easier, letting you retain your data.

The installation process itself can be cumbersome and may require you to root your phone and often circumvent its security features to allow for custom ROM installation in the first place.

Installing a custom ROM will in most cases void your phone’s warranty, though often the process is reversible, meaning you can turn your phone back to stock as long as it isn’t bricked.

Installing a ROM to your phone requires you to root it first in most cases. While rooting most phones is easy, some phones require a complicated procedure to be followed before you can install a ROM to it and often, such procedures involve a risk of bricking your device if things go wrong.

Making the Choice

Choosing between a stock ROM and a question ROM is really a matter of your requirements. If the stock ROM on your phone lets you do all that you ever want to do with your phone and doesn’t feel slow, there isn’t any need to go through the trouble of circumventing your phone’s security and installing a custom ROM to it.

However, if you want to take your phone beyond what it currently offers, don’t care much about the warranty and are ready to take the risk of whatever may happen if things go wrong to be able to customize it the way you want, a custom ROM is at times the only solution. Choose wisely!

Review the Risks ! !

Customize your Android :)

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