A custom recovery is always necessary for those people who enjoy swapping the stock version of the Android operating system for a custom made version. There are usually some new ROMs that people can install ranging from fantastic to lackluster depending on the developers who created the ROMs. If you are lucky enough, you might get the chance to install something from CyanogenMod which is a ROM that is now coming on some devices out of the box instead of the Android OS since it is so good. Apart from custom ROMs, some people enjoy flashing new kernels that have a different set of frequencies assigned to the CPU, which is how we overclock or underclock and have the hardware set to levels that vary in comparison to the levels that the device is running when you buy it.

There is also some other reasons why people install custom recovery images, and it does not always have to do with flashing custom ROMs or custom kernels at all. Sometimes people use a custom recovery so that they can root a device. Being the root user is how you install all of the apps on the device from the Google Play Store that are not able to be installed with the locked operating system that is presented to you now. The fact that these applications are available from the Google Play Store speaks volumes in how much Google dislike them (not much). They are, in fact, a result of collateral damage from when Android wanted to secure the operating system, and the only way to do that is to stop certain apps from being able to run. Those are the apps that require root access to operate, and these apps can be incredibly useful.

REQUIREMENTS

• You must have the Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone to follow this guide to installing a custom recovery image on the device. A custom recovery image is usually specifically made per device and flashing an image on the incorrect device can result in its bricking.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

• Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > Build Number. Don’t stop tapping on the build number until the Android operating system shows you a message saying that the user is now using the device as a developer which of course means that the Developer Options menu is now available.
• Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Zenfone 2 from the Developer Options menu that you just finished unlocking by tapping on the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. Once you have marked the USB Debugging box, leave the Developer Options for the Android software to remember your settings automatically.

HOW TO INSTALL TWRP RECOVERY ON ASUS ZENFONE 2 SMARTPHONES

1. Download the TWRP Recovery on the computer.
2. Learn how to set up ADB on the Windows computer if you do not have it already and then come back to this guide and continue where you left off once it is done. (Those who already have ADB on the computer do not need to set it up again as it does not change, and the version you have is the same version in this guide).
3. Open the downloads folder and extract the TWRP Recovery file and then copy all of the contents from the TWRP to the same folder as the ADB so you have them both sitting in the ADB directory.
4. Connect the Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone to the computer with the USB cable that you would usually use when charging the battery in the device.
5. Open the TWRP and ADB folder and where there is nothing but white background space, press the Shift key and right-click the mouse to bring up a new menu.
6. Choose to “open a new command Window here” from that menu and the command prompt window opens on the screen which is where we are going to flash the custom recovery.
7. Type the command “adb reboot bootloader” to get the Zenfone 2 into the fastboot mode and ready for the flashing.
8. Type the command “fastboot flash recovery recovery.img” to flash the custom recovery file on the device.
9. Type the command “adb reboot” and then hold down the hardware button combination for the recovery mode, so it boots into the recovery and not normal mode.

In conclusion, that is how to install TWRP Recovery on Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone using the command prompt from a Windows operating system running on computers. By holding the hardware key combination for the recovery mode so that it first-time boots into the recovery mode you are eliminating the chance of the stock recovery wiping your work. However, if you can boot the recovery mode up and the custom recovery is there, then you do not need to worry.