If
you own an android device, it’s very likely that you’ve heard of “rooting”. So
what is root and why all the fuss? Android
is based on Linux where the root user is equivalent to the Administrator user
on Windows. The root user has access to the entire operating system and can do many
cool things such as installing custom firmware, removing unwanted bloat ware
applications and just because you can, geting a little more hands on with the
core functionality of the phone. In addition, lots of cool apps such as
Titanium backup won’t function until your device is rooted. Normally, manufactures
disable the root access by default for what they call ‘safety reasons’.
Rooting isn’t mandatory – you only need to root your device
if you want to do things that require root access.
Disclaimer: Please note that you are using this at your
own risk and I am not responsible to any possible damage to your phone or
computer. Please also not that rooting is likely to void your warranty.
Please note that this method will only
work on GT-i9505 with the Snapdragon 600 chipset and it will not work with the
phones has a baseband ending in MDM.
1.
Check your firmware version by going to Settings
> More > About Phone to make sure that you have a model that compatible
with the method.
2.
Make sure you have the correct Samsung driver
installed. The easiest way to do this is to install the latest version of
Samsung Kies.
3.
Prepare a good quality USB cable (preferably the
supplied one) and a stable PC.
4.
FULLY charge your phone.
5.
Switch on USB debugging by going to Settings
> More > About Phone. Scroll down to Build Number and tap it seven times.
This will enable the Developer Options menu, which you can find in the more
area of the Setting menu. Navigate there and then tick the USB Debugging box.
6.
This process won’t erase or change any data on
your phone but it’s always recommended to backup your personal data such as:
Contacts, Messages, Applications, Pictures and Videos. You can do this very
easily using Kies.
7.
Download Motochopper which is the application
which performs the rooting process, extract the files.
8.
Connect you phone to the pc and Fire up
Motochopper by locating the Motochopper files
you extracted earlier and double click the 'Run' executable. You'll see a
screen like the one below:
9.
Follow the on-screen prompts by pressing enter
to root your device. Your Galaxy S4 should pop a notification message up --
simply tap 'OK' to proceed with the rooting process. If you don't see a
message, stop right here and start from step 1. Once the process is complete,
you'll see a screen like the one below.