There are so many reasons to root the Android operating system that is running on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. You might have already heard that one of the main reasons is to start installing apps that you otherwise couldn’t have installed before. That is because there are apps out there (including many from the Google Play Store) that do not run on your smartphone with the operating system locked. You notice that by installing an app, and it says this app needs root access to run. Root access is another way of saying access to the root file system which is what you get when the operating system is unlocked.
You often find that the apps you can install on a rooted Android operating system are greater than the apps that you can install normally. An example of that is when thinking about applications that people use to backup the data from a smartphone or tablet. With the OS locked, people always head toward the Helium Backup app which is great and made by the same guy who founded ClockworkMod Recovery (Kaushik Dutta). Even though Helium is a quality app, it is not close to what you can install after root access (Titanium Backup). Everyone knows that Titanium Backup is better than Helium because it allows you to do more–and that is precisely the kind of upside you get wit rooted apps. They enable you to do more on your Android operating system than those that do not require access to the root file system to run.
The Titanium backup application has always been favorite thanks to its ability to freeze system apps, uninstall system apps, and backup your device better than any other backup app. You find each system app and every other app on your device can be backed up from the main Titanium menu. Moreover, you can quickly seek through the list of apps either in alphabetical order or by the file size, allowing you to be efficient in your working. Titanium also gives users a chance to restore data just as quickly as they can back it up. Further, it comes with a user interface that is breathtaking for anyone who wanted to get some hardcore geekery design.
Android operating system do a pretty good job at giving people the chance to freeze default system apps that are there from phone carrier networks and manufacturers like Samsung. However, they do not allow people to freeze all the system apps. Furthermore, they only give people the chance to freeze these applications and not completely uninstall them. For those individuals who want the system apps completely removed, the Titanium Backup app and a few another root app like the System App Remover application are the only way to go about it.
There are hundreds of different CF-Auto-Root files out there on the web which you can install directly from the Chainfire repository or just visit a blog like our that religiously covers Chainfire’s work and put your trust in our hands to direct you to the right place. There is only one tool named CF-Auto-Root root but it comes out for each device, and the most device requires unique versions of the tool. These versions do not come with separate names, but you can tell the version by looking at the file name and making sure it matches up with the device model number that you have. Anyhow, Chainfire has to base the rooting package on something which is usually a new firmware for each device. That is the firmware that Chainfire is running at the same time that he comes up with the rooting, methods. In this case, it was the MMB29M.N910FXXU1DPD3 firmware build number that he had running on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910F smartphone at the time of creating this rooting tool. He does not say that you need to be running the same firmware on your device when you attempt to flash the rooting file, however. He just gives us the firmware build number information because it can come in handy sometimes like when you want to know at what time Chainfire made this rooting method. Sometimes a Samsung smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 can refuse to boot an old image and those are the times where you might want to look it up and find out the time. Apart from that, it does not matter what firmware build number you are running, as long as your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has the SM-N910F model number and is running on a version of the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates the rooting file should work for you.
Files You Need
- Download the CF-Auto-Root tool for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910F phone when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates from here.
- Download the Samsung USB Drivers for the Windows computer from here.
Note that you need to have the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone that has the SM-N910F model number to flash the file that is found in this guide. Any of the other devices gets bricked when you flash them with the versions of the CF-Auto-Root tool found in this tutorial. You can check out what the model number of your smartphone is by pointing to the Menu > Settings > About Device > Model Number.
You need to have a computer that is running versions of the Windows operating system if you are going to use this guide that makes use of the Odin flashing tool. Samsung developers make the Odin flashing tool but they never gave it an official release, and there is still no versions available for MacOS or any of the Linux distributions. You can run Windows via a virtual machine on an operating system like MacOS if you do not have any other options, but ideally, you have a computer that is running Windows to use this guide.
There might be some more Android software updates that roll out over the air and the firmware files also become available from popular Samsung smartphone and tablet websites such as the Sam Mobile site. A new software update can sometimes present a problem in the sense that they can bring new bootloaders with them. These updates are rare because they usually only come with entirely new versions of Android and we write our guides on each version of Android, which usually keeps you safe from this. However, technically a new bootloader can be present during any update, and they mean Chainfire needs to update the files in his end before they start to work again. That means there can be a lengthy period that a CF-Auto-Root file is not working. For Chainfire to keep track of the new bootloaders, he relies on people like you guys to leave a message on the official CF-Auto-Root thread made over at the XDA-Developers website along with the new recovery image that is found in the new firmware. Chainfire then sees your message and apply the updates that he needs to apply to the new recovery image file, and then the CF-AUto-Root tool starts working again. Those changes that Chainfire makes to the rooting files are real-time updates on our website also because we link back directly to the Chainfire repository so you can always follow these guides and you know are getting the latest file available.
Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910F smartphone running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates
- Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone with the SM-N910F model number so that you can use the set of options that are available to you inside.
- Enable the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options menu so your smartphone operating system (Android) allows you to do some developments on it when you connect it to the computer.
- Extract the rooting tool (CF-Auto-Root) to the desktop of the computer so you can see the Odin flashing tool and the rooting file on the desktop.
- Run the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer so that when you connect the smartphone to the computer with the USB cable and have the Odin flashing tool open your device can be detected and ready to flash files.
- Double-click the Odin executable file that is on the desktop and the user interface of Odin is open, and all the buttons are available on the screen.
- Do not make any changes to the default settings that you get from the Odin flashing tool.
- Boot the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone with the SM-N910F model number into the download mode and then connect it to the computer you are using with the USB cable when it is done.
- Look for the ID: COM port on the Odin user interface to light up a yellow or blue shade and for the “added” message to be present from Odin also. (both of these things are letting you know that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone did connect to the computer properly and you need to fix them before you can do anything that involved rooting the device. Check that you did install the Samsung USB Drivers file on the computer. That file works on just about every type of computer that is running Windows operating system so you should have no problems there. However, in the odd case that it does not want to install correctly for you, there is the universal Windows ADB Driver that you can install on the computer, and it acts as the Samsung USB Driver for you. Either of those options does the trick fine. Anyone who has tried both options and is still not getting the device to be added should try logging out and back in again and make sure that you are logging in using an administrator’s account. The Odin flashing tool does not work unless you are logged in as the administrator).
- Click the AP button from the Odin application user interface and then browse the desktop location for the CF-Auto-Root file that you extracted there earlier which is sending in the tar.md5 file extension.
- Click the Start button from the Odin user interface and the rooting will begin.
- Watch the white text rolling down the display of your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone and have a read of what is happening. Pay close attention to the important notices that it gives you regarding the boot loops that can be expected as well as it taking a few minutes before it is going to be complete. It takes considerably longer than the older versions which would root Android Lollipop and older operating systems.
- Once you get the messages stating that it is unmounting the system, restoring the stock recovery, cleaning up and then rebooting in ten seconds you know the rooting is officially complete, and the smartphone is about to reboot back into the normal mode.
In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910F smartphone when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by using the systemless root versions of the CF-Auto-Root tool. The systemless root version of the CF-Auto-Root tool is the one that comes for all devices when they are running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow updates. Moreover, it is confirmed that Chainfire continues the same process for devices that are running on the Android Nougat software updates which are the next versions of Android that is set to take the world by storm.
As soon as the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone reboots back into the normal mode you should see the Odin flashing application on the computer giving you the green light with a pass message inside the box. That means you are safe to unplug from the computer now and then browse the Google Play Store application for the root checker application or any of the root apps. We recommend taking a minute to install one of the root checker apps that is available and checking the root status before rushing into installing apps that you know nothing about to save yourself any problems trying to work out why something is not working. There is the basic root checker app which is willing to let you install it for free and check the root status of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. Once everything checks out you are free to browse the Google Play Store for the root apps that are going to make your device better than it was before.One of the root applications that we suggest installing is the Titanium Backup app that is available for everything that has root access to the internal system. Those looking to find out more about rooting the Android operating system can check out our list that goes into details about all the things you can do with a rooted Android operating system. Having the Android OS rooted is another way of saying that you are officially the root user now which gives you full control over what you choose to do. Whether it be changing the stock ROM for an aftermarket one, or checking the way your device looks and operates, it all starts wit being the root user first.
Those of you who did follow the guide above and installed the root checker application and it says that your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone is not rooted can try a few things to diagnose why that might be before giving up and turning away. Chainfire always says that a device must be getting into the recovery mode before it can be rooted with the CF-Auto-Root tool. Naturally, that is something that you want to try if your device is not rooted. You can flash the rooting file and then look over at the display of the smartphone and wait until it says the device is about to reboot in 10 seconds. When you get the message and see the device reboot, hold down the hardware button combination for the recovery mode so that it boots into the recovery mode and not the normal mode. That should be enough to have your device rooted this time if it was not getting into the recovery mode.
Furthermore, those who have tried the recovery mode trick and found out that it is still not rooted can try installing another version of the Odin flashing application. The Odin flashing tool is made by Samsung devices but never saw an official release. It comes in many versions, and none of them are given a changelog since the flashing tool was not ever really Samsung;s responsibility. Anyhow, you need to understand that you can install any version of the Odin flashing tool and use it to flash the CF-Auto-Root file on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. It;s just that Chainfire only gives you one version bundled in with the rooting file. He does that as a way of making things nice and easy for you kind of like being polite, but it does not mean that some versions of the Odin flashing tool always works for everyone. Try another version of Odin if yours is not rooted and it just might be enough to fix your problem. We have seen many people try rooting with Chainfire’s CF-Auto-Root tool, and it did not work, so all the did was download a different version of Odin and try again, and it did work.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Sam Mobile is a website you can visit and click on the Firmware tab to enter your device’s model number and browse for all the latest firmware that is available. Here is where it gets interesting: you can install any firmware that is for your model number and phone carrier network and flashing it with the Odin flashing tool and see if that helps fix the rooting problem. Moreover, anyone with a device that is unlocked (as in SIM unlocked) can download the firmware for the same model number, but it does not have to be the same phone carrier network anymore. Note that not all devices have more than phone carrier network using the one device so that tip does not always help. However, those who do have a model number that is shared by more than one phone carrier network can SIM unlock the device and try one of the other to see the CF-AUto-Root tool works better on that firmware.