Android is a highly customizable operating system. Manufacturers from all over the world have been using this operating system in their smartphones. Huawei has EMUI, Samsung has its TouchWiz, Sony has Xperia UI while HTC is using HTC Sense.
Apart from the manufacturers, Android is giving some freedom to its users so that they can customize their android experience.
We have already discussed in detail what Android rooting really is. There are many ways through which you can root your smartphones. Some cases require a PC and in some cases you won’t. We will be rooting Android 4.2.2 on Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 (Exynos 5, Octacore CPU) by using ODIN and CF Auto-Root tool.
Note: Rooting your Samsung smartphone will void the manufacturer’s warranty and you may damage your device. In case of any damage caused by following this tutorial mobile phone collection will not to be held responsible in anyways. You may proceed at your own risk.
Process:
- Back-Up
As previously discussed it is recommended that you back up data incase you brick your phone
You can either
- Copy all the data from you mobile to your SD card and remove it.
- Use your PC to back-up the data.
- Samsung also has the functionality of using Samsung Kies to back up the data, doing it manually can give better control over the content to be backed up.
- Download USB drivers for the Samsung Galaxy S4
To successfully connect your smartphone with your PC for flashing you would need to download the drivers. You can do so from the following links given below and install them on your computer.
- Download Samsung USB Drivers (http://www.devfiles.co/download/AbRa7wHc/SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe)
- Download Samsung KIES
- (http://www.samsung.com/in/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/)
- Enable USB debugging mode on your Samsung Galaxy S4
In order to enable the USB debugging mode follow these steps.
- Go to Settings on your smartphone
- Scroll down and find ‘Developer Options’ and tap there
- Enable USB debugging and OEM Unlocking
- Download the root package for your Samsung Galaxy S4
You will be required to download the root package for your Samsung Galaxy S4. The root packages are different for every variant of the Samsung Galaxy S4. We will currently be doing the root for Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 (Exynos 5, Octacore CPU). So, do follow the quick easy steps given below to check what model you really are on.
- Go to Settings on your smartphone.
- Scroll down till you see “About Device” or “About Phone” and tap there.
- Note down the model number.
- Go to the official website of Chainfire,(http://download.chainfire.eu/326/CF-Root/CF-Auto-Root/CF-Auto-Root-ja3g-ja3gxx-gti9500.zip) the CF behind CF Auto-Root.
- Download the root package.
- Extract the CF Auto Root package and save the files in a folder in your computer.
After downloading the firmware, you would need to download Odin
- Download the Odin3(http://www.devfiles.co/download/GYz7moKt/Odin3_v1.85.zip)
- Save the file on your PC and extract it.
- Open your smartphone in Fastboot mode
Open your smartphone in Fastboot mode
- Make sure that your smartphone is not connected to any PC.
- Switch off your smartphone.
- Press and hold the Volume Down button simultaneously and then press the Power button until you see Android robot with a triangle.
- Press the Power button again.
Once your device boots into the download mode connect it with the computer using the original USB data cable only.
- Process on your PC
After connecting your device, open the folder where you have extracted the Odin.
- Find the Odin3.exe and open it. If you have proper USB drivers of your device in your PC, one of the ID:COM portals will turn yellow.
- Click on the ‘PDA’ and browse to the file that you have to flash on your phone. This is the CF Auto-Root file which you downloaded earlier. Select the file ‘CF-Auto-Root-ja3g-ja3gxx-gti9500.zip;.
- Check the Auto Reboot and Factory Reset Time boxes.
- Click on the ‘Start’ button.
After sometime your phone will reboot itself into the recovery mode and your custom recovery will then be installed. After the reboot, you can disconnect your smartphone. If you want to confirm, if your device is correctly rooted or not, check if SuperSU application is present in your application drawer.
