What You Need to Know about Android Download Mode: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Get In & Exit
Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Angelos ChronisNowadays, the average Android phone can cover most of our needs in terms of gaming, movies, music, work, studies, and, quite unsurprisingly, communication. However, there are people like me and you that want even more out of their device.
And most Android devices have much more to give than what you get from them when they're fresh out of the box. However, there is one catch; Almost all of those extra capabilities are locked behind the device's coding either for legal reasons or to protect the device from improper use. Thankfully, getting past the coding is a bit of an involved process but doable.
The process we are talking about is called download mode and we will show you how to get in and out of it in as simple and safe a way as possible.
What is Download mode and what can you do with it
The first thing we have to talk about is what Download mode is and what you can do in it; why should you go to the trouble of fiddling about with your Android device, in short.
What is Download mode
Our Adroid devices have a set amount of storage space on them. If you have noticed, a part of that space is already occupied by what many devices call core apps, OS, System apps or something of the sort. This section is copetely locked off from the rest of the device and cannot be accessed for any reason. This is why it is called ROM, Read Only Memory.
Download mode gives you access to that part and helps you download and install alternative vesions of the core apps we mentioned previously.
Bypassing your phone's coding to access download mode allows you to download custom ROMs and custom kernels.
Custom ROMs
A custom ROM (Read Only Memory) is a custom user Interface and Operating system. They are usually made to improve stability, safety and customisation. Also, some apps, like Showbox that are not on the Play store may run better on custom ROMs.
Custom kernels
Custom kernel is where things get a bit more technical. A kernel is the core program on your phone. It gives you full control over every aspect of the device. For example:
- Brightness
- CPU speed
- Battery life
- Resource usage
To better explain what that means, an Android phone with a custom kernel installed could:
- Have a screen brighter than what the default settings would allow.
- Overclock the CPU, allowing for higher speeds.
- Switch off certain processes and features thus achieving prolonged battery life.
The only downside to fully controlling all aspects of one's device is that you risk damaging it if you don't know what you are doing. For example, overclocking a CPU will yield higher processing speeds at the cost of increased temperatures. This means that you risk permanently damaging or bricking (blocking) your phone.
Now that we know what download mode is, let us see how to get to it.
Download mode made easy with ReiBoot for Android
There is a way of getting into download mode without having to be a tech wizard. That is by using ReiBoot for Android, an app that works on almost every device on the market, can fix over 150 errors, is very simple to use and will help you get into download mode in a few clicks.
How to enter download mode with reiboot
- Download ReiBoot for Android using the buttons below and install it on your computer.
- Launch the app, switch off your phone, connect it to your computer via USB and then click on "Enter download mode".
- Choose your device and follow the instructions to enter download mode.
- If you cannot find your device in that menu, click on "One click to enter recovery mode" and wait for your phone to get to that menu.
- On your phone, navigate to the "Reboot to bootloader" using the volume buttons and select it using the power button.
Once you are in, download and install any custom software you want.
How to exit download mode:
- Once you are done with whatever installations you want to do, go to the application on your computer.
- There, click on "One click to exit download mode".
ReiBoot for Android will take you out of download mode safely.
How to get into download mode on Android devices
Getting to download mode is pretty simple and only involves a few button presses.
How to do it:
Note
We will show you how to get into download mode for some popular Android phone models. If you don't have one of them, you can search the term "-your mobile phone brand and model- download mode".
Samsung Galaxy S7
- Switch off your smartphone.
- Connect it to your computer via USB and press the Power, Vol Down, and Home buttons at the same time until you see a warning screen.
- Release all the buttons when you see the screen below.
LG G5, LG G4, LG G Flex, LG G Flex 2, LG G Pad
- Switch off your device.
- Once it is off, connect it to a computer via USB press and hold the Volume up button until you get the screen below.
XIAOMI Redmi Note 7
- Switch off your Xiaomi Redmi Note 7.
- Plug it into your computer and then press and hold the Volume up and Power buttons until the Mi logo appears.
Note
Some devices do not have a download mode. Instead, they have something called "Reboot to bootloader", an option in their recovery mode menu.
Once you are in download mode, you may install any custom ROMs or custom kernels you want. You can download those from sites like "XDA developers".
How to get out of download mode
Now that you have gotten in download mode and installed the custom ROMs or custom kernels you wanted, it is time to get out. This is the point where we have to be extra careful as any mistake could cause our device to get bricked.
On some devices like most Samsung models, getting out of download mode should be quite easy as it gives you the instructions on the screen. However, for all other cases, here is the general way for most Android phones.
How to do it:
- Press and hold the power button until the phone restarts.
If this doesn't work:
- Press and hold the power and volume down buttons at the same time.
- Or, press and hold all the buttons until your phone restarts.
This will force your phone to restart. If it won't, you should wait for a while and try again. You can take out the battery too, where this is applicable, but do so with caution because restarting your phone before it's done installing the custom software you want, may result in it getting bricked.
Conclusion
If you want more out of your Android device, if you want to be able to control it fully and take advantage of its full capabilities, you have to use custom ROMs and kernels. This here, is a guide on how exactly you can install custom software on your phone using download mode in the safest way possible.
FAQs
If your Android gets stuck in download mode you run the risk of bricking it or, worse, damaging it permanently. Therefore, it is of the utmost importace to get out of download mode quickly and safely.
There are two ways of getting out of download mode if your device is stuck.
- Press all the buttons on your Android device simultaneously until it reboots.
- Use Reiboot for Android to exit in one step.
- Remove the battery. (This is the riskiest one and should be your last resort.