Root and Install CWM Recovery on Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.2.2

Samsung’s new flagship, the Galaxy S4, is ready to take over the world of smartphones. While for a current Galaxy S3 user it might not seem to be a great deal to upgrade, the new users will certainly feel the pride of owning the smartest  handheld gadget on earth.  If you have already grabbed this device and now looking for a working method to root it and install a custom recovery so that you might be able to install apps that require root access, custom ROMs and mods on it, you can now do it easily by following our easy tutorial.

While the LTE variant of the Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) was rooted even before the official release, the users of the international model (GT-I9500) got it later. As you know, having a rooted Android device puts you in an advantageous situation by opening the gates of plethora of development activities focused on your device.

Disclaimer: It sounds pretty odd to shout out the same warning thing each time we come up with such tutorials but it’s still a formality that you must take seriously. Rooting your Galaxy S4 will void its warranty which can be recovered anytime by installing the stock firmware back. Moreover, the procedure described here is considered risky and might soft-brick your phone. Therefore, do not proceed unless you are sure what you are going to do. Do not blame us for any mishap.

Preparations Before Rooting: In the following tutorial, we’ll install a the ClockworkMod recovery that will replace the stock recovery on your Galaxy S4, and then we’ll install the SuperUser app via it. But before we do that, let’s take care of the following things first.

• Download CWM Recovery for Galaxy S4 and extract your computer: Cofface_I9500_Recovery_en.Zip
• Download SuperSU flashable zip package (don’t extract) and copy to your phone’s internal or external SD card using USB cable: CWM-SuperSU-V0.99.Zip
• Download and install Samsung USB Drivers on your PC. If you have already installed Samsung Kies, you can skip installing the drivers but make sure that Kies is closed while you use Odin.
• Make sure you S4 has atleast 60% battery left on it. If not, plug the charger now.
• Turn on USB Debugging from your phone’s Settings> Developer options. If you are unable to find “Developer Options” on your phone, you will have to bring to front by enabling it first. Refer to This Tutorial to activate developer options.

Installing CWM Recovery on Galaxy S4 GT-I9500:

Now here are the easy steps to install the root package to your Galaxy S4-

1. Turn off your device and boot it into Download/Odin mode. To do this, press and hold the Volume Down + Home + Power keys simultaneously for about 3-4 seconds till the screen turns up and you see a warning screen. Press Volume Up to continue to the Download mode.
2. Extract “cofface_I9500_Recovery_en.zip”  file. Inside the unzipped folder,you’ll find Odin3 tool and the CWM recovery files both.
3. Now launch as administrator and when it is opened, connect your phone to computer via USB cable.
4. When Odin detects the device,  the ID:COM port will turn Blue and you’ll see “Added!!” at the message box on Odin.
5. Make sure that “Auto Reboot” option is disabled and only “F Reset Time”  is ticked on Odin
6. Do not mess with any other option, click the PDA button and select the “cofface_I9500_cwm_recovery_en_new.tar”  file.
7. Finally click the Start button on Odin and let the installation finish followed by PASS!! message.
8. Now disconnect the USB cable and pull out the back cover of your Galaxy S4. Remove the battery and put it back after 30-40 seconds.

Installing Root Package on Galaxy S4:

1. Boot your Galaxy S4 in CWM Recovery. To do this, press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together till you see Samsung logo blink for 2 times. Now release the Power key but keep other 2 keys pressed till you see a menu with blue text.
2. In ClockworkMod Recovery mode you will have to use the Volume keys to scroll/highlight the options and the Power key to select them.
3. Now scroll to “install zip from sdcard> choose zip from sdcard”, navigate  to the “CWM-SuperSU-v0.99.zip” file that you copied earlier and select it.
4. Confirm your choice by selecting “yes” when prompted and let the installation finished
5. Finally, go back to main menu in recovery and select “reboot system now”.

You device will now reboot and it might take a couple of minutes before it boots up normally. Now you can see a new app called SuperUser in your phone’s app drawer. To verify if the root access is working fine, you can install and run the Root Checker app from the Play Store.

Note: If this tutorial worked for you (and it should work), please leave a comment below. Thanks.