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Installing OrangeFox Recovery

How do I install OrangeFox?

0. Firstly, you MUST unlock your bootloader. Then you can proceed in
one of the ways described below.
1. Via a recovery
▸ Unlock your bootloader (if not already unlocked)

▸ To install an OrangeFox zip , simply flash the OrangeFox zip with OrangeFox itself, or with any TWRP-
compatible custom recovery, without any wipes - exactly the same way that you would flash any other zip.

▸ Do the same thing if you want to upgrade (or downgrade) OrangeFox (see further details about upgrading
OrangeFox below).

▸ When you flash an OrangeFox zip, there is no need to flash any DFE or any other such thing.

▸ Always ensure that you are flashing the correct OrangeFox zip for the ROM that is running on your device.

▸ See below for detailed instructions on how to install OrangeFox via fastboot.

Detailed instructions on how flash OrangeFox Recovery

2. Via fastboot, and then recovery

You need a PC for this . If you do not have a PC, or access to a PC, then you are stuck!
Note - these instructions are mainly for A-only devices:
Note 2 - do NOT EVER use fastboot to flash a zip file:

▸ Unlock your bootloader (if not already unlocked)

▸ Install adb, fastboot from here 󰏌 , and the relevant USB drivers onto your PC

▸ Download the correct OrangeFox zip file to your phone, and to your PC

▸ Extract recovery.img from the OrangeFox zip file, and copy recovery.img to your PC’s adb
directory

▸ Reboot your phone into bootloader mode

▸ Open up a command line window / terminal emulator on your PC

▸ Change to the adb directory on your PC

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▸ If you have an A-only device, flash OrangeFox Recovery by running: fastboot flash
recovery recovery.img . Then Reboot into OrangeFox by pressing the power + volume
up keys, until you see the OrangeFox splash screen (the keys may be may vary on your device)
▸ If you have an A/B or Virtual A/B device (eg, Poco F3 or Poco F4), boot OrangeFox Recovery by
running: fastboot boot recovery.img

▸ If your ROM uses vendor_boot-as-recovery , then none of these will work; you will require
special assistance and instructions from your ROM's maintainer

▸ After OrangeFox has booted up, check that everything is working – eg, that it has mounted the data
partition successfully, and that the touchscreen works.

▸ Find and select the OrangeFox zip on your phone, tap on it, and swipe to install
it (because OrangeFox Recovery needs some files from the zip) .
▸ After installation, the phone will automatically reboot into OrangeFox

▸ Enjoy!

Should I backup my device before flashing/upgrading/changing my

recovery?
▸ Yes. Yes. YES. YES.

▸ Be sure to make full backups of your data partition and internal storage
before flashing or upgrading a recovery.

▸ Do this every single time you want to flash or upgrade a recovery.

▸ By doing this, you can secure yourself against potential problems.

▸ If you do not make these backups, and something goes wroing with the installation, you will be on
your own .

How can I find out whether my phone is an A/B device?

▸ Connect to your phone with a usb cable, open a command prompt, and run the command:
adb shell getprop ro.boot.slot_suffix
▸ If your phone is an A/B device, you will be shown the active slot (ie, either "_a", or "_b"). If the command
shows no output, then the phone is NOT an A/B device.

How do I upgrade OrangeFox?

▸ If you want to change your OrangeFox version, first, you should remove any OrangeFox password/PIN
protection that you have set in OrangeFox itself. Do NOT skip this step;

▸ Then flash the new/replacement OrangeFox zip with OrangeFox, in the same way that you would flash any
zip

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Can I run "fastboot boot ..." to boot an OrangeFox .img file?

▸ If you have an A/B or Virtual A/B device, then you will be able to do this. But if your ROM uses
vendor_boot-as-recovery , you will not be able to do this.
▸ For A-only devices , see below:

▸ Some devices allow you to "hotboot" a recovery image, without actually flashing it to the device. This is
done via " fastboot boot <recoveryimage.img> ".

▸ Old Xiaomi devices, running old MIUI firmwares (ie, based on Android 6.x, 7.x or 8.x) are typical devices that
allow this.

▸ Some new A-only Xiaomi devices also allow "hotbooting" a recovery image (eg, miatoll, vayu, etc).

▸ For some older A-only Xiaomi devices (eg, violet, lavender), if your MIUI firmware is based on Android 9 or
later, then it might not be possible. Why? Because newer Xiaomi firmware updates in newer MIUI ROMs
(based on Pie or later) will replace your bootloader with one that cannot "hotboot" a recovery image in this
way.

▸ Your only option in such a case is to flash the image, with "fastboot flash ..."

▸ This is not an OrangeFox issue, so please do not come to the OrangeFox groups to ask about it.

Can I use OrangeFox's own password feature?

▸ Of course. Just be sure to NEVER, EVER forget your password/PIN. If you do, you will be on
your own .

Do I really need to flash the OrangeFox zip?

▸ Yes. Yes. YES. YES. You really MUST flash the OrangeFox zip.

▸ Do you really think that we release OrangeFox in zip format, just for the sake of it, or just because we do not
know what we are doing?

▸ If you do not flash the zip, and you get problems, you will be on your own .

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