How to Root Sprint Galaxy S4 on MF9 Firmware!

For those of you having trouble rooting your Sprint Galaxy S4 on latest MF9 firmware, there’s an easy way by using CF Root by XDA user ChainFire.

Step 1. First, you will need to install either CWM or TWRP recovery.  Follow a or b below:

a. For installing CWM, follow steps 1 through 6 here.

b. For installing TWRP, follow steps 1 through 9 here.

Step 2. Download the latest CFRoot on your phone (or download on your computer and copy to your phone.)

Step 3. Using CWM or TWRP, find the CFRoot zip file and install it then reboot.

You should have a fully rooted Sprint Galaxy S4 on MF9 firmware.

Credits – ChainFire

T-Mobile UVUAMDL Firmware Update Root Fix!

For those of you having problems with the latest UVUAMDL firmware, this is because T-Mobile has added a SetUID restriction on the kernel.  This can easily be solved by flashing a stock kernel with the restriction removed.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON UVUAMDL build OTHERWISE THIS KERNEL WILL BREAK THINGS IN YOUR PHONE!

After using ODIN to flash CWM or TWRP, boot into CWM or TWRP recovery and flash this stock kernel:

Download Stock MDL kernel with SetUID restriction removed

Then follow the rest of the steps to install CWM SuperSU zip file in recovery.

Credits – XDA <— Please donate to developer or hit “Thanks” button on XDA if this has helped you!

Sprint VPUAMDL Firmware Update Root Fix!

For those of you having problems with the latest VPUAMDL firmware, this is because Sprint has added a SetUID restriction on the kernel with the latest update.  This can easily be solved by flashing a stock kernel with the restriction removed.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON VPUAMDL build OTHERWISE THIS KERNEL WILL BREAK THINGS IN YOUR PHONE!

After using ODIN to flash CWM or TWRP, boot into CWM or TWRP recovery and flash this stock kernel:

Download Stock MDL kernel with SetUID restriction removed

Then follow the rest of the steps to install CWM SuperSU zip file in recovery.

Credits - XDA <— Please donate to developer or hit “Thanks” button on XDA if this has helped you!

How to Root Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-i545! [UPDATED]

For those of you who just picked up a brand, new Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-i545, there’s a root method out now.

Currently, Verizon Galaxy S4 bootloader is locked, meaning you cannot use CWM or TWRP root method.

Also, the VRUAMDK kernel on the Verizon Galaxy S4 comes with SU-co*k-block which makes it hard to root.

BUT, there is a way to do this by flashing a pre-release VRUAMD2 kernel using ODIN, then using Motochopper to root, then re-flashing the VRUAMDK stock kernel.

Here’s how to root your Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-i545 step-by-step:

Step 1. First, go check your Build number under Settings->More->About Phone.  If your build number ends in MDK you can follow this root method exactly, otherwise make sure you download the stock kernel for the build number you are on.

Step 2. Turn off your Verizon Galaxy S4.  Then hold down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together.

Step 3. Let go of all buttons when you see the warning screen and hit Volume up button to enter ODIN download mode.

Step 4. Connect a micro-USB cable from your phone to the computer.

Step 5. Download VerizonGalaxyS4RootMDK.zip and unzip/extract.  You will find everything you need including drivers, motochopper, and ODIN.

Download VerizonGalaxyS4RootMDK.zip

Double-click on “odin3 v1.85.exe” file to run ODIN program.

Step 6. You should see a yellow-highlighted box with a COM number.

If you don’t see this, run the Samsung USB EXE program to install drivers.  Then unplug your USB and plug to your phone again.

Step 7. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE but hit the PDA button and choose the file with “MD2″.

Step 8. Hit Start button and this will flash a pre-release MD2 kernel and your Verizon S4 will reboot.

Step 9. Once rebooted, goto Settings->More->About phone.

Step 10. Click on “Build number” about 5 times until it says “Developer mode has been enabled”.

Step 11. Hit Back button and you can now see a new menu option called “Developer options”, hit it.

Step 12. Make sure “USB debugging” is checked ON.

Step 13. Run the “run.bat” program inside the motochopper directory, this will root your Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-i545.  Make sure to WATCH YOUR PHONE SCREEN as you will have to confirm couple alerts.

Step 14. If everything went well, you will see “Exploit complete”.  Hit Enter key and your Verizon S4 will reboot.

Step 15. Once rebooted, you will find a new app called “Superuser”.

Step 16. Since Superuser app isn’t supported with MDK kernel, we need to switch to SuperSU app.  Go to Play Store and download SuperSU app.

Step 17. Open up SuperSU and choose “Continue” when it asks you, “The SU binary needs to be updated. Continues?”.

Step 18. Choose “Normal”.

Step 19. Choose “Allow”.

Step 20. Choose “OK”.

Step 21. Now you should see SuperSU instead of SuperUser app.

Step 22. Power off your S4 and reboot into ODIN mode by holding down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together.

Step 23. Hit Volume Up and connect a micro-USB cable from your phone to the computer again.

Step 24. Choose PDA button in ODIN and choose the MDK kernel.

Step 25. Hit Start button and this will re-flash your stock MDK kernel and your phone will reboot.

Step 26. You can verify you have full root by downloading and opening Titanium Backup app.  Congrats!

Step 27. Do you need CWM or TWRP recovery?  For CWM recovery, simply install ROM Manager from Play Store and install it.  For TWRP recovery, simply install Goo Manager from Play Store and install it.  (Watch end of my video tutorial starting at 10:53 if you don’t know how to do this.)

Credits – XDA.

How to Root Galaxy S4! [CWM Method][GT-i9500][GT-i9505][T-Mobile][Sprint]

Here’s “CWM Method” of rooting your Samsung Galaxy S4.

Currently, this root method is only for the GT-i9500, GT-i9505, AT&T SGH-i337, Sprint SPH-L720, and Korean (E300S, E300K, E300L) until we have a stable, working CWM recovery for other models.

For GT-i9505, AT&T SGH-i337, T-Mobile, Sprint SPH-L720, and Verizon, you can also use the other root method here.

For rooting Sprint S4 on MF9 firmware, see here.

Step 1. Power off you Galaxy S4 and hold down VolumeDown, Center Home, and Power buttons together for about 5 seconds.

Step 2. When you see the warning screen, let go of all buttons then hit the Volume Up button to enter ODIN Download mode.

Step 3. Connect a micro-USB cable from your Galaxy S4 to your computer.

Step 4. Next, download CWM recovery for your Galaxy S4.  (Currently only GT-i9500, AT&T, and Sprint is available but I will be updating the page as soon as stable ones are available for other models.)

Also download ODIN, Samsung USB Drivers, and SuperSU Zip files.

Step 5. Unzip ODIN and run the odin3 v1.85.exe file by double-clicking on it.

If you see a yellow highlighted box like shown below, you are good to go, if not, double-click on the Samsung USB drivers EXE file you downloaded earlier and install drivers, then unplug/re-plug the micro-USB cable to your phone.  You should see yellow highlighted box.

Next, choose PDA, then browse to the CWM recovery you downloaded earlier for your Galaxy S4.  (It’s a file ending in .tar)  Hit Start to begin flash CWM recovery to your phone.

Step 6. This will flash a custom CWM recovery to your Galaxy S4 and your phone will reboot.

If you see “PASS!” that means everything went successfully.

Step 7. Next, after your phone reboots, copy the SuperSU zip file you downloaded earlier to anywhere on your Galaxy S4.

Step 8. Power off your Galaxy S4 then hold down Volume Up, Center Home, and Power buttons together.

Step 9. When you see the Samsung logo, keep holding down Volume Up and Center Home buttons but let go of the Power button.

Step 10. Once in CWM Recovery, choose “install zip from sdcard” and hit the Power button.

Step 11. Choose “choose zip from sdcard” and hit the Power button.

Step 12. Choose “0/” directory and hit the Power button.

Step 13. Browse and find the SuperSU zip file you copied over earlier and hit the Power button.

Step 14. Choose “Yes” and hit the Power button.

Step 15. This will install su binaries and SuperSU superuser app on your phone.  This essentially “roots” your Galaxy S4.

Step 16. Go back to main menu and choose “reboot system now”, then hit Power button.  Your Galaxy S4 will reboot.

Step 17. Once rebooted, you should find SuperSU app in your app drawer.

Step 18. Run the SuperSU app once and update the binaries.

Step 19. You can verify you have full root by downloading and opening rooted app like Titanium Backup app (which I highly recommend for backing up/freezing/un-installing your apps).

You should see a Superuser request window pop-up!  Congratulations, you have fully rooted your Galaxy S4!

Q&A

Q1: Why did you use an older version of SuperSU?
A1: I like the older version of SuperSU which doesn’t have delay but you can easily update to the latest version of SuperSU by updating it in Play Store or even switch to SuperUser app.

Q2: After installing recovery and reboot, I don’t see CWM recovery just stock recovery, what’s happening?
A2: That’s caused by some stock firmwares writing over the CWM recovery. To get around it, run ODIN again to flash CWM, then pull battery out when you see “PASS!” in ODIN, then boot straight into recovery by putting the battery back on and using the buttons, you should see CWM recovery now!

Q3: Root is not working on my T-Mobile Galaxy S4 with UVUAMDL firmware!
A3: T-Mobile has put a new SetUID restriction on the kernel, you can fix by flashing UVUAMDL kernel with SetUID restriction removed.

Q4: Root is not working on my Sprint Galaxy S4 with MDL firmware!
A4: Sprint has put a new SetUID restriction on the kernel if you have VPUAMDL build number, you can fix by flashing VPUAMDL kernel with SetUID restriction removed.

How to Install Custom ROM on Galaxy S4!

For those of you who want to install a custom ROM on your Galaxy S4, here’s how to do it using CWM recovery. (TWRP method is nearly identical just different looking menus but I will have tutorial on that too)

Before we begin, you will need a rooted Galaxy S4 with CWM recovery installed.  If you used CWM root method, you have CWM recovery already, if not, install CWM recovery first by following Steps 1 thru 6 here.

Also, you can use Titanium Backup app to backup all of your apps before installing a new custom ROM so you can easily restore your apps.   For SMS texts, use an SMS text backup app (many available on Play Store) so you can restore them easily after installing a new ROM.

For contacts, I highly suggest using a GMail account as your contacts will be restored automatically after installing a new ROM when you sign into Google.   If you don’t have a GMail account, just make a dummy account just for your contacts!

Before installing a new ROM, make sure you have at least ONE ROM backup, which will easily restore your phone back within minutes.

Step 1. Download appropriate ROM file for your Galaxy S4.

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU’VE DOWNLOADED A COMPATIBLE ROM FOR YOUR GALAXY S4 OTHERWISE YOU CAN BRICK YOUR PHONE!!!  E.g. If you install GT-i9505 ROM on AT&T Galaxy S4 SGH-i337, you will BRICK YOUR PHONE!  I’ve had many people who DON’T FOLLOW DIRECTIONS who’ve bricked their $700 phone, please do not end up being one of these people.   Double-check the ROM and triple-check that the ROM you downloaded is COMPATIBLE with your Galaxy S4!!!

Also, if you are downloading AOSP ROM (What is AOSP?), you might need to also download Google Apps (Gapps) and install that too.

You can download these ROM files straight to your Galaxy S4 or download on your computer and copy it to your phone.  DO NOT UNZIP the files, they should be in “zip” format, exactly the way you downloaded them.  Mac computers will automatically unzip these files but copy the actual ZIP file to your phone.

Step 2. Once you have your ROM files copied/downloaded to your Galaxy S4, power off your phone then hold down Volume Up, Center Home, and Power buttons together.

Step 3. When you see a little blue letters “Recovery booting…” at top, let go of all the buttons.

Step 4. Once in CWM recovery, choose “Wipe data/factory reset”.  This will erase your apps and app data but it will not erase the contents of your internal storage and SD card.

You may be able to skip this step depending on the ROM but for clean install, I do recommend doing wipe data/factory reset.

E.g. If installing AOSP ROM while you have TouchWiz ROM running, you will need to do this step.

However, if installing TouchWiz ROM while you have TouchWiz ROM running, you can try skipping this step.  Just make a backup ROM before installing so if you have problems, you can always go back.

If you are updating the same ROM, you can most likely skip this step also such as installing newest AOKP ROM while you are running older version of AOKP.

Step 5. Next, choose “Install zip from sdcard”.

Step 6. You can choose either “choose zip from sdcard” if you have your ROM files in your internal storage OR “choose zip from external sdcard” if you have your ROM files on your microSD card.

Step 7. Browse your storage and find the ROM zip file and select it.

Step 8. Installing ROM should take around 2-5 minutes depending on the ROM you are installing.

Step 9. (Optional) If the ROM you are installing requires Google Apps (Gapps), go ahead and install that too by repeating Steps 5 thru 7.

Step 10. (Optional) If having trouble installing a ROM (end up in a bootloop), try a fresh install and do this Step.  You can usually skip step though.  Wipe your temporary files by choosing “Wipe cache partition”.

Go to “Advanced” menu and also wipe dalvik cache.

Step 11. Reboot your Galaxy S4 and if you see welcome screen, you should be on your new, custom ROM!  Congrats if this is your first time installing a custom ROM!

FAQ

Q: I’ve tried installing new ROM a dozen times but it will not boot!  How do I get my phone working again quickly?
A: There’s three solutions to this.
First, if you made a backup ROM (like I told you to), you can easily restore your backup ROM within minutes using CWM recovery.
However, if you didn’t make a backup ROM, you can unroot completely back to stock using ODIN and stock firmware.
Also, you can try installing another ROM, it could be a problem with the ROM you are trying to install.  If you cannot connect your phone as a USB drive then use a microSD card to copy your ROM files.

Questions?  Leave your questions in the comment box!

VN ROM for Galaxy S4 GT-i9500!

Based on XXUAME1 Android 4.2.2 TouchWiz base, the VN ROM brings you “transparent” theme along with Adam kernel which gives you much better battery life over stock. I’ve also even underclocked my CPU to 1.4Ghz (from regular 1.6Ghz) using SetCPU app and getting fabulously long battery life (over a day easily).

Other notable feature on VN ROM include stuff like Call/Messege block enabled, call recording enabled, Call menu in Contacts (so you can call directly from contacts), unlimited SMS recipients, customizable battery icons, and some more.

This seems like a very good, stable ROM that’s going to get better and better as we go along.

For those of you who are interested in something like this, definitely give it a twhirl this week(end) and do let me know what you think!

Download:

Download VN ROM for Galaxy S4 GT-i9500

For installation, please see our ROM installation guide first. Also, if this is first time installing a custom ROM, please MAKE A BACKUP ROM which will save your phone if something goes wrong!

Credits – XDA <— Please donate to the developer of hit the “Thanks” button on XDA if you like this ROM, thx!