Android Stuck on Boot Loop / Recovery Mode? Complete Fix Guide (Works Even If Power Button Is Broken)

Android phones are reliable — until they aren’t.

One day your phone suddenly:

• gets stuck on the Google / Android logo
• keeps restarting endlessly
• vibrates randomly
• lands in Fastboot or Android Recovery
• shows the terrifying message:

“Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt.”

If you’re here, you’re likely panicking — especially if:

• your power button is broken
• nothing auto-selects in recovery
• ADB / Fastboot commands don’t work
• Windows doesn’t detect your phone properly

This article is a complete, real-world guide based on an actual recovery attempt and covers most Android phones (Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc.).

Symptoms This Guide Covers

This guide applies if your Android phone shows one or more of the following:

• Boot logo loop (Google / Samsung / Android logo)
• Random vibration during boot
• Phone stuck on Fastboot Mode
• Phone stuck on Android Recovery
• Error message:Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt.
• Power button does NOT work
• Volume buttons work
• adb devices shows nothing
• fastboot devices sometimes works, sometimes not

Why This Happens (Root Cause)

In most real cases, this issue is not just software.

Common causes:

1. Failing power button (very common on older phones)
2. Repeated forced reboots → filesystem corruption
3. Aging storage (eMMC / UFS wear)
4. Sudden crash during update or heavy load
5. Battery voltage drops during boot

What usually happens:

• Power button short → endless reboots
• Android fails to mount /data
• Encryption prevents recovery
• Device drops into Recovery permanently

First Rule: STOP Rebooting Repeatedly

If your phone:

• vibrates continuously
• loops between logo and restart

👉 Unplug charger and let the battery drain completely
Repeated rebooting makes corruption worse.

Step 1: Force Entry Into Fastboot (No Power Button)

This works on most Android phones.

1. Disconnect charger
2. Hold Volume Down
3. While holding it, plug charger or USB cable
4. Keep holding for 15–20 seconds

If successful, you’ll see:

FASTBOOT MODE

This is good news.

Step 2: Use a PC (Windows / macOS / Linux)

If the power button is broken, a PC is mandatory.

Install Android Platform Tools

Download from Google:

Android SDK Platform Tools

Extract to:

C:\platform-tools

Step 3: Fix Windows Driver Issues (Very Common)

Most failures happen here.

If Windows DOES NOT detect Fastboot:

• Change USB cable
• Use rear USB port
• Avoid USB hubs

Correct driver must be:

Android Bootloader Interface

If you see:

• ADB Interface
• APP Mode
• Pixel / Android Device

👉 Those are wrong drivers for Fastboot.

Fix:

Device Manager → Update Driver →
Let me pick → Have Disk → android_winusb.inf → Android Bootloader Interface

Step 4: Fastboot Commands (Power Button Not Needed)

In PowerShell / CMD (inside platform-tools):

.\fastboot devices

If detected:

.\fastboot reboot

Or reboot directly into recovery:

.\fastboot reboot recovery

Step 5: Android Recovery – The Critical Screen

If you see this message:

Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt.

This means:

• /data partition cannot be mounted
• Encryption prevents repair
• Bootloader is locked
• Data recovery is impossible

There are only two options:

1. Try again (almost always fails)
2. Factory data reset (this fixes the phone)

There is no third option.

Why ADB Stops Working in Recovery

On this screen:

• adb devices shows nothing
• fastboot no longer works

This is intentional Android security behavior.

ADB is disabled to prevent data theft.

The BIG Problem: Power Button Is Broken

Recovery says:

Use volume up/down and power

But if power button doesn’t work:

• You cannot confirm
• PC cannot override
• Commands will not help

At this point, many users think the phone is dead.

It’s not.

FINAL WORKING SOLUTION (No Repair Needed)

✅ Use USB-C OTG + Keyboard (Works on Most Android Phones)

This is the most important trick.

What you need:

• USB-C OTG adapter
• Any USB keyboard (or mouse)

Steps:

1. Plug OTG adapter into phone
2. Plug keyboard into OTG
3. Use:
   • Arrow keys → navigate
   • Enter → acts as Power button

Now:

• Select Factory data reset
• Press Enter
• Confirm
• Phone wipes and reboots

🎉 Phone is saved (software-wise)

If You Don’t Have OTG

Your only remaining option:

🔧 Hardware Repair (Guaranteed Fix)

• Replace power button flex cable
• Cheap repair
• 30–45 minutes
• After repair, factory reset works normally

What Is NOT Possible (Important Truth)

Be careful of misinformation.

❌ Recover data
❌ Bypass encryption
❌ Flash ROM with locked bootloader
❌ Use ADB on corrupted recovery
❌ Software-only magic fix

Anyone claiming otherwise is lying.

After the Phone Boots

Immediately:

• Back up everything
• Disable forced restarts
• Replace power button if possible

Older Android phones will repeat this issue if hardware isn’t fixed.

Summary (TL;DR)

• Boot loop + recovery error = data corruption
• Broken power button makes it harder, not impossible
• PC helps only until recovery stage
• OTG + keyboard is the ultimate workaround
• Factory reset is unavoidable
• Phone can still be fully usable afterward