Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone with the T-Mobile model number can be rooted with an updated version of the CF-Auto-Root tool by Chainfire now that it is running the Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates. The older versions of the CF-Auto-Root tool did not work because the way security is on the Android operating system has changed and that has lead Chainfire to changing the way the CF-Auto-Root tool works. Gone are the days when the rooting scripts would modify the /system partition, and now it is all done as a systemless root. The results of the systemless root are much cleaner for people like yourselves who can now unroot the device easier than before–you should be able to find the device unrooted by just applying a factory reset instead of having to flash a stock ROM on the device again.
The systemless rooting method for the Samsung devices developed by Chainfire is also better for the developer who has created a FlashFire application. While still just freshly out of its Beta stages, the FlashFire application claims to be able to keep root access on your device even after you flash over the air software updates that update your device to newer versions of Android. Moreover, the same way we used to recommend you unroot the device if you wanted to send it away under warranty or sell the phone.
Above all, the systemless root method is cleaner and results in your device being even closer to the stock Android, so it should not matter if you want to install the FlashFire app or just keep finding rooting guides online; you will prefer the new rooting tool by Chainfire. Though the systemless root method unroots the device after a factory reset, you only ned to flash the SuperSU on your device again to regain the root access to the internal system.
Related: How To Root Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920W8 On Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Additionally, there is nothing you have to worry about at all with regards to choosing the modified boot image method or the systemless method because Chainfire’s automatically programmed it to handle it for you and it makes the decision based on what it thinks is best for your device. It looks like anything that is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow through to Android N software updates adopts the systemless method both because of the revamped Android security by Google and because it benefits Chainfire.
The only thing we recommend is now searching for your rooting methods based on the software update and not just assuming any guide will work for your device. Google has made it clear that they could change the security they run on Android anytime, and Chainfire has made it clear that there could be some downtime between drinks before he manages to come up with a rooting method for the software updates that you might be running. For now, we know this works on all versions of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and it does not matter what firmware build number your device is running.
There is a new version of the CF-Auto-Rot tool available for each device that is compatible. What I mean by that is you cannot flash the same file on every smartphone and tablet; they come with a unique file all which are called CF-Auto-Root but are based on the different model number. The CF-Auto-Root tool you find in this guide is based on MMB29K.N920TUVU2DPD1 firmware which is part of an Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update. Chainfire, the guy who makes the CF-Auto-Root tool, leaves that information for us to see so we can use it as guidelines. Some Samsung devices do not boot images when they become old, and by seeing the build number, we can research roughly the time which the rooting exploit was made. You do not have to be running the same MMB29K.N920TUVU2DPD1 firmware build number on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone.
Files You Need
- Download the CF-Auto-Root tool for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 SM-N920T smartphone when it is running on the Android 6.0.1 marshmallow updates from here.
- Download the Samsung USB Drivers on the Windows computer from here.
Related: How To Root Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus SM-G928S On Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
You need the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone that has the SM-N920T model number to follow this guide. Any other model number will likely end up bricked when you flash the CF-Auto-Root tool that is found in this tutorial.
You need to have a computer that is running a version of the Windows operating system by Microsoft to use this guide.
There may well be some software updates that roll out for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone over the air that is still based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow updates that bring new bootloaders in with them. A new bootloader can sometimes mean Chainfire needs to have the CF-Auto-Root package updated so that the kernel based on the old firmware can boot again. You know if you have been affected by something similar if your phone does not boot after flashing the rooting file or if the rooting file just does not flash at all for your device. For Chainfire to know a file needs updating, he relies on users like yourselves to send a message to the official CF-AUto-Root tool thread that is made over at the XDA-Developers website along with the new recovery image file found in the new firmware, and he then applies the necessary changes.
The following guide is made for the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates. The rooting exploit by Chainfire might need updating for Android N, and there could be a point in time where this file no longer works which is why we always write our rooting guide based on a particular software update and not assume it works forever.
Rooting the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone running on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates
- Unlock the Developer Options menu on the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone so you can use the distinct set of options available inside.
- Turn on the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options menu that you just unlocked, so you can do some development on the device when connected to the computer with the USB cable.
- Run the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer so your Note 5 smartphones from T-Mobile, is detected by the flashing tool.
- Extract the rooting file to the desktop of the computer so you can use the Odin flashing application and the rooting file that are now both on the desktop.
- Double-click on the Odin app executable file on the desktop and the flashing application that flashes the CF-Auto-Root tool on your device opens so you can see the buttons and the user interface.
- Do not make any changes from the default settings you get from the Odin flashing application buttons and user interface.
- Boot the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 into the download mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
- Click the AP button and then browse the desktop of the computer for the T-Mobile Note 5’s rooting file that is ending in the tar.md5 file extension.
- Click the Start button from the Odin flashing application and the device will now gradually get rooted.
- Pick up the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and you should see the text written on the display that says the CF-Auto-Root tool is detecting devices, mounting the system and mounting the cache, resetting the SUperSU and prepare the SuperSU Installer.
- Keep looking and you see it says it is running the boot image patcher, then followed by an important notice which reads that the first reboot can take several minutes; it can also loop a few times. Do not interrupt it. (That means do not touch any buttons and definitely do it unplug the phone at this point. All boot loops you are witnessing for the next few minutes are perfectly fine and healthy).
- The next lot of text says it is unmounting the system, restoring the stock recovery, cleaning up and then rebooting in ten seconds.
In conclusion, that is how to root the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone when running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow updates. The CF-Auto-Root tool that is made for the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow updates are unique from the older versions, and everything is now a systemless root which means it does not have to change the /system partition during the rooting. The old days would require CF-Auto-Root to install a modified recovery image and cache image to then flash the rooting exploit which enabled SuperSU before finally reflashing the stock recovery all over again. Things have changed now that it is a systemless root because the Android security changed from Lollipop to Marshmallow. Nothing is any different with your smartphone when it is rooted apart from the fact that it now is unrooted when you apply a factory reset, and you need to root the device once again.
As soon as the Note 5 smartphone reboot back into the normal mode, you can start installing the root requiring application if you like. Head directly to the Google Play Store app on your device and start taking advantage of the root application such as Titanium backup. Those who want to experience something cool right off the bat should install Titanium backup for its incredible looking user interface and abilities. You can backup the data on your phone like nothing else before unless you have experience with taking full backups with ADB commands on a computer, but even that does not appear anywhere as impressive at Titanium Backup, which is deliberately designed to appeal to the hardcore technology enthusiast.
Those Samsung Galaxy Note 5 owners among you who would like to check out some more things you can do with a rooted Android operating system running on your device can look at our post that goes into a lot of more details. Things you can read about include overclocking the CPU, removing the system apps (another thing that Titanium Backup is magnificent for), increasing the life of the battery, increasing the hardware performance and installing a custom recovery or custom ROM.
Those of you who have installed the root checker application on the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone and found out that you are not yet rooted can try testing a couple of common problems and see if they help. The first thing you should check is that your device is getting into the recovery mode which is what happens during the flashing by itself, but sometimes it fails to happen. When that happens, Chainfires says the rooting will not have worked as intended which could be the reason why you see SuperSu installed by the root checker app is telling us that your root status is not working. To solve those problems, you need to hold down the hardware button combination for the recovery mode once your device reboots after flashing the CF-AUto-Root tool, and that should result in the SuperSu being correctly installed and enabled on the smartphone.
Furthermore, anyone still stuck and without any ideas on how to get the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rooted can try installing one of the other Odin flashing applications that did not come bundled in with the rooting tool. You can find many versions of the Odin flashing application–each easily identifiable by their unique version numbers. The version that Chainfire bundles in with the CF-Auto-Root tool based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow is always the Odin 3.10, and the version he used to include was the Odin version 1.85. However, nothing is stopping you from also trying the Odin 3.07, Odin 3.09, Odin, 3.04 or any of the other versions. Each version will flash the rooting exploit on your device, and if one of them does not work, keep trying some other versions until one of them eventually does.
Moreover, there can be some Samsung smartphones that have several phone carrier networks all using the one model number. These are usually the devices mode for outside of the United States. If you have a device that shares the one model number across several phone carrier networks, you can SIM unlock the phone and then download the firmware from the Sam Mobile website intended for other phone carrier networks. The only thing is you must install firmware for the same model number still, but the restrictions between phone carrier networks are no longer there if you have SIM unlocked the phone. Should you attempt to flash firmware from another phone carrier network and your device is not SIM unlocked, you will soft brick the device and need to find the correct firmware to flash again before the device starts working.