Summary
- ColorOS Recovery is an interface found in Oppo smartphones that helps restore your phone to a working state.
- If your Oppo phone keeps booting into Recovery, it could be because the volume down button is malfunctioning or the software is corrupt.
- You can fix this by rebooting via recovery, updating your phone using the Online Update option, or visiting a service centre.
If you stumbled upon this guide, you are probably stuck on a black screen which says ColorOS Recovery or Select Language. Most would assume they broke their phone, but there's no need to panic. The interface you're seeing is called Android Recovery, and it's found on almost every Android smartphone. This guide will explain what ColorOS Recovery is, why you are seeing it and, more importantly, how to exit it safely. Let's get started.
What is ColorOS Recovery?
ColorOS Recovery is an interface that's separate from your main ColorOS and Android operating system. It's similar to a BIOS on a computer and is designed to help you perform tasks that you cannot usually perform when the phone is running normally, hence the name "Recovery".
ColorOS recovery can be used to update your Oppo or Realme phone, factory reset, or check disk errors. Now, based on the kind of Oppo phone you have (like the older Oppo A3S or newer Oppo A71), your ColorOS recovery screen may look different. However, if you own a more recent Oppo smartphone, the screen will look similar to the image above.
When an Oppo smartphone boots into recovery, it's usually due to accidental button presses, a failed software update or stuck hardware buttons. The process of getting your phone back to a working state depends on the kind of problem you're facing, which could be both software and hardware-related. In this case, the first step starts with diagnosis.
How to exit ColorOS Recovery on Oppo and Realme phones
Accidental button presses is the most common cause of your Oppo phone getting into ColorOS Recovery. The recovery screen can be triggered by holding the Power + Volume Down buttons simultaneously during the booting process of ColorOS. So, if you have a tight phone case or just accidentally pressed the volume down button when turning the phone on, you may have triggered recovery mode without realising it.
In that case, the easiest way to get out of the ColorOS recovery is from the Recovery screen itself. Here's how you should do it:
- On the recovery screen, use the volume buttons (or touch screen) on the phone to navigate to English and then press the Power button to select it.
- Now, use volume buttons again till the Reboot device option is highlighted and press the Power button.
- Once pressed, tap on OK.
If there's no hardware or software failure, your Oppo phone should boot normally into ColorOS.
How to fix ColorOS Recovery problem from damaged buttons
If your Volume Down button is physically stuck, sticky or damaged, the phone will think you are holding it down every time it restarts, forcing it back into Recovery mode loops.
In this case, there isn't much you can do except head over to the service centre and get it fixed. You can also do a quick Oppo warranty check by finding your Oppo phone's IMEI. If your smartphone is under warranty, Oppo is obligated to replace the button for free.
How to fix Oppo or Realme phone going into ColorOS recovery after failed update
If an automatic update was interrupted, perhaps due to the battery dying during the same, the phone may now have corrupt system files, due to which it refuses to boot normally. Now, there are three ways to go about this:
- Using the Online Update option helps you connect to a Wi-Fi network to finish the update without deleting your data.
- Using the ColorOS Recovery and selecting Format data to factory reset your Oppo smartphone. This will delete all your data.
- Heading over to the service centre and asking the technicians to flash the latest firmware. This can ensure your phone is updated to the latest version without any hiccups.
Finding your Oppo or Realme phone stuck on the ColorOS Recovery screen can be worrysome, but it's not the end of the world. However, if your phone remains stuck in a loop despite your best efforts, it might be due to a shot hardware or corrupted firmware. In such cases, visiting an authorised service centre is your safest bet.
