In this article, I show you 2 of the most common ways to root your Samsung Galaxy S5 or S6 and guide you through step by step on how and why you might want to including all of the benefits. There is also a video to help you through it if you are more of a visual kind of person.
Why Bother?
Root Galaxy S6 Edge
Well, that’s an easy question! Rooting your device modifies the operating system so that you have full control and access over your device. This gives you what’s called Superuser access and allows you to have full reign over the operating system without any restrictions. Basically, it gives you the same power over your device as you have over a computer if you have the administrative rights.The benefits of this are:
Block ads: Advertising has its uses for obvious reasons. But sometimes it can be just irritating when it’s on our phones. By rooting you can download apps like Adaway, which block ads across your system, saving you time and data.Restore space taken up by unwanted apps: When you root a device you can then uninstall the bloatware that many OEMs pre-install on the devices. Apps such as Titanium Backup can be used after rooting to uninstall those unwanted apps.
Batch backup: After rooting, your phone has the ability to make batch backup of all your apps, as well as your data, through apps like Titanium Backup. This means that you can save apps and data to cloud, meaning the days of lost apps are a thing of the past.
Before you Begin: Be Warned!
Most rooting methods currently support Android 5.0.2. Even though most S6s haven’t been updated to Android 5.1.1 yet, if your’s has it’s better to wait for the appropriate root files to come out. If you do try it with Android 5.1.1 you risk tripping Samsung’s KNOX counter, which voids your warranty.There may be ways to mask the KNOX counter in the future, but as yet there aren’t any. Tripping KNOX blows a physical fuse inside the device. This doesn’t cause any damage to your device. However, it is anirreversible way for people to identify if your device has been modified.
If you don’t want to risk tripping KNOX then it may be worth waiting for something else. But if you’re willing to take the gamble and you understand the danger, then please read on.
2 Common Rooting Methods
1. Kingroot
Using the app Kingroot lets you root a range of Galaxy devices with just the effortless tap of a screen. After installing the app on your phone you merely need to tap it for the process of rooting to begin. As long as you don’t have an S6 with Android 5.1.1, then Kingroot will not trip KNOX, which is welcome news. Here’s how to root with Kingroot:Go to your setting screen to security and then enable unknown sources.
Download and then install Kingroot.
Open the app and then let it scan for your devices rooting abilities . If it doesn’t find a root then it will display a button. You should tap on this.
And that, folks, is how easy it all is. Once Kingroot tells you that it’s 100%, the whole process is complete. You don’t even have to reboot your phone.
Other good rooting apps are CF Auto Root, by developer Chainfire, which has been updated to root many versions of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
2. Using Odin to root your device
A better alternative for your S6 devices is the computer programme Odin. This can be used on your Windows computer to root your device in a matter of minutes. Here is how to achieve full mastery over your device through Odin:
Before connecting your device to your windows computer, you should make sure that you have installed the appropriate Samsung drivers.
You’ll then have to download a root package onto the computer. This will come with both an MD5 file and Odin3. With the latter, it will differ depending on both your carrier and your device. I would advice that you extract the files from ZIP and place both files on your desktop.
Now the next step is to turn off your S6. Once it’s completely shut down, you should boot it up into Download Mode by holding down the Volume Down button + Home button + Power button together for a couple of seconds until the display goes blue with a warning symbol at the top. Hit the Volume Up button to go into Download Mode.
Now that the S6 is in Download Mode, go back to the computer and launch Odin. Next, connect the device to the computer using a USB cable. A good tip is to check if you’ve enabled USB debugging on the device. Once in Odin, make sure that your device has been recognized: the little box under ID:COM will be blue. Once you’re sure that you’re connected, click on the AP symbol and choose the MD5 file that was extracted earlier. Now hit start and, if everything has gone accordingly, your device will reboot itself and you are free to disconnect it from the computer.