Nexus 6 - TheAndroidLab

Want to install TWRP recovery image on Nexus 6? Well, that is not a difficult task to do. To install the TWRP recovery image, you will first have to unlock the bootloader. Worry not, we will be discussing the steps to help you unlock the bootloader and install the TWRP recovery image on your Nexus 6. What You Will Need? To continue with the process, you will need the TWRP recovery file supported by your device. You can search for your device on the official website of TWRP, and download the file from there. Make sure the extension of the file is .img. You can either download the unofficial TWRP recovery image that is supported on your Nexus 6 from the android forums. You will also need ADB and Fastboot drivers for your Nexus 6 which can be downloaded from here. Steps To Unlock Bootloader on Nexus 6 Image Credits: Droid Life You will have to unlock the bootloader of the Nexus 6 before you begin the TWRP installation process. TWRP recovery cannot be installed if the bootloader of the phone is locked. Note: Before unlocking the bootloader make sure your data is backed up because this will reset your device. Connect your Nexus 6 to your PC via the USB cable. Ensure USB debugging is turned on from inside your phone's Settings > Developer Options. After that, extract the ADB driver folder, and then run the driver installer file in the ADB driver folder. You will see Nexus 6 on the device list. Click on install. If the device name doesn’t show up, then change USB charging options to PTP. You will receive a notification to do this when you connect your phone to your computer via USB. After that download and extract ADB platform-tools on your computer. Open the ADB platform-tools folder, and then press shift and right-click on a blank space inside the folder. Then click on the open command window here. Make sure USB debugging is enabled and your Nexus 6 is connected to your PC via USB cable. Power off the device. After turning off the device, press and hold the power button + volume down combo together to enter into Fastboot in Nexus 6. Now in the command prompt window opened on your computer, type in the command Fastboot OEM unlock and hit enter. You will see a screen on your Nexus 6, asking whether you want to unlock the bootloader or not. Navigate to the option using the volume button on your device, and press the power button to select the option. After that, once the phone has completed the process it was doing, enter the command in the command window on your PC Fastboot reboot and your phone will reboot with an unlocked bootloader. This method will only work for Nexus 6, so try not to use this method to unlock any other phone. Also, the method is only valid for installing TWRP on Nexus 6, and the method cannot be used for installing TWRP on any other device. Installing TWRP Recovery On Nexus 6 Credits: Gadgethacks Once you have unlocked the bootloader on your Nexus 6, it's time to install TWRP on your device. Follow the steps given ahead to install the TWRP image. Install ADB driver, and also download the TWRP file for your device from here. Rename the TWRP file to n6twrp.img, and keep the extension of the file the same. Now connect your Nexus 6 to PC via USB, and make sure USB debugging is enabled on your device. Transfer the TWRP file to Nexus 6 and remember its location. You will have to open the command window in the TWRP folder. To do this, navigate to the TWRP file location where you have copied it. Open the TWRP folder, and right-click on the blank space in the folder, and click on the open command window here option. Next, you will have to reboot the Nexus 6 into Fastboot. To do this enter the command in the command window adb reboot bootloader. Now, boot recovery on Nexus 6. Enter the command fastboot boot n6twrp.img in the command window. This will boot your Nexus 6 in TWRP recovery. In the TWRP recovery on Nexus 6, tap on install. Next, tap on the images button at the bottom right on your phone screen. From here select n6twrp.img file. Then on the next screen that appears, click on the recovery option that you will find under the select partition to flash image option. Don’t select the boot. After that tap on swipe to confirm flash option that you will see on your phone and install TWRP recovery. Once the process is done, you will see a message IMAGE FLASH COMPLETE. Tap on back, and you will have TWRP installed on your Nexus 6. Then tap on the home button that you will see at the bottom left. Select reboot, and then restart the device normally. In case, if you want to root, then you can go for the swipe to install option on the next screen, and if not, then select do not install. If you wish to install it, then you will need a supporting kernel for this. That’s it and you are done with unlocking the bootloader and installing the TWRP recovery on Nexus 6. You can also take a backup of your device. You should do this after TWRP is installed, so no matter what changes you do to your phone, you can restore your phone to the current status. To do this, boot your phone to recovery mode. You can do this by typing the command adb reboot recovery in the command window. In recovery mode, select a backup, and then choose all the partitions that you want to backup. Swipe at the bottom then to start the backup process. Hopefully, that helped you unlock the bootloader, and install TWRP recovery on your Nexus 6. Follow the steps carefully, and take a backup of your device before proceeding. Also, don’t try this method on any other device, as this is solely meant for Nexus 6.