Last Updated on January 5, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake
The Samsung Galaxy A02s is a smartphone that was released at the beginning of 2021. It came with Android 10 out of the box and is upgradable to Android 12. The default battery life is pretty impressive given that it boasts a powerful 5000 mAh battery. But Samsung smartphones are notorious for coming with a decent amount of bloatware that many people prefer to remove. That’s one of the reasons you may prefer to get root access so you can remove some of those default apps with administrative permissions.
The following tutorial demonstrates how to root the Samsung Galaxy A02s on Android 12/11/10.
How to Root Samsung Galaxy A02s on Android 12, Android 11, and Android 10
Caution:
The Samsung Galaxy A02s may come in several model number variants. This tutorial is written for the SM-A025G model number specifically. It may work for the others as well or it may not. But you will need the correct firmware for your model number.
Notes:
- This tutorial wipes the data. You need to back up your smartphone if you intend to keep the data stored on it.
- Knox does get tripped if you follow this tutorial; however, you can enable Magisk Hide and still use apps like Android Pay because Magisk Hide passes Android SafetyNet. It also allows you to use the entire Google Play Store as you would expect without the root access.
Part One: Unlocking the Bootloader
You need to unlock the bootloader on the Samsung Galaxy A02s before you can root it. Here is how to do that:
1. Unlock the Developer Options on the Samsung Galaxy A02s by navigating to Settings > About Phone and tapping on the build number at least seven times until it says you are now a developer.
2. Go back to the Settings and tap on the unlocked Developer Options menu and enable OEM Unlock inside.
3. Now you need to unlock the bootloader on the Samsung Galaxy A02s. Start by booting the Samsung Galaxy A02s into Download Mode. When in Download Mode, long-press Volume Up to unlock the bootloader. The smartphone’s bootloader will unlock, the data will be wiped, and it will reboot.
4. Though the bootloader is unlocked, Samsung’s VaultKeeper prevents you from installing custom firmware partitions. Proceed to set up the smartphone and connect it to the internet. When it’s ready to use, enable Developer Options again and check if OEM Unlock is greyed out. In this instance, we want it to be greyed out because it means VaultKeeper is allowing the bootloader to load unofficial firmware partitions.
Part Two: Rooting with Magisk
Once the bootloader is unlocked, you can get root access with Magisk. However, this is not a typical Magisk guide; it is a unqiue guide for the Samsung Galaxy A02s so make sure you follow each step carefully. Here is how to root the Samsung Galaxy A02s with Magisk:
1. Install the latest version of Magisk on the Samsung Galaxy A02s. You can install the Magisk files from here if you need to. Magisk 22.0 is not the latest version but is said to work well for this device.
2. Make sure your Samsung Galaxy A02s is running on the latest firmware and download the zip file to your desktop computer. You can use one of the free Samsung firmware update tools if you need to.
3. Extract the AP _ tar.md5 firmware file on your desktop.
4. Transfer the tar.md5 file to the Samsung Galaxy A02s, patch it with Magisk, and then transfer it back to the desktop computer again.
5. Extract the boot image from the Magisk patched tar.md5 firmware file.
6. Extract recovery.img.lz4 and vbmeta.img.lz4 from the stock tar.md5 firmware [that has not been patched].
7. Using an open source program like 7 zip, create a new TAR and add the three files from the previous two steps.
8. Download and install the Odin flashing tool on the desktop computer. From Odin’s interface, uncheck Auto Reboot. Upload the tar.md5 firmware file to the AP button in Odin.
Note: Make sure you do not accidentally boot into Fastboot Mode before Recovery Mode in this next step, otherwise you will need to repeat the previous steps.
9. Reboot the Samsung Galaxy A02s holding the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. When the screen turns blank, release Volume Down and press Power and Volume Up. Release the Power button when the Android figure is on the display. Release Volume Up when the bootloader warning is on the display.
10. Press the Power button to advance beyond the warning screen and you should see Recovery Mode.
11. From Recovery Mode, select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and Reboot System Now.
12. Set up the Samsung Galaxy A02s smartphone again and install the Magisk app.
In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy A02s on Android 12, Android 11, and Android 10