Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

There aren’t as many reasons to want to get root access on an Android operating system as there used to be several years ago, but there are still hundreds of reasons to want to have root access when it is all said and done. That is less than the number of total root apps out there for you to try and more a realistic number of unique things that you might find useful that a rooted Android operating system can do that an unrooted one cannot.

Rooting Android is about what root apps you can get installed and what those root apps can do. Most of the reasons are very practical while some others end up being more of a novelty and materialistic. Those who are into the practical side of things can enjoy making the battery last longer that it usually would, find ways to backup all apps and take full backups from the one app instead of having to install a multitude of them, help bring back data that was deleted and even add to existing features with automation apps.

The problem with rooting is finding out how to get it done. The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is a perfect example of a device that many people struggled with earlier on, and now it is easier for many if you have the right model number. There are usually two ways you could root a Samsung Galaxy S% smartphone. The most common method id by heading over to the TWRP website and finding a way to get TWRP installed and then flash the SuperSU from the TWRP image. Because some phone carrier networks did not want the Galaxy S5 rooted, it was a difficult thing to achieve and needed to rely on a security exploit for that to happen. The problem with relying on security vulnerabilities for rooting is that they can be patched in future updates so you need to downgrade to the right firmware that had the vulnerability before the rooting can work.

The other way to get root access—and the simpler way that doesn’t require a custom recovery image or need to rely on a security exploit—is to use a one-click rooting tool. There are many one-click rooting tools out there in existence today that can root almost every device, but the one that is most used for Samsung devices is without question the CF-Auto-Root tool. The CF-Auto-Root tool is developed by Chainfire who is the same guy behind the SuperSU program that people flash from a custom recovery. Moreover, believe it or not, but I did read somewhere that Chainfire was moving away from installing custom recovery images himself and bodes well for all arguments for using something like CF-Auto-Root as a one-click rooting tool that doesn’t require a custom recovery to be installed.

Notes:

  • Chainfire had the MMB29M.G906SKSU1CPF3 firmware running on the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone when the version of the CF-Auto-Root tool found in this guide was developed. Chainfire is not suggesting that you need to be running on the same firmware build number as him when you start doing the rooting guide. he gives that information so you can use it as an indicator.
  • There is a CF-Auto-Root tool thread setup over at the XDA-Developers web forum for people to leave messages there regarding the rooting tool. It is a place where Chainfire encourages people to leave requests for new rooting methods for devices that he has not created yet. It is also a place where you can let him know if an existing version of the rooting tool is not working when you try to use it. Sometimes new bootloaders that are found in new Android versions cause the rooting files to stop working until Chainfire updates them so they can work again. However, because that is such a big job he relies on people letting him know about it. He also requests that people leave the recovery image files from the firmware that is not getting rooted and he uses them to update the rooting file so that it starts working again.
  • You need to have a computer that runs on a version of the Windows operating system if you are to use this guide. The Odin flashing application is not going to run on any other operating system, including anything from Mac or Linux machines that are also popular to use with Android mobile devices.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone that comes with the SM-G906S model number to use this guide. Any other model number gets bricked if you flash the rooting file found in this guide.

Download Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone, and then you can use its options for developers that are available inside.
  2. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone so you can then change the Android software.
  3. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer, so the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone is then able to connect to the Odin flashing tool which is going to be the tool that flashes the rooting file to your phone.
  4. Extract the rooting file to the Downloads folder and then run the Odin flashing tool application that is available in the Downloads folder.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone into the Download Mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  6. The Odin flashing tool user interface now shows a blue or yellow color coming from the ID: COM port and the added message from the Log which are there to let you now that your device is connected correctly and that the Samsung USB Drivers are working.
  7. Do not make changes from the Odin flashing tool user interface or else you run the risk of losing data.
  8. Click on the AP button that is available from the Odin user interface and then navigates to the Downloads folder where you need to select the rooting Md5 file to upload to this location in the Odin flashing application.
  9. Click on the Start button from Odin when you are ready for the rooting of the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone to begin and then focus your attention on the display for the smartphone.
  10. You get updated with all of the information about what is happening and what to expect, including a few boot loops in this version which is normal and nothing to worry about.
  11. Wait until it says the phone is going to reboot in ten seconds and then look in Odin for a pass message to show up inside a green box.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G906S smartphone running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by using the systemless root version of the CF-Auto-Root tool by Chainfire. The SuperSU program has just been installed on your S5 smartphone, and you can see it from the app drawer as soon as the smartphone reboots. You do not need to do anything inside it to get the root applications to start running; it has already been fully enabled and it ready to help you ruin the root apps. All you need to do is make sure that you download the app and run the app that you wanted to try that required root access before it can run and then the SuperSU automatically sends you a pop-up message making you confirm that you do want to grant the app root permissions and then it runs. The additional chance to deny rooting permissions is there so you can double check what you are installing and granting rooting permissions over the operating system so make sure you take a good look at what it getting access to your system because you do not want it to be malware.

Most people buy the Android operating system because they decided to purchase a smartphone or tablet that was cheaper than what other companies like Apple were offering. A minority of people buy Android because the device that is their favorite device in the world runs on Android. A minatory of people again choose to have a device that runs Android because of they love the fact that it is open source and based on the Linux kernel.

The beauty of the nature of open source stuff is that developers can grab the open source code and make changes to it and that means people outside of Android developers can create new features and even entirely new ROMs. The custom ROMs are something different to play with and don’t relate to rooting Android at all unless you are thinking about root apps like the ROM Manager that can help install the custom ROMs.

Rooting is only about what apps it can help you install. There are quite literally thousands of additional apps for people to install from places like Google Play. The only problem is finding them. Google goes out of its way to make finding out about apps that are popular and trending an easy thing to do by showcasing them on the front page. There are no easy resources available from Google Play promoting the root apps. There are, however, many articles online from blogs and websites in general that have gone to the trouble of creating long lists to fill you in on what to look for when you go root app hunting. One of those lists was created by yours truly and exists in this domain. You can find out what we think many of the best root applications for you to install on your Android are and then remember the names of the ones you like on your next trip to Google Play. A few of them are not on the Play Store, but you can still find them online by doing a traditional Google search for them.

Related Tutorials