Installation Guide: crDroid Recovery Image

Document Version: 1.0
Target Audience: Advanced Users, Developers, Custom ROM Enthusiasts
Prerequisites: Unlocked Bootloader, PC with ADB & Fastboot, USB Debugging Enabled
Risk Level: Medium (May void warranty, risk of data loss)

Part 5: First Steps Inside crDroid Recovery

Once crDroid Recovery loads, you will see a simple menu. Here is how to navigate:

• Volume Keys: Move up/down.
• Power Button: Select an option.

Prerequisites: The Toolkit

Before you type a single command, ensure you have the following ready. Skipping these steps is the number one cause of "bricked" phones.

1. Unlocked Bootloader: You cannot install a custom recovery on a locked bootloader. This process varies by manufacturer (OEM Unlock on OnePlus/Pixel, Mi Unlock on Xiaomi, etc.).
2. PC with ADB & Fastboot: You need the Android SDK Platform Tools installed on your computer.
3. USB Cable: A high-quality data cable (preferably the one that came with the phone).
4. The Recovery File: Download the correct recovery image for your specific device model from the official crDroid download page or XDA thread. Do not use a recovery meant for a different variant of your phone.

Q5: The crDroid website only offers a boot.img, not a recovery.img.

A: That means your device uses a recovery-ramdisk. In that case, use:

fastboot flash boot crDroid-boot.img

Then reboot to recovery.

⚙️ Inside crDroid Recovery – essential first steps

Once booted into crDroid Recovery:

1. Factory reset → Format data / factory reset (required when switching ROMs)
2. Advanced → Reboot to recovery (to apply changes)
3. Now you can:
   • Sideload crDroid ROM via adb sideload rom.zip
   • Or copy ROM to internal storage and install from recovery