Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

The version of Android that you are always given comes locked much the same way as iOS comes locked. Apple locks people into using Apple’s environment, so Apple continues to make as much money as possible from purchases. With Android, it is more about security than it is Android wanting to make more money from you, but it’s still a locked operating system nonetheless.

Although smartphones and tablets running iOS are becoming increasingly harder to unlock, the Android operating system is still relatively easy. There are also many reasons for why you might still want to root Android whereas most of the reasons for iOS are taken away already, thanks to Apple integrating the features into the native operating system. The iOS 11 that is about to be released, for example, is going to offer an unlimited amount of app icons in the dock; we already know this feature from Cydia as the Harbor tweak. All up, you can expect at least ten Cydia tweaks now being integrated into iOS 11, so you don’t need to jailbreak.

Many of the reasons for wanting to get root access have also been taken away in Android over the years, but there will always be at least a few reasons for still wanting to use the Android OS with root access. The Titanium Backup app is an app that comes to mind because of its ability to be able to backup as well as it does come from it having the chance to dig deep into the Android system, and that isn’t possible to do without root access. That’s why the best backup solution on Android without root access is the Helium app — and everybody knows Helium is no match for Titanium Backup.

Details We Should Know

  • The Android 7.0 software update with build number NRD90M.G920FXXU5EQD7 was running on Chainfire’s Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone when he created the rooting method available in this guide. However, that does not mean you need to be running the same software update. Chainfire states that it should work on any firmware build number for the Android 7.0 Nougat software update.
  • If you flash the CF-Auto-Root tool using Odin on the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone and it causes the device not to boot up, don’t stress. The smartphone is not bricked permanently; it just needs firmware flashed on it manually using the Odin flashing tool. You need to let Chainfire know about the problem by leaving a message on the CF-Auto-Root tool thread so he can update the file, so it starts working again.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone that comes with the SM-G920F model number to use this guide. Flashing the wrong CF-Auto-Root file for your model number does not work, and you need to flash the firmware with Odin to get the device working again.
  • All versions of the CF-Auto-Root tool need to be flashed with Odin. The Odin flashing tool needs to be used on the Windows operating system.

Files We Need

  • Download the CF-Auto-Root tool for the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F running on the Android 7.0 Nougat software updates.
  • Download the Samsung USB Drivers for the Windows operating system running on your computer.

How to Root Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F on Android 7.0

  1. Log in to the computer running on a version of the Windows operating system using the administrator account.
  2. Unlock the Android Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone so you can turn on the USB Debugging.
  3. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone so that the Odin flashing tool can make changes to the operating system when flashing the rooting files.
  4. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the Windows operating system so that Odin can detect your device when you connect it to the computer.
  5. Extract the CF-Auto-Root tool to the Downloads folder on the computer and then double-click on the Odin executable file from the Downloads folder.
  6. Boot the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone into the Download Mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  7. Wait for the ID: COM port to light up blue or yellow and give an “added” message. If you do not see that, then the USB Drivers are not installed correctly on the computer yet.
  8. Do not make any changes to the default Odin settings from either of its tabs on the Odin user interface.
  9. Click on the AP button and then navigate through to the Downloads folder and select the rooting MD5 file to upload to the Odin.
  10. Click on the Start button from the Odin user interface and then wait for the rooting of the Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920F smartphone to complete.
  11. While the smartphone is being rooted, have a read of the information that is running down the display of the device, so you know what to expect.
  12. When complete, the Odin user interface shows a pass message in a new green box.

The CF-Auto-Root tool has just installed the SuperSU app on your device, and you can find it from your app drawer, hovering around the same place you would typically expect to find a new app that you have just installed from the Google Play Store. Think of SuperSU as your gatekeeper to the operating system now. Each app you install that requires root access before it can run is going to get stopped by SuperSU no matter what. There is no way around SuperSU. It’s the God of all gatekeepers. Malware isn’t even going to try to get around it. That’s why when people say root access isn’t secure, they are wrong. The part where the security comes into it is after SuperSU stops it and leaves it up to human error.

You now have to decide if you want to grant an app root access or if you don’t. As soon as you choose to give an app root access, it has the root level permissions over the operating system. That’s why you can only grant root access to the apps you know and trust. Using trusted apps is pretty easy. You should only download apps that you have already researched and know the names of. Then when it comes time to download them, only download them from the Google Play Store or sources where you can see have had plenty of downloads and offer plenty of feedback so you can tell if that app is legit or not.

If there does ever come a time when you think you have granted root access to an app that you shouldn’t have, you need to navigate to the SuperSU applications and open it up. Look in the SuperSU settings for the chance to revoke root access to the apps. You can always change your mind from within the SuperSU app settings. You want to go in there as soon as you can and not let an untrustworthy app have time in your system to give yourself the best chance of it not causing any harm. Once the root access is taken away, it doesn’t matter where that app has currently gone inside your operating system it will be stopped in its tracks and unable to cause any harm.

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