Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Technology is all around us these days and the driving force behind much of it is an operating system. Most of us have used computers for a long time and need no introductions to operating systems like Windows and Mac OS X that are two popular desktop operating systems that have been around for decades. Nearly ten years ago now there was another type of mobile operating system that hit our stores called a mobile operating system. Apple’s iOS software is Apple’s operating system that it runs on all of its devices. As you could imagine, that one is never fun for being able to do anything that you want to do because Apple always has the motive of making as much money as it can from you, so it chooses to lock you into the things it wants to be on your device.

The Android operating system works a little bit different. For starters, it is based on the open source code from Linux and anyone who grabs that source code can have a play with it and develop new things. We say this happen all the time with custom ROMs that people love to install. However, Android are also guilty of locking you into an environment that takes away the freedom of you being able to choose what it is you install and what it is you uninstall like the operating systems that we grew up with always did.

The Windows operating system that is running on most people’s computers always creates the administrator’s account when the first person sets up the computer. That account can create new accounts, and it has the full privileged control over the operating system and the freedom to do whatever they want. The first user account that you create after buying the Android operating system is not like that at all, and it comes locked down so you cannot do just whatever pleases you.

The point at where this lack of freedom becomes noticeable is when you go to install or uninstall certain applications. There are at least a few thousand from the Google Play Store that are sitting there and waiting for you to install them but when you do download and install them they do not run because they cannot run until they are granted the root access. The root access is referring to getting control of the root user account which is the same as the admin account on a Windows operating system.

Notes:

  • Chainfire makes it public knowledge that he had the MMB29M.T355YDOU1BPEB firmware build number running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet when the rooting file in this guide was a developed. You do not need to be running on the same firmware build number that he had running when you follow this guide, though; he is not giving the information because you need to be running it. He is just letting you know in case it ever becomes relevant for you to know in the future so you could perhaps use it as an indicator.
  • You need to let Chainfire know if you flash the rooting file and it causes your smartphone or tablet not to boot up afterward because that is a sign that there is a new bootloader in your firmware and the rooting file needs updating. You need to send messages to the CF-Auto-Root tool thread on the XDA-Developers web forum that contains the recovery image file from the problematic firmware so he can see them and then use the recovery images to update the rooting file so that it starts working again. Its is impossible to keep track of it all by himself because there are so many devices.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet that comes with the SM-T355Y model number to use this guide. Using one of the other model numbered versions of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A is going to result in the bricking of that device if you flash the version of the rooting file found in this guide because they are only available for the one model number each.
  • You need to have a computer that runs on a version of the Windows operating system to use this guide. Using any of the other operating systems is not going to allow the Odin flashing application to run and that is a problem because Odin is the only thing that can flash the rooting file in this particular case.

Download Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y on Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet so you can use any of the options that then become available to developers.
  2. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet so that the Android software that is running on your device can have changes made to it.
  3. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer so that the flashing tool can identify the smartphone or tablet that you are trying to concoct to it.
  4. Extract the rooting file to the Downloads folder that is on the computer and then click on the Odin file that becomes available inside the Downloads folder, so the flashing tool opens.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet into Download Mode and make the connection to the computer with its USB cable.
  6. Check that Odin shows the ID: COM port lighting up with a color and the added message is showing up in the Log.
  7. Do not change any of the settings from the Options tab next tog the Log tab in Odin because you need the default settings this time.
  8. Click on the AP button and then navigate through to the Downloads folder and click on the rooting file so that it uploads to the Odin.
  9. Click on the Start button when you are ready for the rooting to begin and make sure the device is not not unplugged from the USB cable until the rooting completes.
  10. Read the information that is rolling down the display of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet so you know what to expect from the rooting tool and what is happening; it is all explained to you on the screen because it is programmed to show you so you can learn.
  11. Wait until the tablet screen shows text that states it is going to reboot in ten seconds and then check that Odin shows a green pass message.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T355Y tablet running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by flashing Chauinfire’s one-click rooting tool called CF-Auto-Root. The rooting file has just installed the SuperSU on the Samsung tablet; it did it by installing a modified cache and recovery on the system first, and that allowed for the correct installation. The SuperSU is also fully enabled, so it can grant the rooting permissions to any of the applications that request it when you are ready to begin installing them on the tablet. You install the root apps the same way you install a typical app, and you run them the same way too. Most of the root apps are available from the same Google Play Store that you already visit for the standard apps. The others can be available if you do a search for them on search engines.

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