Fastboot

Fastboot is a protocol[1] and a tool of the same name. It is included with the Android SDK package used primarily to modify the flash filesystem via a USB connection from a host computer. It requires that the device be started in Fastboot mode. If the mode is enabled, it will accept a specific set of commands sent to it via USB using a command line.[2] Fastboot allows to boot from a custom recovery image. Fastboot does not require USB debugging to be enabled on the device.[3] Not all Android devices have fastboot enabled.[4] To use fastboot, a specific combination of keys must be held during boot.[5]

For the PC fast booting ability, see Instant-on.
Not to be confused with the Android recovery mode or the Samsung specific Fastboot alternative called Odin mode.
Fastboot
A Google Nexus 5 booted into Fastboot mode, which can now accept fastboot commands from the host PC
Original author(s)Google LLC
Repositoryandroid.googlesource.com
Included withAndroid SDK
Available inC++
TypeFirmware communication protocol and implementation thereof

Android device manufacturers are allowed to choose if they want to implement fastboot or some other protocol.[6]

Keys pressed

The keys that have to be pressed for fastboot differ for various vendors.[7]

  • HTC, Xiaomi, and Google Pixel: Power and volume down
  • Sony: Power and volume up
  • Google Nexus: Power, volume up and volume down

On Samsung devices, (excluding the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus devices), power, volume down and home has to be pressed for entering ODIN mode. This is a proprietary protocol and tool as an alternative to fastboot.[6]

Commands

Some of the most commonly used fastboot commands include:

  • flash – rewrites a partition with a binary image stored on the host computer.
  • flashing unlock/oem unlock *** – unlocks an OEM locked bootloader for flashing custom/unsigned ROMs. The *** is a device specific unlock key.
  • erase – erases a specific partition.
  • reboot – reboots the device into either the main operating system, the system recovery partition or back into its boot loader.
  • devices – displays a list of all devices (with the serial number) connected to the host computer.
  • format – formats a specific partition; the file system of the partition must be recognized by the device.

Implementations

The fastboot protocol has been implemented in the Little Kernel fork of Qualcomm[8] and in TianoCore EDK II.[9][10]

Fastboot is a mode of the Android bootloader called ABOOT.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Fastboot Protocol Documentation". android.googlesource.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  2. Ravenscraft, Eric (2014-06-13). "The Most Useful Things You Can Do with ADB and Fastboot on Android". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  3. Tamma, Rohit (2015). Learning Android forensics : a hands-on guide to Android forensics, from setting up the forensic workstation to analyzing key forensic artifacts. Donnie Tindall. Birmingham, UK. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-78217-444-8. OCLC 910639389.
  4. "The Easiest Way to Install Android's ADB and Fastboot Tools on Any OS". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2021-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "How to Use ADB and Fastboot on Android (And Why You Should)". Makeuseof. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2021-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. Drake, Joshua J. (2014). Android hacker's handbook. Zach Lanier, Collin Mulliner, Pau Oliva, Stephen A. Ridley, Georg Wicherski. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-60861-6. OCLC 875820167.
  7. Tahiri, Soufiane (2016). Mastering mobile forensics : develop the capacity to dig deeper into device data acquisition. Birmingham, UK. ISBN 978-1-78528-106-8. OCLC 952135850.
  8. "fastboot.c\aboot\app - kernel/lk -". source.codeaurora.org. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  9. "Undocumented Fastboot Oem Commands". carlo.marag.no. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  10. "edk2/AndroidFastbootApp.c at master · tianocore/edk2". GitHub. Retrieved 2021-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Hay, R. (2017). fastboot oem vuln: Android bootloader vulnerabilities in vendor customizations. In 11th USENIX Workshop on Offensive Technologies (WOOT 17).
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