With a root bounty of over $18,000 up for the taking, developers were highly motivated to get the AT&T and Verizon Wireless variants of the Samsung Galaxy S5 rooted. Legendary hacker George Hotz, aka Geohot, has won the race and can now step up to claim his prize.
Hotz is not just your average developer, he's the guy who brought jailbreak to the original iPhone and unlocked the PlayStation 3. So when he hacks a device, he does it in style. Not only does Hotz's exploit root the G900A G900V S5 variants, it can root any Galaxy S5 and works on almost any Android device with a kernel build date of June 3rd, 2014 or older.
Geohot's Towelroot uses an exploit found by fellow hacker Pinkie Pie that causes the kernel to crash on Linux-based systems such as Android. While the kernel is in this crashed state, an app can ask for superuser permissions and be granted them, even though root isn't normally accessible to the current user. Towelroot induces this kernel crash, gains superuser permissions from Android, then uses them to copy over the requisite files so that other apps can get superuser permissions in the future.
What's more, the Towelroot exploit doesn't require a PC or complicated ADB commands—it's an app that can be sideloaded like any other. This makes Geohot's root method the easiest one yet. And if user reports are to be believed, the exploit doesn't even trip Samsung's Knox. Nonetheless, you should still proceed as if your warranty will be voided as soon as you root your device.
Step 1: Enable Unknown Sources
Since Towelroot is not available on the Google Play Store, you'll need to ready your device for the installation of sideloaded apps. From Settings, under the System section, tap Security. In here, just tick the box next to Unknown Sources and press OK.
Step 2: Download Towelroot
Hotz has made his root exploit app available to all through its website. Just open your Galaxy's web browser and navigate to towelroot.com. From here, tap the lambda symbol to download the installer file.
When the download is finished, tap the notification to initiate the install process. From here, hit Install, and when finished, tap Open.
Step 3: Root Your Device
When you open Towelroot, you'll notice that there's not very much to the app's UI. Just a single button that says make it ra1n.
Just tap this button and you're device will be rooted. That's it. Seriously.
Give the app about 15 seconds to perform Pinkie Pie's exploit and copy over the necessary files, and your phone will automatically reboot. When it comes back up, you'll be rooted. If you know you're way around an Android device, then all of the steps above shouldn't take longer than 20 seconds, though it will vary from device to device.
Step 4: Verify the Root Was Successful (Optional)
If you'd like to test out your new root privileges, you can download Root Checker from Google Play. With the app open, tap on Verify Root to confirm that the procedure went down without a hitch.
When you're doing that, though, you may notice that you weren't asked to grant Root Checker superuser permissions. This is because Towelroot doesn't install a root management app—it just gives root to any app that asks for it.
This is a serious security risk, because malware apps can do some significant damage to your phone with root permissions. An app that covertly installed itself on your phone could automatically receive root privileges without you ever knowing.
Step 5: Install a Root Management App (Recommended)
To remedy the above issue, simply install a root management app. Chainfire's SuperSU is the best app out there in this category, and it's available for free on Google Play. As I'm writing this, though, the current version hasn't been updated to work with the Verizon or AT&T variants of the Galaxy S5.
But Chainfire has updated the app to include support for the G900A and G900V models of the Galaxy S5, and I've uploaded that version for you to grab.
Using your Galaxy S5, tap this link to download the updated SuperSU. When the download is finished, tap the notification to launch the installer, then press Install and Open.
Step 6: Update the Superuser Binaries (Recommended)
When you first launch SuperSU, you'll be asked to update the Superuser binaries. Just tap Continue to begin, then choose Normal as your method of installation.
At this point, you may see a screen asking you to delete Samsung's Knox security feature. If prompted, just tell it No thanks.
When the process is finished, you'll get a confirmation dialog. As it says, for the changes to take effect, you'll need to reboot your phone—go ahead and do that at this time.
When you're back up, any root app will have to explicitly ask your permission to gain access to the system partition of your phone. Just press Grant for an app that you trust, and any suspicious apps can be denied root access by choosing Deny on the same dialog.
Step 7: Disable Security Policy Updates (AT&T Version Only)
As some users have noted, once rooted, AT&T's Security Policy Update service might ask you to update your Security Policies. This nagging notification apparently has the potential to unroot your phone, and we don't want that.
To prevent any issues with Security Policy Update, you'll just need to disable the app. Go ahead and grab one of the many free root-enabled file browsers from the Play Store to get the process underway. I'll be using Sliding Explorer to demonstrate, which is available on Google Play here.
First, be sure to enable root mode on your file browser. With Sliding Explorer, hit the 3-dot menu button and tap Settings. From here, just tick the box next to Enable Root Mode.
Next, use the navigation menu on the left to select Root Directory. SuperSU will pop up asking you to give Sliding Explorer root permission. Tap Grant on this prompt.
Next, navigate to the /system/priv-app folder and locate the SPDClient.apk file.
Tap the 3-dot menu button directly to the right of this file and select Rename. From here, simply append a .bak to the end of the filename and press Rename. Afterwards, just reboot your phone and you'll no longer have to worry about AT&T's Security Policy Update service.
And that's about all there is to it. Your Galaxy S5 should now be rooted, and it can handle root requests in a secure manner.
This is by far the easiest root procedure that I've ever performed. It literally took me less than a minute to get root, and just a couple more to install SuperSU. How long did it take you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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182 Comments
I got an error on the renaming spdclient.apk to spdclient.apk.bak and couldn't perform the function.
This didn't work for my AT&T Galaxy S5. It said when I tried to launch the app that my device is unsupported.
Same phone, same problem.
I have metro pcs and am having the same problem. Phone not supported
Verizon Galaxy S5, same problem. Device unsupported. And no apparent way to contact Towelroot and ask for help. Gadget Hacks should remove this article, or at least change the description. It does not work for every Galaxy phone, so stop saying it does!
This was to turn off the ATand T updates.. using sliding explorer...
Perhaps you should try using a different root file browser. I'm thinking Sliding Explorer doesn't play nice with a rooted GS5 sometimes.
The steps would be virtually the same, but the interface might be a bit different. Give FX File Explorer with the Root Add-on a try.
hi I was wondering if you could step through FX File Explorer. From the Home menu do I tap the # System (Root) to turn off the ATT updates?
YEAH! NEVER MIND I FIGURED IT OUT.... FX WORKED PERFECT!
When SuperSU alerted me of KNOX, it didn't give me an option to not disable it. If I clicked cancel, it just told me the installation failed and to reboot the device.
So I told it to go ahead and (try to) disable it. ...And it's been trying to for several minutes now.
EDIT Woops. Not used to android. Didn't hit OK when it told me the device was gonna restart and the screen locked while I wasn't looking, making me think it went through the fastest reboot in phone history.
Sliding explorer did not work for me as well. Apparently it has something to do with the filesystem being mounted as Read-Only. FX had an option to turn it to Read-Write, and then it worked fine.
Can you please break down EXACTLY how you got to the right area using File explorer. I am scared #$%^ to do something wrong. I cannot find the file to change the extension using File Explorer.
Open FX. (make sure you downloaded the FX root file also)
Tap # System (Root) Tap OK
Open system folder
Open priv-app
Unlock at the top allow
Tap and Hold SPDClient.apk Select Rename
Rename to SPDClient.apk.bak Relock at top
When pressing the SuperSU link and downloading, I get this message:
Sorry, this file is infected with a virus
Only the owner is allowed to download infected files.
What's up?
That's very strange. But, the app has now been updated in the Play Store, so just grab it from here.
same deal for me and I too do not know what's up...
Im coming from a Google nexus and am excited that I can have the functionality that I did with my nexus. I like the S5 but not the OS. so im switching to google now. however if I root using this method is it possible to unroot in a similar way just as I am able to do with a toolkit for the nexus 5?
Edit: reason for unrooting is just in case I return the phone or have a reason to send it back. on the nexus 5 I just unroot and relock the phone so theirs no trace of me rooting.
That's a great question. We're going to find out, and will definitely let you know.
I imagine it should be fairly simple...stay tuned.
Thank you I am switching phones on sunday not because I don't like my nexus but because I use T-Mobile so it makes no sense to pay off my phones when I can always get the newest phone every 6 months. I love stock android but I feel like the nexus is behind on a lot of things so hoping its just as easy for the S5 or even the Htc one M8
Yeah please let me know as well. I would love to know how an unroot process would come about. .
Hello! I have the verizon variant of the S5 and I just tried to download towelroot off towelroot.com and all it does is keep opening a bunch of windows and never actually loads and opens. What to do?
Don't try to download towelroot using Chrome for Android. The same thing happened to me and I had to abort, go into the app settings for Chrome, clear cache, data and defaults, and force-close Chrome to regain control.
Standard "INTERNET" browser that comes with Android worked for me.
I might also add that my T-Mobile Galaxy S5 has a kernel date of Nov 14 so it already had the hole patched <frown>.
Please help me. I did something wrong because now I get the following message: com.android.phone unable to open this aplication because it is turned off. And I have no more sign, I can not make calls.
First thing, give your phone a restart.
If that doesn't work, go to your Contacts app, and tap on a contact to call them. If the call goes through, you should be able to access the Phone app.
Let me know how it goes.
Thank you very much. Ok Go ahead. Now I have 03 problems. 1) I need to change the interface language to Portuguese Brazil, 2) resolve the message "this SIM card is from an unknown source." 3) Connection problem or invalid MMI code. My phone is S5 G-900V..... Please help me.
You're very welcome. To address your problems:
1) I don't have a Brazilian Portuguese option on my Galaxy, but if it is available on yours, you can find it under Settings in the Language & Input menu. From here, tap Language and see if Portuguese is an option for you.
2) What cell phone service are you using? The G-900V model is designed to work on Verizon's network, and unfortunately there are no methods for unlocking the cellular radio to work with other carriers at this time.
3) This problem is related to your second problem. For some reason, your phone is not compatible with the SIM you're inserting into it.
Thank you very much. Unfortunately I bought this phone at Best Buy and the salesman told me it would work in Brazil without problems. However, did not happen like that. He returned me the option to Portuguese Brazil, only English, Spanish, vietnan. I thought with a root could add languages ??and solve these problems. Anyway, thank you very much.
Ola marcos, sou do brasil, mas estou nos eua no momento, comprei um celular desbloqueado da verizon e to com medo q nao va funcionar no brasil, o seu manda e recebe sms normalmente? Estou muito preocupada em relacao a msg só. Esse cel da verizon nao tem nem o centro de msg pra trocar o numero, e o apn nao salva...ja tentei trocar algumas vezes.
I've been trying to root my galaxy s5 but your towel root keeps saying my device is not currently supported. can you please help me?
Same thing happened to me. Your result was a year ago, so I'm guessing they've been able to block towelroot v.3 by now. I've been trying to record my voicemail because I've had to deal with some shady businesspeople. Plus, with almost a Gb of bloatware taking up space I'm looking at a phone future where there's no space on the phone for anything but the calling and message function, plus bloatware. This led me into rooting after changes made to the other.xml file (using Root Browser), weren't able to be saved. So it looks like we both need to find a more current solution for an older phone. I like the swappable battery, so I'm not looking to upgrade.
I accidentally deleted knox... what should i do
Me tooooooooo
I couldn't rename the file SPDClient.apk to SPDClient.apk.bak what are some other options. I tried the FX file Explorer. After I'm done with the root. What will be different about the phone . Thanks ahead for any replies and additional help with this topic.
Having a problem with changing SPDClient.apk to SPDClient.apk.bak need some advice I have fx file Explorer also installed. What do you all suggest. Thank You.
Try uninstalling it through Titanium Backup. The free version is available on the Play Store here.
I've already uninstalled the app on my S5, so I don't remember exactly what it was called in Titanium. But it did have the letters "SPD" in it, so do a search for that when you get TB installed.
Somebody knows how I enable the hotspot in my Galaxy S5 (sure my S5 is from AT&T), I tried the same process applied in Galaxy S4, but it doesn't work.
Somebody can help me?
I guess I shouldn't try & be on the "bleeding edge" of things all the time. Kies notified me of a firmware update earlier this week, so now I have kernel 3.4.0-1966588 dated Tues June 17th. The app locks up & after about a minute, displays a message saying "towelroot isn't responding"...
...so I'm guessing that means that I need to wait for an update...??
Depends on your carrier? If you have AT&T or Verizon...yes. But if you have Sprint, T-Mobile, or an international variant, there may be other ways.
Which carrier do you have?
I have T-Mobile GS5. They released new firmware/kernel on 6/17. Evidently this root method doesn't work on the latest TMO build.
hi, I had same experience as a previous user, please help.
When SuperSU alerted me of KNOX, it didn't give me an option to not disable it. If I clicked cancel, it just told me the installation failed and to reboot the device.
So I told it to go ahead and (try to) disable it. ...And it's been trying to for several minutes now.
Have you updated to the latest version of SuperSU? It was released two days ago.
First off, I want to THANK YOU for such a DETAILED and Incredible breakdown of this process.
For starters, I am switching from iPhone to Android and I am having some serious second thoughts. I like stuff SIMPLE. Like, idiot simple.
You breakdown is idiot simple and I followed it perfect.
I had 2 issues with this process and hopefully you have time to newer both.
1) Like many, I could not switch the filename to .bak until I switched to file explorer. It took me a while to find the right file and I was greeted with a SERIOUS warning that changing a Read only file to a Read-Write file (necessary to change the extension) carried HUGE RISKS.
I DID IT ANYWAY.
After changing it, I then switched out back to read only because I am a wuss. Will this affect anything? Is this ok?
2) I rooted my phone because I CANNOT send ANY mms with video with AT&T as my carrier on my Galaxy 5. I thought this might help me but it has not.
The ONLY way I can send a low grade 15 second video is if I go to attach a file inside the text box and then choose TAKE VIDEO. The quality is HORRIBLE and it is 50/50 if it goes through
So question 2 is as follows:
a) Obviously rooting does nothing for this, correct?
b) Any suggestions?
c) As a non technical person, does rooting serve me ANY PURPOSE?
I TRULY appreciate the response.
Wow, thanks for the kind words, Sean. I'm glad my guide helped you.
For your questions:
1) That was normal, no need to worry. There is indeed risk of damaging your phone's software when you mount system folders read-write, but it's only a risk if you delete or otherwise change something that you shouldn't. Think of it like going into the C:/Windows folder in Windows or the ~/Library folder on OSX. But the file you changed is not essential to the core operating system, so you'll be fine.
2) Unfortunately, there are no methods to send good-quality video clips over MMS on Android. This is due to a limitation of the MMS protocol. iPhones handle things a bit differently and actually use a web connection (rather than MMS) to send videos through iMessage. But there is no similar service available for Android at the moment.
Isn't hangouts an iMessage/FaceTime equivalent for Droid? And I believe it's on iOS as well now.
I have a sprint s5, and want to switch to straight talk, can I unlock my phone yet without paying on a site or is it still to soon?
For some reason, I have the only phone in the world that this app doesn'toesn't support. I have a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit T-599n and Towelroot was rebooting my phone, without Root. Side the latest update it simply says that "This device is not currently supported." No computer access at all at the moment, so this sucks for sure. I've rooted several Android phones without a computer before using a combination of an app called"Poot" and some Ministro II libraries. Anyone know of where I can find this method again, and if it could possibly work with this phone??
im using sm g900h and it says "this device is currently not supported" oh ok .. :D
anyone had a luck rooting their sm g900h?
thanks
So I tried it last night and again this morning and it tells me "This phone isn't currently supported". It's a Verizon Note 3 4.4.2 SM-N900V N900VVRUCNC4 Any ideas?
I re-downloaded it and tried it and it worked! I'm good now!
Good to hear!
I haven't been able to access S health since following this procedure. Not a big issue but it was a feature I used occasionallyj. Verizon S5 Also accidentally disabled KNOX in SU. Anyway to enable it again?
That is strange. Try dragging the app to the top of your home screen so you can access the "App info".
From there, hit the "Clear data" button (this is wipe any information you have in the app).
Alternatively, you can first try the "Clear cache" option in the same "App info" page.
All ready tried clearing data and cache. Didn't solve the problem. I see many people have this happen after rooting the S5. Root Cloak was unable to help either.
I had to restore the S5,reinstall S Health, then root the phone again. Now it is fine. I did accidentally hit the option to delete KNOX. Is there a way to restore it?
Scratch my comment. It's working now.
Does anyone know if you can now toggle 4g/4g lte now on at&t galaxy s5 phones?
that douche geohot is at it again? when is he gonna signe a gag order with samsung for millions like he did with sony for him to leave there shit alone? this dude is out for nothing but e-fame and himself what a douche
also...geo DID NOT unlock the PS3....the PS3 jailbreak has no known source......it was a frikking dongle that no one knows who released it...he did get dumps from the hypervisor via the otheros (linux) and gameOS (actual PS3XMB) by keeping the ram powered on while switching to the linux side of the PS3....the ONLY thing he provided was hypervisor dumps....weeks later came the PS3 jail break dongle title of course "PSjailbreak" if i recall correctly, this dongle was priced at some ungodly $200 or so...until PSfreedom and a few other devs with other various titles used a USB sniffer to decode the hex on the PSjailbreak and create there own open source jailbreak....from this point on at some point team Fail0verflow revealed at the hacker convention (i dont recall the exact name of the convention but hector martin participates in it as well from team twiizers initial hackers of the wii) how the jailbreak method worked and how a buffer overflow would force the public signature to be dumped (look up sony epic fail fail0verflow) at this point in time geo started releasing encryption keys for only 1 (maybe 2) firmwares on the PS3...there IS NO DIRECT LINK TO GEO AND THE PSjailbreak quit handing this douche credit when he settled out of court sided with sony and signed a gag order restraining him from ever hacking/releasing another sony exploit for their hardware again ...even when he had THOUSANDS of dollars of donations from the homebrew scene backing him and his legal fees to keep the fight going...he settled out took the donations and darted...just like he waited for the 18L pot here before he released....hes a greedy douche that claims credit only when it benafits him
Don't know how this last post got past the moderator when we're trying to get through rooting our phones successfully and are sweating bullets, so let's get back on track. I have two things: 1. A couple of people have asked now about being given only the choices of Disable or Cancel related to Knox, and noone has received an answer. I had the same issue. I clicked Cancel, was told it had failed, and was directed to reboot the phone. You didn't cover that as an option, so it scared the pants off me. I rebooted, and absolutely nothing happened other than a normal phone reboot. Went back to this utility and ran it again, and it acts like all is well! Is it? My second question has to do with all the stuff related to downloading Sliding Explorer and going through all those steps. I have T-Mobile as my provider, So do I need to do that stuff? I am a nut about security, but could not tell from your description if i need to worry about it now or am protected? Finally, any way to un-root should we want to? Have we voided our warranties? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
Sorry about that, I should have been more clear about the Knox message. You did the right thing by choosing Cancel, and the message about SuperSU installation failing that came after that was unrelated.
In the few times I've done this procedure since writing this article, I've noticed that sometimes SuperSU fails to install the binaries on the first try. Even after rebooting and trying again, it will sometimes say that it failed again. But it always sticks after the second try, so ignore the message that says it failed.
As far as disabling Security Policy Updates goes, that step is only for the AT&T version of the Galaxy S5. So you'll be perfectly fine without bothering with that step.
Rooted my new S5 right now and it worked perfectly. Thanks Thomas for the detailed description. It took me 5 minutes to read and 45 secods to root :-)
Also installed SU-User. It also works fine if you cancel the Knox option, but doen't seem to be able to disable Knox (maybe I'm just impatient)
So thanx also to Geohot.
@Branda: I also earn my money with creating software and like to get paid for it and I don't condsider myself a douche. It worked for me so I pay for it (what I just did). Who is paying you for that shitstorm? Sony?
Sorry to bother you again, but i use Lookout, and since rooting via this method, every few minutes I'm being warned to uninstall towelroot because my system is now wide open to viruses and the like. Now I'm really nervous. Any insight?
Towelroot exploits a loophole in Android to achieve root, so it makes sense that Lookout would identify it as a potential threat.
If you want to get rid of those warnings, though, you can uninstall the Towelroot app once you've successfully rooted. It is no longer needed at that point.
Can't believe you're still handling questions this late! I and my s5 thank you. That is exactly what i will do, and thanks for the patience with those of us new to this side of the Android world (if that's an even proper way of putting it). Onward!!
PS If you pulled all this together AND are supporting it as well through this Q/A, I'm a huge believer in donating to the cause. I'm new to this group, so fill me in on the ground rules or point me to them. Thanks.
-bf
If you'd like to donate to the Towelroot's dev (geohot), you can do so at the towelroot site here.
If far as we're concerned...we're just happy to have your patronage. Let us know what you'd like to see us cover. Anything you wish your device could do that you can't find a way to make happen?
Would this also work on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5? I am interested in buying that tablet
It's all well and good that some of us have successfully rooted our phones but the real fun stuff begins when we can install custom roms....I can find NONE for the S5, what gives?? No cyanonogenmod, no TWRP, nothing, and this phone has been out quite awhile...
True, development has been a little slow, mainly due to locked bootloaders.
But, I must say that the need for custom ROMs has greatly diminished with the advent of the Xposed Framework. So much so in fact that I now tend to stick with stock builds, and just download Xposed modules to handle all the customization I could want.
Check out some of our guides here.
oh, I have the Samsung Galaxy ATT SM G900A
hi, i hava a Samsung S5 G900V (Verizon 4G LTE), Is there any way to enable Download Booster? which is disabled or hidden
thanks
How can i remove verizon red screen when the fone starts.
I wish there were a way to do this, but unfortunately, there's not. The screen you're talking about is part of the bootloader, and that cannot be unlocked (let alone modified) on the Verizon or AT&T variants. As far as I know, even with an unlocked bootloader, such a mod does not exist.
I have a quick question. Will rooting and/or installing a custom ROM remove the fingerprint functionality?
Rooting itself will not. If you are using ROMs specifically designed for the S5 that use a Touchwiz base, fingerprint functionality will remain intact.
But if you load up something like CyanogenMod or AOKP, or anything based on AOSP, you will lose that functionality.
When I use fx it is saying access denied now what do I do
FX must have asked for Superuser privileges while you weren't looking. That's fine though, just open up SuperSU and tap the FX entry, then press "Forget" and try again.
Hi, can anyone tell me whether this method is meant to work on the Samsung galaxy s5 in Australia? Because it if is I am having trouble, instead of starting the download when clicking on the symbol on towelroot it goes to a new page with a lot of code on it.
It sounds like your browser is handling the link improperly. Or maybe towelroot.com was just having problems at the time.
If it's still doing the same thing, try long-pressing the lambda and selecting "Save Link As...". That may not be the exact option, depending on your browser, but look for something that says "Save".
You probably get tired of everyone asking the same thing, but here goes.
Will all this work for an SM-G900W8 Galaxy S5 signed to Telus here in Canada?
I can't tell you for sure without having the phone to test, but I can tell you that running Towelroot will not harm your device, even if it doesn't work.
Worst-case scenario, it will run and say it failed, but nothing will have changed.
Looks like the party may be over:
https://www.samsungknox.com/en/blog/samsung%E2%80%99s-official-response-%E2%80%9Ctowelroot%E2%80%9D
I got a new S5 last week build number G900VVRU1ANE9 and tried running towel root on it, got the error message that the device was unsupported. Any ideas?
I'm late to the party here.... I'm not cell-savvy at all, I know virtually nothing about various things discussed here, but I'd love to root my S5 from Sprint. The thing is, I've already cancelled my service with them. Is there a way for me to download the apps via computer and install them to do my root?
And then afterwards , is there any tutorial I can study to sort-of get up to speed on cell tech and root issues?
You can connect your phone to Wi-Fi and it will behave like you still have service. Actually, the phone I used to demonstrate this with did not have cell service either, just a Wi-Fi connection.
But if Wi-Fi is not an option for you, what you're saying is indeed possible. Just download the files to your computer, use a USB cable to connect your phone, then your phone will show up under "My Computer" in Windows.
So, from there, just use Windows Explorer to copy the files that you downloaded to your computer, then browse to your Galaxy and paste the files in any folder. After that, use any file browser app for Android to browse to those files on your Galaxy, then tap them and the installer interface should come right up.
Unfortunately, we don't have an all-encompassing root guide at this point, but I'll get with my editor to see if that's something he'd want to do. In the meantime, you can learn a lot from the various tutorials right here in the Galaxy World of WonderHowTo. I try to thoroughly explain each of the concepts that the tutorials deal with, so you can introduce yourself to these ideas one article at a time.
Hi, I'm from the Philippines. I'd like to know if this rooting method would work with my G-900F. The only purpose why I want to root my device is because I want the 3G, H and H+ signal icons to be replaced by a fake 4G icon. It is because 4G coverage in my place is not present and I just like to see it in my status bar instead of the boring 3g, h and h+ ones. BTW, I am new to Android and this is going to be my 1st Rooted android phone after iPhone 5s. Any means of help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. :)
It should work on your variant, but there's no risk in trying. If it doesn't work, nothing will change, so give it a shot!
This does NOT work for the S5 Sport and is confirmed by many others in the XDA community so you might want to reword your article as this does NOT root ANY S5 variant.
I believe this guide was geared towards carrier variants, not model variants. It probably won't work on the Active either.
Yes, that's true. I was not thinking about model variants when I made the title. Sorry for any confusion.
Great walkthrough and video!
Only question, I did this because Verizon tries to force feed me updates to my gs5 ... and on my gs3 these updates were ALWAYS trouble. Any advice on how I can stop the daily reminder to update?
Cheers
I'm running the latest firmware that AT&T has to offer for their GS5, so I can't properly test this. But in the past, I've had success with an app called FOTAKill.
You can download the APK from here, and once that's finished, just use a root-enabled file browser to copy it from your Download folder over to the /system/app folder. After a quick reboot, you shouldn't get the update notification anymore.
If the update has already downloaded, though, you may have to delete it before the old notification will go away. You can find the update files in the /cache folder of your device.
Just an update... plan A didn't work, I was still nagged with pesky update notifier (probably operator error). So for plan b I downloaded Titanium backup PLUS ($4) and froze the app which notifies and does updates... all is well in GS5 land. Thanks again, Dallas for all the help.
Thanks. Just followed the steps. Since the reminder is set for middle of the night I'll update tomorrow.
Verizon s5 will not work after about hfway thru at make it ra1n I get a I'm note saying This Phone Isnt currently supported HELP
Okay have tried both places to rename my file with .baking but it says unable in both places what do I do
It appears that some folks seem to be having trouble with Sliding Explorer. I'd suggest trying a different root-enabled file browser to repeat that last step.
Give FX File Explorer a try. You'll also have to install its Root Add-on, but once you've done that, the process should be the same as depicted with Sliding Explorer in Step 7.
.bak
Same problem. Bought the g900v last week at reseda L.A., though im already here in Rio BR... Guy said there: "all unlocked." Here they say: "verizon is the only unlockable..." Just checked out this forum and discovered a possibility. While reading, I encounter a comment: "unfortunately there are no methods for unlocking the cellular radio to work with other carriers at this time"... This bummed me out. So, dont know what to do.. It also seems that the verizon version is incomplete in options and tools.
I realy dont want to accept there is nothing that can be done, but if someone can have a say, I can take the truth.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, root access isn't enough to carrier-unlock a Verizon GS5. You'd have to be able to unlock the bootloader to do that, and so far, no one has been able to get that done with the Verizon or AT&T variants.
Dallas, is the same true for US Cellular Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900R4? I was able to root it, but I don't know how to unlock this CDMA phone so that I can use it in GSM networks in Africa.
Advice?
Thank you for your excellent website!
How do i perform a NAND backup? do i get TWRP or CWM? Should that be installed afterwards?
Yes, to make a NANDroid backup, you'll have to have a custom recovery installed.
Depending on your variant, I've got a couple of guides on that subject that you can use.
Custom Recovery for AT&T or Verizon Galaxy S5
Custom Recovery for All Other Carrier Variants
Each of those guides includes a step that will walk you through creating a NANDroid backup.
Thanks a lot man. I have the tmobile variant. So I'll def take a look and see what i can do.
I am getting this phone is not supported error in Towelroot. I am running S5 Verizon. Thoughts?
I don't have a Verizon model to test with, but from the reports I've heard, a recent update that Verizon issued closed the loophole that Towelroot uses.
If this is indeed the case, there is currently no alternative root method, unfortunately.
Darn. Booty rescinded!
can't root my SM-G900F with towelroot
i have other problems
storage error :
korean app installed without my permission
please help
Wow, this is really strange. I tried Googling the error you received, but the only page with that text on it was this one.
I'm just spitballing here since I've never heard of that error, but try freeing up some storage space. You may not have enough room on your internal SD card for Towelroot to copy all of its files.
Beyond that, disable any antivirus apps that you may have installed. Also, it might be a good time to head to Settings, then Apps, and uninstall any apps that you either don't use, or are not familiar with.
I hope one of these suggestions worked, but if not, let me know.
I have a Verizon galaxy tab2 4glte, can I use this procedure ? If not can you direct me to a tutorial? Thank you
Yes, the process here would be the same on the Tab 2. Verizon has been updating its devices to close this loophole, so it may not work. But give it a try anyway, because the worst that can happen is Towelroot saying that it could not root your device.
Hey I just got the s5 a couple weeks ago and I can't get the towel root to work right .
try to make it ra1n and gives me this message "this phone isn't currently supported".Plesase help.
What model are you using? The Verizon and T-Mobile variants received an update that kills Towelroot, unfortunately, and other variants may be getting this same treatment soon.
Hi, is it possible after rooting the phone with towelroot, unroot the phone again?
One more thing is that do I get a notification about the security policy update so I can deny it every time?
Yes, you can unroot pretty easily. Here's a guide on that topic.
If you get the security policy update notification, try using Titanium Backup to uninstall Security Policy Update (SPD). Use Titanium to make a backup of the app first, though, in case you want to revert to stock at some point.
i really need some help. when i press the symbol it keeps on making tabs and wont stop, what should i do?
Any help on SM-G900FD dual sim version. Before I end up bricking it?
whats about data and we lost all data after root ur still stay same tell me please
I have a at&t g5 n i had root access through towelroot but my latest update killed my root access now ,n i tired to use towerlroot again and now it says phone is not supported ugh so will there b a revised version of towelroot to counter this new update i received so i can gain access again
Hello do you also have a version for a kernel jun 25 2014?? ITS an Azian
version s5
Unfortunately, no. Android's kernel is a direct fork of Linux's kernel. The Linux kernel was patched to close the loophole that Towelroot uses on June 4th, 2014. As a result, any Android kernel that was synced with the Linux repo after June 3rd will have the loophole closed.
But, most variants of the GS5 can be rooted easily after installing a custom recovery. To my knowledge, only the SM-G900A & SM-G900V variants cannot install a proper custom recovery. So if yours is not from AT&T or Verizon, you can install a custom recovery using this method.
After that, download the latest flashable SuperSU from this link, then install the ZIP in custom recovery and you'll be rooted.
Hello,
I have one cellphone from Verizon, and it is unlocked, some people are having problems with messages because the message center cannot be change, I don't if it is just with Verizon phones, but how can I change the number of message center to another? In verizon phones this option just disappeared!
Thank you.
i got an error with towelroot i started the installed pressed the lambda and then my antivirus flagged towelroot as a virus and i had to be uninstalled did anyone else run into this issue if so how did you work around it to root your phone? i have a galaxy s5 900v with verizon
Every time I click on the symbol it will not download it just keeps opening new windows and I have to close all task to get it to stop opening windows.
I had that exact same problem and I don't know what to do.
Can someone please help me?
There is error when i click make it rain.. the massage is "this phone isn't currently supported" what happend ? Im living in australia using vodafone carrier
I also tried to click the Lambda icon to start the root process for S5 Verizon phone. When I click, it starts a process of opening new windows with the same towelroot.com page over and over again. I cannot stop it, and have to close the browser.
Any way to help?
thanks
I keep getting "your device is not supported" message after touching make it rain link on my Samsung s5 ... what can I do?
same here
Has anyone tried this on the Sprint S5 and does it work??
I successfully rooted my Sprint S5 as of 5 mins ago!
yeah this app doesn't work. It just says device not supported.
I even tried this and it didn't work
any tutorial on how to unroot after using tr??
App says my Samsung GS5 is not supported. It's model number is SCH-G900A
Hello everyone. Sorry for having the picture so huge. This is the build that I currently own and I am located in Dallas TX. Will this root apply to this? This is a GS5 from South Korea, the LTE-A model. I did note that it would work for ANY S5 variant with kernel before June 3rd, however, it being a korean model i wasn't entirely sure. Please advise.
Go ahead and give it a shot, there's no harm in trying. Towelroot won't break anything if it fails to root your phone, it simply tells you it can't root your phone.
bro, mine says he phone isnt currently supported
i use a verizon samsung galxy s5 if that helps
900A from ATT does not work, I get the "this phone isnt currently supported" message
AT&T and Verizon have both issued updates that close this loophole. There is currently no root method for the newer firmwares that AT&T and Verizon have issued.
I root it successfully the first day i get it, but after I unpdated it b/c I don't know I was not suppose to, now I need to root it again and it is fail. How can I root it again successfully?
alright so every time i go to towelroot.com and i click on it it opens abt 100 browers how do i fix that
That's weird. Try using this link, it's a direct link to the APK file.
I have the SGH1337 and it's telling me my device isn't supported? I thought it would work on AT&T?
Sorry, this is a bit outdated now. Several different carriers have issued updates to block Towelroot over the past few months. For now, there really isn't a viable root option on the AT&T GS5.
This trick doesn't work on my phone either. Mine is an SM-G900FD and I get the same message "This phone isn't currently supported".
Since the new Verizon update I am not rooted and can't get my android to root again, please tell me there is something out there that will root my phone with this new update!!
I clicked on the lambda symbol but it just continualy opens multiple blank tabs. How do I download it without that happening?go
Same happened to me on chrome. try the samsung explorer, it worked for me.
When i pressed the "make it ra1n" , it says my device not supported
If you've updated, this won't work any more. Check under Settings->About Device for the kernel build date. If yours is newer than June 3rd, 2014, this method can't be used.
I currently have a Samsung S5 from Verizon, the towelroot program isn't working (says phone's not supported). Maybe this doesn't work for verizon samsung devices afterall?
This only works if your phone's firmware hasn't been updated since the Galaxy S5 launched. Verizon and AT&T, who usually are terrible at pushing out prompt updates, were quick to issue an update that closed the loophole Towelroot was using. They really don't want their customers to have full access to their own devices.
Hi I just tried this on my new Galaxy S5. And it said that my device wasn't supported. I have a SAMSUNG GALAXY S5, US MOBILE IS THE MOBILE CARRIER OF THE PHONE. IT IS ALSO THEIR PHONE.
(meaning that they are the company who put the phone out here. There name is on the phone, like a t-mobile phone has their name on it, or sprint has their name on their phone.) Can anyone help because the reason I'm needing to root is because I bought this phone thinking I could switch it over to t-mobile, because there is no US CELLULAR coverage anywhere around where I live. So I was misled but I take responsibility for being foolish, but I can't even sell it cause no one wants to but a phone they can't hook up to a service. So I'm trying to root . Please help
Hi it's me again. I checked the kernel version and the date says July 10, 2014. I don't remember if this phone has been updated since I've had it, but I haven't owned it the whole time it's been out here in population. Is there anything else that anyone knows of. I cannot afford to buy another and it's too nice of a phone to just throw in a drawe. Help please. I'm pretty comfortable around an Android but rooting is something I've not had to do. So the one click roots looked pretty inviting. Thanks
Using a Sm-g900p(sprint) and it says my phone is currently not supported when I try to use towel root. Does the app not work for this model or is something wrong ?
will TowelRoot root a Samsung S4 mni Please
I'm not sure since I don't have an S4 Mini to test with. But you can head to Settings -> About Device, then check the kernel build date and see if it's older than June 3rd, 2014. If it is older than that date, Towelroot should work for you.
But even if you're not sure about your kernel build date, you can still try running Towelroot anyway. It won't harm anything if it can't root your phone, it will just say it couldn't root your phone.
I have a s5 sport and it says not supported....what should i do?
My t mobile Galaxy Note 2 has android 4.3 and my kernel is dated Tue Nov 19 16:53:20 KST 2013, yet i still got the device not supported message. Any suggestions?
With T-Mobile variants, you can unlock the bootloader and install a custom recovery fairly easily. It's a tiny bit more complicated than just running Towelroot, but it's not that bad at all honestly. If you have a Windows PC, this guide should be all you need.
I downloaded towelroot and clicked on the icon. it downloaded and brought me to the make it ra1n screen. When I click on it, it says that this phone isn't currently supported. Do I specifically need service on the phone in order to root it? this particular phone was shut off. is there another way around this so I can take this phone to my new carrier and use this one rather than having to purchase a new one??
I have a Samsung GalaxyS5 from ATT, but it's shut off. I was told unless the phone was paid for thru ATT I can't do anything with it, so it's totally useless. Is there a way around this? Will this method work?
I am having a problem wit rooting my phone.. I hit make it rain and it says that my phone is not supported. I have the Samsung Galaxy s5 4.4.2 can someone help me here?
So I have a gs5 and whenever I click make it ra1n, it tells me my phone isn't supported. I am using Verizon
You've probably received the firmware update that blocks this loophole. As far as I know, there is no method to root the Verizon Galaxy S5 now that they've blocked Towelroot.
Hey, There were a lot of comments to read through so i apologize if this is redundant.
Are there any plans to make this available for 5.0 Lollipop? I am not competant enough to use the Odin method without bricking plus I do not possess a Microsoft device to link my S5 to.
Thanks
Would anyone in central Virginia be willing to root this for me for a fee?
tevisofelidor@gmail.com
Samsung and Google closed this loophole with a minor update to Android 4.4 last year, so the method being used here won't work in future Android versions. If an alternate method ever comes up, I'll post a guide for it as quickly as I can.
I have a Samsung Galaxy s5 tablet...will this procedure work with mine as well?...If not could you please help me to gain root access to my tablet or explain step by step procedures on how I could do this?
I realize this posting is a bit dated............. as we're midway through 2015; however, I was hoping to get some useful info. I have an S5 I got off Ebay so could "circumvent" verizon's terrible rules regarding "unlimited" data plans. I don't want to spend $600+ for a phone just to keep the unlimited plan. Soooooooo, now I have a refurb'd S5 with the following specs:
Model: SM-G900V
Android version: 4.4.4
Baseband version: G900VVRU1ANK2
Kernel version: 3.4.0
Build number: KTU84P.G900VVRU1ANK2
Hardware version: G900V.05
Firmware version: PDA-NK2 / CSC-NK2 / Phone-NK2
I really, really, really............... want to root this thing, as I've rooted several older Android devices and I just love the true freedom of running what the heck I want. These newer devices seem quite picky about running anything, and I suppose that is to be expected..........
I have a Verizon s5 and I donated but this towel method didn't work for me, does anyone have any working suggestions.
FYI: This no longer works.
its not working on my Samsung GS5 AT&T, i used the codes which i find on google but they are also not working , now what i do and its also not updating to lollipop its says no update available yet please try again after 24 Hr .
please help me to way out
Not supported error message after "make it rain" button pushed. Galaxy S5 running 4.4.4 stock.
Any ideas anyone?
Thanks.
DCM
I receive a message that my device is not supported. I have a GS-900I model with Android 5.0. Any joy out there?
Also not working with my Galaxy S5 I get "This phone isn't currently supported"
Thomas, could you please update us if Towelroot is working for the updated S5 AT&T devices? Thanks in advance
I hope this is still an active chat...looking for the easiest way to root my sprint gs5 after this latest update to marshmellow...any help would be appreciated
Model # SM-G900P
Halo everyone, sorry if I'm new here. I be try to root my S5 for pass 4mth but nothing work on me. I had try whatever i see online I try to root but any work. Any Pro here please give me some advise below are my hp spec he you think there is any software that can root my pls msg me. PLS HELP...!!
Thanx
stonecrow
My HP Spec:
SM-G900F ( KLTE/KLTEXX )
Baseband ver: SM900FXXU1CPFE
Android ver: 6.01
although i have a g900a, towelroot says that my device is unsupported.
ANDROID VERSION: 6.0.1
ANDROID SECURITY PATCH LEVEL: APRIL 1, 2017
BASEBAND VERSION:G900AUCS4DQD1
KERNEL VERSION: 3.4.0-9723602
DPI@SWDG5416 #1
TUE APR 11 14:52:49 KST 2017
Is my phone patched too recently for this to work? would a factory reset help?
I tried this on my Verizon Galaxy S5 because I wanted to get rid of factory installed apps because I am running out of room depot adding memory and I have hardly anything on the phone. When I got to the install step it ran a little and then said
"App "not installed with no explanation.
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