This post is to help you boot into the android head unit into the Android Recovery partition when you have a working android operating system and you are rooted. It is important to note that this procedure to boot into recovery mode relies on a working android and a rooted system. Luckily most android headunits are rooted, so this is well worth a try to get into recovery mode.
Non booting android
If your android system will not boot and you seek the Android Recovery, then you need this article.
Android Boots, needs recovery.
With a properly booting android operating system it can take a lot of the guesswork out of getting into Android Recovery mode. As long as you can either get apps from the playstore or at least side-load the .apks it should be possible to enter the boot partition and activate recovery mode.
Android Recovery options
You get some neat tools in android recovery for your android headunit. Later models are much easier to use with touch screen being available. This makes the use more like using the android, where as old versions rely on random or obscure button taps to navigate the menus.
Need ROOT
As with all the fun things, root privileged for the super cow power apps to run in. If you don’t have root, you are probably looking for Recovery mode to find it. This is a bit of a catch-22 for you and may be a bit of a dead end. Keep trying though.
Enter Recovery (working android)
A short-cut to getting into android recovery mode via a working android is through and app on the play store. There are plenty of apps that can help you, this one – reboot options is used in this demo.
Install the app, open the app and choose ‘Recovery’.
If you get warnings about root and when you press OK to boot into recovery a ‘Sorry your phone is not rooted’ message you can assume your headunit is not rooted. You can try some other apps for reboot, but you will find they all need root to reboot into Recovery mode.
If you have now rebooted into recovery mode. Well done!
If you have not booted into recovery mode, probably due to a lack of root, you need the ‘no android recovery mode’ instructions.
Terminal emulator
If you have a terminal in your rooted android, just issue this command to reboot in recovery mode
su -c reboot recoveryThe quickest way to android recovery on the android headunit.
No Button navigation
See the Navigating Android Recovery menu without buttons article for advice in this situation.
