How To: Root Your Brand Spanking New Samsung Galaxy S4

If you pre-ordered your Samsung Galaxy S4, it might very well be possible that you're reading this on your brand spanking new Android device. As is commonplace with the release of popular smartphones, rooting instructions are usually released simultaneously. I mean, what's the point of paying so much for an expensive phone if you can't have a little fun?

Android developer Dan Rosenberg (aka djrbliss) recently announced that you can root your Samsung Galaxy S4 using the root exploit he originally published for Motorola devices—called Motochopper—as long as you have a U.S. model GS4 or any model with a Qualcomm-based variant.

Rooting Instructions

Per his instructions, to root your Samsung GS4, you'll need to:

• Ensure that you've installed the latest Samsung USB drivers available for your phone before you start.
• Extract the entire contents of the Motochopper zip file.
• Make sure that USB Debugging mode is enabled on your device (Apps -> Settings -> Developer Options -> USB debugging).
• Connect your device to your PC via USB.
• If you're using Windows, navigate to the extracted directory and execute "run.bat". If you're using Linux or Mac OS X, navigate to the extracted directory in a terminal and execute "./run.sh".
• Approve the ADB connection from your PC on your device.
• Device should now be rooted!

WARNING: There are no custom recoveries or stock images available, so please be aware that fixing it could be a serious problem if your device gets bricked. Once the phone has settled in the market, developers will be sure to release recoveries.

Note: Like I mentioned above, this will only work on Qualcomm variants of the Galaxy S4. International variants of the device, with Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa chips, cannot be rooted at this time.