LG G4 (H815): How to Install a Custom Recovery

As long as you have the H815 variant of the LG G4, then it is relatively easy to get TWRP running on it so let’s take a look at the steps required to do so.

Just like the title says, this method will only work on the H815 variant of the LG G4 because it is the only one(as of writing this) that can be unlocked via official means. When there are ways to get around this then I will do separate write-ups for those devices but right now, this is just beneficial for the H815 LG G4.

A custom recovery will give you much more control over your smartphone by allowing you do to do things like install zip files(kernels, root, custom ROMs, etcetera).

A custom recovery like TWRP(which is what we’re going to install here today) will also let you do full Nandroid backups of your LG G4. Without this, you’re forced to use something like LG PC Suite which can backup some data, but it won’t allow you to do a full backup like you might be looking for. Installing a custom recovery, gaining root access and/or installing a custom ROM is something that I almost always do when I get a new phone or tablet but it does come with its own risks. You might want to use your new LG G4 for a month or three so you can determine if there are any faulty parts in it. Since unlocking the bootloader via the official channels will void your warranty, you might want to wait before you do that.

Requirements

Speaking of unlocking the bootloader, that is going to be required before you can install a custom recovery onto your H815 LG G4. If you need help with this process, you can follow the how to unlock the H815 LG G4 bootloader tutorial for a complete rundown of how to do that. It is a rather long process but the tutorial is broken down into very easy to follow steps. This tutorial below assumes you have followed the guide above and have done things like installed the ADB and Fastboot tools, enabled USB debugging and of course, unlocked the bootloader. If you run into any issues then please make sure those are done and setup properly.

LG G4 H815 Install Custom Recovery

1. Download the Latest Version of TWRP to the PC
2. Copy/Move the TWRP .img File to the ADB/Fastboot Directory
3. Connect the LG G4 to the PC with a Micro USB Cable
4. Open a Command Prompt from Within the ADB/Fastboot Directory
5. Type the Following Command. . .
6. adb reboot bootloader
7. Then Press Enter on the Keyboard
8. Wait for the LG G4 to Reboot into Bootloader Mode
9. When There, Type the Following Command. . .
10. fastboot flash recovery twrp-2.8.6.0-h815.img
11. Then Press Enter on the Keyboard
12. Wait until Fastboot Installs TWRP
13. Then Type the Following Command. . .
14. adb reboot
15. Wait for the LG G4 to Reboot into Android

Explanation

As mentioned, you will need to follow the guide bootloader guide that is linked in the Requirements section above. You’ll need all of that setup and done so please do that before you start this tutorial. When ready, head on over to the TWRP page that is linked in the guide above and then download the latest version of TWRP to your computer. As of writing this, the latest version is 2.8.6.0 so that is what we’re going to use in this tutorial. It is always advised that you get the latest version though and you’ll just need to modify the ‘fastboot flash recovery’ command to match the version/file name you downloaded.

Once the file has been downloaded, you’ll need to copy or move the TWRP .img file into the same directory that you installed ADB and Fastboot tools into. For me, that is “C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot” but it could be different for you. Once the TWRP image file is in that folder, you will need to launch a command prompt in this directory. The easiest way to do this is to use your regular Windows explorer and open up that folder. While you are in that folder, hold down the ‘Shift’ key on the keyboard and then right-click on an empty space within the folder. You’ll then see a special option here labeled Open Command Window Here.

Left-click on that option and it will launch a command prompt for you directly in the folder you are in. Once you are in the command prompt, type the command “adb reboot bootloader”, without the quotation marks and then press Enter on the keyboard. Doing this will make LG G4 reboot into bootloader mode. If this command doesn’t do anything then you probably haven’t allowed your PC access to the LG G4 with USB Debugging mode(or maybe you don’t have the proper USB drivers installed). You’ll need to follow the steps linked in the requirements section in order to set that up properly. Wait for the LG G4 to reboot and then you can start the actual installation of the custom recovery.

You’ll need to type the command “fastboot flash recovery twrp-2.8.6.0-h815.img”, without the quotation marks, and then press enter on the keyboard. And again, if you ended up downloading a newer version of TWRP, then you’ll need to modify that command. You’ll need to make the file name in this command matches the file name of the version of TWRP you downloaded. Or, you could just rename the file to “twrp.img” and then use that file name in the fastboot flash recovery command. Once TWRP has been installed onto your LG G4, you can type the command “adb reboot” and then press enter on the keyboard to instruct your LG G4 to reboot back into Android.

That’s all you have to do. TWRP is now installed on your H815 LG G4 and you can access it by booting the LG G4 into Recovery Mode. You’ll need to do this to root the LG G4 or to install anything from the custom recovery.