Initially, the functionality of tablets or smartphones for users is very limited. They often cannot install some programs, change boot animation, delete unnecessary built-in applications. There are even gadgets with built-in ads in the shell itself. To be able to change this (uninstall / install the program, change the animation), you must have root privileges. It is they who open the administrator’s functionality for the user.
Why, by default, users do not have root privileges?
An ordinary person does not need them at all. Built-in user functionality is more than enough for the full use of a smartphone or tablet. With root rights, you can change the system settings, which are difficult to understand.
Therefore, initially, software developers give the user ordinary rights. And this is done for security purposes. Without root rights, no virus can do much harm to the user (steal his money, show third-party ads, etc.). But if the user has root rights, then third-party programs, including viruses, will automatically receive them.
TWRP - what is it?
When a user learns how to change his device, he has to get root rights. Therefore, he often comes across the term “TWRP firmware”. This is a powerful system recovery utility that provides the user with much more features than the standard one.
TWRP Recovery allows you to make full backups with the ability to select the necessary items to save, more flexibly configure different options, use S-Pen on Galaxy Note devices, install non-standard programs, firmware. And this is not the whole list of possibilities. There are more of them, but you can list everything, including petty ones, for a long time.
How to install TWRP Recovery?
The installation process itself does not require special knowledge and efforts, it takes little time. There are even special embedded programs on Android devices for modified recovery, so installing TWRP will not be difficult even for a not very confident user. For example, in Nexus tablets there is a Toolkit application, where the recovery installation functionality is available. But also on the Google Play service there is a GooManager program - it can be installed on any Android gadget. The function "Install OpenRecovery Script" is available in it.
Launch
To start (or rather get into) TWRP Recovery, you can use different methods:
- When you turn on the gadget, you need to press a special key combination. Depending on the model of phone or tablet, the combinations will be different. On some phones, the recovery is launched at the time of switching on and simultaneously pressing the volume up button. The other device uses the power and volume down buttons.
- You can also use the Titanium Backup program or GooManager. There, simply in the menu item, the Recovery mode is selected.
- Using a computer. To do this, the drivers for the gadget and the ADB program must be installed on the PC. After connecting the device to the computer, you need to run the adb rebood recovery command on the command line.
Menu and Functions
After starting the recovery, the following buttons (functions) will be available:
- Install;
- Backup
- Wipe
- Settings;
- Advanced
- Reboot
- Restore
- Mount.
These are the main points in the interface. Now let's see what this all means in TWRP.
Install - used to install patches, various modifications and new firmware. This is the most commonly used feature. It is mainly used to install official and unofficial firmware, change the theme, etc.
Wipe is a menu for deleting files and cleaning the system. The functions here are practically unlimited. That is, you can clear any part of the memory, or you can completely erase everything and return to the factory settings. You can clear the folder, flash drive, internal memory.
Backup Section for creating system backups. Of course, this is one of the most important points in the recovery. The function allows you to make a full backup, including application data.
Restore After completing the backup process, you can restore the previously created copy in the Restore menu. Moreover, you can restore a copy from the internal memory of the device or flash drive (as well as save Backup to a flash drive or gadget memory). When the backup is found, the user will be prompted to mark the partitions that need to be restored. You can also delete a copy, rename it, etc.
Mount. In this menu, functions for mounting and deleting partitions are available. You can also perform operations with them. The functions of mounting and unmounting the system cache partition, internal memory, memory card, data partition are available.
Settings. Here are the TWRP settings. What does it give? At a minimum, you can enable / disable the verification of subscriptions and checksums for different files, ignore errors in the size of files during backup , etc.
Advanced Additional functions that allow you to save log files to an external memory card, change partitions on a flash drive, and return normal access rights to applications with root privileges.
Reboot There are only 3 functions: disconnect the device, reboot with logout, reboot with logout in TWRP. That this is Reboot is intuitive to everyone.
The process of installing firmware using TWRP
It’s easy to work with these menu items. For example, to install any firmware or patch in .zip format, you must:
- Boot into TWRP.
- Select the Install function.
- Select the memory where the files will be installed or copied.
- We find the required file (which needs to be installed).
- We start the installation (for this you need to stretch the slider from the left side of the screen to the right).
It is permissible to immediately select 10 files in the .zip archive. All of them will be installed in series. After the process is complete, it is advisable to clear the cache.
Now you know that this is TWRP, and how to use it. But without the need for this functionality is better not to indulge. It is no accident, because the developers left the user the usual rights and securely hid the root. Leave this functionality to people who understand. Indeed, out of ignorance, you risk returning the phone to the factory settings, for example, and then you will not be able to restore important files without backup.