- 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.
- Do
NOT ever try to flash the OrangeFox zip via fastboot. The zip must be flashed with a 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 1 - these instructions are mainly for A-only devices:
Note 2 - do NOT EVER use fastboot to flash a recovery zip file:
Note 3 - do NOT EVER use fastboot to boot a recovery 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
- If you have an
A-only device, or an A/B or Virtual A/B device that has a dedicated recovery partition, flash OrangeFox Recovery by running: fastboot flash recovery recovery.img (or whatever command your device's maintainer has recommended, if that is different). 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 a standard "boot-as-recovery"
A/B or Virtual A/B device (eg, Poco F3 or Poco F4), boot OrangeFox Recovery by running: fastboot boot recovery.img. Do NOT ever try this command on a Virtual A/B device that has a dedicated recovery partition. If you do, you will brick your device.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
You can only uninstall any recovery by replacing it with another recovery (stock, or custom). To uninstall OrangeFox, take these steps:
- First, go to the "Fox Addons" menu, select "Remove OrangeFox files", and swipe (OrangeFox will reboot after finishing)
- Then, flash another recovery, to replace OrangeFox
- If your ROM uses
vendor_boot-as-recovery, or you have an A/B or Virtuaal A/B device with a dedicated recovery partition, you will not be able to do this. If you try to do it, you will brick your device.
- If you have a standard "boot-as-recovery"
A/B or Virtual A/B device, then you will 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.
- Of course. Just be sure to NEVER, EVER forget your password/PIN. If you do,
you will be on your own.
- 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.