Today, we will be telling you about accessing root privileges on a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 might be a bit old smartphones at this instant, given that Samsung already has launched its eighth generation flagship, many people still use it. It especially is one of the top picks for the power mobile users who want to do development related experiments with their smartphones.
We have already gone into the details of what rooting is. If you don’t know about it or if you are a bit hesitant about rooting your smartphone, let this guide help you out. Android Rooting is basically a way to access the true control of one’s smartphone, by getting deeper than what the default Manufacturer’s restraints allow you to go.
You can root your smartphones through many ways. Some cases require a PC and some don’t. One-click rooting is the rooting that doesn’t need a PC. The only thing which we don’t like about it is that it is temporary and the people who want temporary roots do it. We will be rooting Galaxy Note 3 LTE N9005 (Snapdragon version) running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean using ODIN and CF-Auto Root tool.
Disclaimer: Rooting your Samsung smartphone will void its manufacturer’s warranty and you may damage your device. In case of any damage in any form while following this tutorial, TJ is not to be held responsible in anyways. Proceed at your own risk.
1. Back-Up
There is a slim chance that you would actually loose your data or damage the device. It is always recommended that you do a back-up of the data stored on your smartphone.
You can either
- Copy all the data from you mobile to your SD card.
- Transfer all the data to your PC.
- Use Samsung Kies to backup the device.
2. Download USB drivers for Rooting your Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Download the USB drivers for your Samsung smartphone and install them on your computer. This will enable you to connect the smartphone to your PC successfully.
You can use either of the following links.
- Download Samsung USB Drivers from here
- Download Samsung KIES (Includes Drivers)
3. Enable USB debugging mode on your Samsung Galaxy Note 3
To enable the USB debugging mode, go through these steps.
- Go to Settings on your smartphone
- Scroll down and find ‘Developer Options’ and tap there
- Enable USB debugging and OEM Unlocking
On the current Android versions, by default, the Developer Options aren’t visible in Settings menu. So make them visible by following these steps.
- Go to Settings on your smartphone
- Scroll down till you see “About Device” or “About Phone” and tap there
- Tap on Build Number for 5-7 times to make the Developer Options visible
- Now follow the standard steps to enable USB debugging and OEM Unlocking
4. Download the package to root Samsung Galaxy Note 3
You are required to download the root package for your smartphone. As the root packages are different for every model so do check what model you are on through these quick easy steps.
- Go to Settings on your smartphone.
- Scroll down till you see “About Device” or “About Phone” and tap there.
- Check the model number if it is N9005.
- Go to the official website of Chainfire.
- Download the package.
- Extract the CF-Auto Root package on your PC and save the files in a folder.
After downloading the firmware, you will have to download Odin
- Download the Odin3
- Extract the file on your PC and save the files in a folder.
Before moving to the next step, make sure that you have sufficient battery in your smartphone. Deactivate any anti-virus program which might hinder the process.
5. Open your smartphone in Fastboot/Download mode
You can do so by following these steps. But firstly, make sure that your smartphone is not connected to any PC.
- Switch off your smartphone.
- Press and hold the Volume Down, Home simultaneously and then press the Power button till you see an Android with a triangle.
- Press the Power button again .
As your device boots into the download mode, connect it to your computer using the original USB data cable.
6. Process on your PC
After connecting your device, open the folder on your PC where you have extracted the Odin.
- Find the Odin3.exe and open it. You will see ‘Added’, provided you have the right drivers.
- Click on the ‘PDA/AP’ button and browse to the file that you have to flash on your phone. This should be the extracted file from CF Auto-Root file downloaded earlier.
- Check if the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time boxes are checked. If not, check them.
- Click on the ‘Start’ button.
The flashing will start. Just let it finish and your smartphone will automatically reboot into the recovery mode with your custom recovery installed. If the device does not root and boot into Recovery Mode automatically, do the entire procedure again. After the boot finishes, you are safe to disconnect your smartphone. You can also confirm, if your device has correctly been rooted or not, by checking for SuperSU application. It should be there in your application drawer.
Want such a how-to rooting guide of any other phone? Just mention name of the smartphone in the comments section below and we will be more than happy to look into it.
Image — Cnet
