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How to boot the Galaxy S3 into recovery mode

AndroidPIT Samsung Galaxy S3 Recovery Mode
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Recovery mode on any device is a special thing for Android tweakers, providing a variety of options the average user never sees. Using the recovery menu on the Galaxy S3 is like the difference between poking around under the hood of your car when you hear something funny and simply taking it to a mechanic. If you want to know how to reboot into recovery on the Galaxy S3, we'll tell you right now.

AndroidPIT Samsung Galaxy S3 Recovery Mode
Whether you have stock recovery or custom, knowing how to get to it is essential! / © ANDROIDPIT

Before you roll up your shirt sleeves and start getting your hands dirty – metaphorically speaking, at least – you want to make sure you've got your smartphone contents backed up in case you play around too much and cause yourself some headaches. We've already shown you how to backup everything on the Galaxy S4, and the Galaxy S3 is no different. Backups are even more important than recovery!

Galaxy S3: how to reboot into recovery mode

First, turn your Galaxy S3 off. Now, press and hold the Volume Up, Power and Home buttons until you see the Samsung screen. Release the Power button but continue to press Home and Volume Up until you are brought to the stock recovery mode on the Galaxy S3. Of course, if you have installed a custom recovery on the S3 you will be brought here instead.

  • Want to know how to automatically backup pictures from your Android to PC?
AndroidPIT Recovery Menu Reboot System
Each recovery menu looks a little different, but they all offer great recovery options. © ANDROIDPIT

From recovery mode you can do a bunch of different things. You can do a full factory reset to wipe all data from your device, you can clear the cache partition, which is useful after firmware or custom ROM updates, or you can apply updates from the Android Debug Bridge, which allows you to send commands to your smartphone via your computer with a USB cable.

Basically, recovery mode gives you a higher level of control over your S3 and becoming familiar with how to access it and what the options do are one of the first steps you'll need to take from being an Android beginner to a power user. Recovery mode is also very helpful when fixing problems with your device: you might be surprised how many common Android problems can be solved through this menu.

Happy trails and don't forget to backup!

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Kris Carlon

Kris Carlon
Senior Editor

Kris is a former AndroidPIT Editor who came to the team via a lengthy period spent traveling and relying on technology to keep him in touch with the outside world. He can usually be found juggling three phones at once and poring over G+ posts, Reddit and RSS feeds.

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3 comments
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  • Nikhil Nagar 1
    Nikhil Nagar Jan 1, 2017 Link to comment

    thanks


  • 2
    Ujang Nasrullah Oct 25, 2016 Link to comment

    Niche Info Admin ... thanks for sharing


  • 1
    Sachin Jun 7, 2015 Link to comment

    hey dude mine has same menu like yours. but like others there is no backup and restore option in recovery mode. And i was trying to install android 5.0 so i can't restore it.Do you know what to do?

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