Those who are interested in tinkering with the Android operating system, in general, need no introduction to TWRP Recovery since it is the most popular custom recovery image in the world. A custom recovery is of course what we need to be able to flash new custom ROMs that arrive by third-party developers and do things like take NANDroid Backups, which is the only way to make a convenient full backup without ADB commands and a computer. Furthermore, there are many occasions when a custom recovery image is necessary to root a device, such is the way with the OnePlus 3 smartphone.

REQUIREMENTS

• You need to unlock the bootloader on the OnePlus 3 smartphone before you can follow this guide to install a custom recovery on the device. Attempting to follow this guide with a locked bootloader will not only be unsuccessful, but it will also brick the device.
• You must have the OnePlus 3 smartphone to flash the custom recovery image that is found in this guide. A custom recovery image is usually specifically tailored for a device and as such as you cannot go around flashing them on just any old device. They are made for one device only.
• You must have a computer that is running the Windows operating system to use this guide. Those of you without a Windows PC will be unable to install our ADB and Fastboot since our guide is about the Windows version only since it is by far the most popular. Nevertheless, ADB and Fastboot are available for other operating systems like MacOS and Linux distributions; you just need to find them. Moreover, you will need to run a separate set of commands because MacOS and Linux operating systems do not accept the same commands as Windows.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

• During this guide for installing TWRP Recovery on the OnePlus 3 smartphone, we will be using a small part of what usually comes inside of the Android SDK package from a Windows computer, thus being able to connect the OnePlus phone to the computer so it can communicate with the programs on the computer is necessary. We do that by enabling the USB Debugging Mode by first unlocking the Developer Options menu and then checking the box found within the recently unlocked Developer Options menu that is there for us to turn on the USB Debugging. To unlock the Developer Options menu, just tap on the Menu > Settings > About Device and then tap the Build Number on the display at least seven times for it to bring up a new message on the screen that tells you that you are using the Android OS as a developer. Now go back to the home screen and tap on the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. The OnePlus 3 smartphone is now ready to be hooked up to the computer during the guide.
• There is always an element of risk involved with installing a new custom recovery image, thus taking a Backup of the data is advised before starting. The NANDrOid option is only available once you have successfully installed a custom recovery on the handset already. For now, though, we need to use applications from Google Play like Helium or the built-in backing up options. You should backup everything from the phone contacts to the pictures before starting with the guide on learning how to install TWRP Recovery on the OnePlus 3 smartphone.

HOW TO INSTALL TWRP RECOVERY ON ONEPLUS 3 SMARTPHONES

1. Download the TWRP Recovery for the OnePlus 3 smartphone from here.
2. Download and install ADB on your Windows computer if you have not already. (Those of you who have come here from following our guide for unlocking the OnePlus 3 bootloader will not have to do it again, you can use the same ADB that is on your computer already).
3. Connect the OnePlus 3 smartphone to the computer with the USB cable that you would usually use to charge the battery on the smartphone.
4. Extract the TWRP file to the desktop of the computer and shift its contents over to the ADB folder so you have everything from the same directory.
5. With the ADB and TWRP folder open, hold down the Shift key and right-click where it shows you some white background within the folder, and it will bring up a new menu.
6. Choose to open a new command prompt window from the menu you can see on the computer.
7. Type the first command: “adb reboot bootloader” to get the OnePlus 3 smartphone into the bootloader mode.
8. Type the next command to flash the custom recovery: “fastboot flash recovery”.
9. Drag and drop the TWRP Recovery file from the Fastboot folder over into the command prompt window.
10. Once the TWRP Recovery is flashed on the OnePlus 3 smartphone, type “fastboot reboot” and press the hardware key combination for the recovery mode when your phone reboots so it first-time boots directly into the custom recovery that you just flashed.

In conclusion, that is how to install TWRP Recovery on OnePlus 3 smartphone by making use of the ADB and Fastboot from a Windows computer and using a new drag and drop technique. Now that you have successfully unlocked the OnePlus 3 bootloader and installed a custom recovery image on the handset, it is time to find out what you need to root OnePlus 3 smartphones so you can start using all of the applications from Google Play and other sources online that weren’t available to use before. Moreover, rooting the handset will help you install any of the custom ROMs that require root access before they can be installed from the custom recovery partition.