Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Android started getting popular when people found out that it was an operating system that runs on heaps of cheaper phones that people could buy instead of paying so much money for an iPhone from the fruit company. While that is not really what Android deserves credit for, they were onto something which is companies beginning to create devices for more niche markets instead of just creating one phone like Apple was doing and expecting the entire world to love it. That is where the smartphone niche markets were born, and they offered something to people who needed things to be more specifically tailored to suit their needs.

Rooting the Android operating system should be viewed much the same way. By rooting it you are then able to do more with Android, and it allows you to change things from the way they are now without you having to buy a device from a different manufacturer.

What rooting essentially means is having more permissions and the extra permissions allow you to run more apps—and more importantly, apps that were not able to run before on the Android operating system. We call these the root apps and they can do anything from making the battery last longer to change the features on your phone.

In fact, rooting the Android operating system is solely about what apps you can install. There is nothing else that rooting Android can do that does not revolve around installing apps that help you do things. The first app I always turn to each time I root my Android operating system is the Titanium Backup app. Titanium Backup can brick your device if used incorrectly, so don’t use it unless you know what you are doing, but it can free up loads of space which isn’t something you typically find apps that backup your data to be doing. The reason being that Titanium Backup is more than just an app to help you with backing up your data, which is why I have always said they should change their name. Titanium also allows you to remove any of the apps that are installed on the device just like a system app remover would or an app to help you remove bloatware. There are also many other apps out there for more cosmetic purposes like changing features. Android comes with heaps of features, but you can add on to them by installing the Tasker app. Described as an automation app, Tasker can elaborate on existing features so you can get more out of them and dares to take you where Android developers did not when they released the final versions of Android that people are finding on their phones.

Notes:

  • Chainfire does tell us that he had the MMB29M.J510SKSU1APG1 firmware build number running on the Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S smartphone when the version of the CF-Auto-Root tool found in this guide was created. It does not mean that you need that same firmware running on your Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone, however. He just gives the information of the firmware that the was running so that you can use it as an indicator in the future if it becomes relevant at all.
  • There is a thread set up over at the XDA-Developers web forum for the CF-Auto-Root tool. You can leave messages there, and Chainfire sees them. If you want to request him to create a rooting method for a device, you can do that by leaving a message. You can also let him know if there is a CF-Auto-Root tool version that needs updating. You know a file needs updating if you flash it and your device does not boot. It happens when a new bootloader is in the firmware—usually only after updating to new Android versions sometimes. He needs you also to leave the recovery image file from the new firmware that is creating the issues when you leave the message because he uses it to update the rooting file, so it starts working again.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone that comes with the SM-J510S model number. Each smartphone from Samsung comes with its own model number that you can find by navigating to the Settings app > About Device > Model Number. If you flash the file on a different model number, it often gets bricked because the Cf-Auto-Root files are usually only available for one model number each.
  • You need to use a computer to run the Odin flashing tool, and the computer needs to be running on a version of the Windows operating system. The Odin flashing tool does not run from a Mac or Linux operating system.

Download Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S smartphone so you can use some of the options that are available inside.
  2. Turn on the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options menu so the Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone can have changes made to its Android software which then allows for the rooting tool to make you the root user.
  3. Extract the CF-Auto-Root tool to the Downloads folder, and you then get the Odin flashing tool executable file and the flashable rooting file available.
  4. Run the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer, so the flashing app that needs to run on the computer is capable of detecting your smartphone when you connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S smartphone into the Download Mode that is available as a separate mode n the smartphone and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  6. Run the Odin flashing tool app which is available in the Downloads folder and when it opens you should get the ID: COM port lighting up with a color (usually yellow or blue depending on the version of Odin that you are using). That ID: COM port is letting you know that your device is ready for the flashing. No color means that the Samsung USB Drivers are not working yet.
  7. Do not make any changes from the default settings that come with the Odin flashing tool when you first open it up.
  8. Click on the AP button and then browse through to the Downloads folder where you extracted the rooting file earlier on and then select the Md5 rooting file to upload to the Odin application.
  9. When you can see the file extension of the rooting file loaded in the AP area, click on the Start button in Odin and the rooting of the Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone begins.
  10. Read the text that is now rolling down the display for the Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone which is programmed to let you know what is happening and what you can expect over the next few minutes.
  11. You know the rooting is complete when the Odin flashing tool gives the pass message inside a green box, and the smartphone says that it is rebooting.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy J5 SM-J510S smartphone running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by flashing the systemless root version of the CF-Auto-Root tool. The smartphone reboots and the SuperSU app is now installed and enabled correctly, so it is ready to grant the rooting permissions upon request to any of the root apps that you wanted to install. Those messages pop up on display automatically when you attempt to run root apps, so you do not have to do anything apart from granting the permissions from the options when it shows up. The systemless root name is just referring to the fact that the rooting tool no longer runs through the system partition. It does not mean the amount of root apps that you can install various at all. All of the same root apps do still run. What it does mean though is that if you take a factory reset it now fully unroots the smartphone just like it would if you were to click on the dedicated fully unroot button that is available from inside the SuperSU app.

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