Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

You will hear many people talk about rooting the Android operating system as being against the law, something that is naughty to do and a security risk, but those opinions are usually presented to you by people who do not have a magnificent understanding of what rooting Android really is on your device.

The fact of the matter is that without root access you do not have full control over the operating system and you cannot just install what you want and uninstall what you want. That is a problem for many people who find apps that they want, but those apps will not install because the apps cannot run unless they are granted access to the root file system. The problem is particularly annoying for people who are developers and interested in doing developmental work on the software or operating system as there is no application powerful enough to able to do anything that is worthwhile about the Android OS.

The root user account always existing on Android by default but it is then taken away by the Android developers because it helps them contain malware better. That does not mean that it is bad to become the root user or get control of the root user account. As long as you know what malware is and what it is not, you do not need to worry. It does not make the operating system any less secure than before. The only potential problem that getting control of the root user account presents is that if you do install malware on the device it might be able to move then out of the fenced off area that it would’ve have been restricted to without root access, and that is the sole reason why Android block off root access. If Android developers could offer than security and the chance for people to, run all of the extra apps that they need to run they would but there is no way of having the best of both worlds.

Everyone who wants to use the Android operating system as the root user and in control of the root user account needs to follow a guide that teaches them how that is done. Everyone else doesn’t get root access by default, and that is logically the best way of going about it. However, don’t bee fooled into thinking that rooting Android is a naughty thing because of it is not. In fact, according to the law in the United States it is illegal for a corporation like Samsung to refuse to look at your device just because it is rooted if you still have the warranty, You might hear some people send their rooted devices away under warranty and they are looked at while other times they are not. They are not kind when they look at your device. Those are the times when they are following the law.

Notes:

  • Chainfire had the MMB29M.T550XXU1BPE1 firmware build number running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 tablet when the version of the rooting file that he created and is available in this guide was developed for your device. He gives that information of the firmware build number that he had running on his device for everyone to see. He is not suggesting that everyone needs to be running on the same firmware build number that he was running. He gives the firmware information so you can use it as an indicator.
  • You can always reach out to Chainfire and let him know when a file needs updating by leaving messages on the official CF-Auto-Root tool thread that is available over at the XDA-Developers web forum. You know a file needs updating if you flash it correctly and it is causing your device not to boot up anymore; it usually happens when a new bootloader is brought in with a software update. Before he can fix the issue, he needs to be given the recovery image files from the firmware that is running on your device because he uses that to update the rooting files.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet that comes with the SM-T550 model number pot use this guide. Any of the other model numbers are going to get bricked if you flash the version of the rooting file that is available in this guide because they are only ever available for one model number only.
  • You need to have a computer that is running on the Windows operating system if you are going to be able to use this guide because the Odin flashing application is only available for Windows. It does not run on any of the other operating systems and trying to run it from something like a virtual machine doesn’t work either.

Download Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 on Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 tablet so you can use the options that are available to developers.
  2. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 tablet so the Android software allows you to make the changes you need to make for the rooting to work later in the guide.
  3. Extract the rooting file to the Downloads folder on the computer and then run the Odin flashing tool application that becomes available inside the Downloads folder.
  4. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer so that the flashing application can pick up your tablet when you connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 tablet into the Download Mode and connect it to the computer with the USB cable.
  6. Check you can see a yellow or blue color coming from the ID: COM port and the added message is appearing from the Log entry, so you know that the Samsung USB Drivers that you installed are working.
  7. Do not make changes to the default settings that you get from the Odin Options tab which is available next to the Log tab.
  8. Click on the AP button and then browse through to the Download folder and then click on the rooting file that is there so that it uploads to the Odin user interface.
  9. Click on the Start button from Odin and the rooting of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 begins.
  10. Read all of the information that is rolling down the display of the tablet, so you know what to expect because the systemless root version of the rooting file is different than the older version.
  11. Wait until the tablet’s display says that it is going to reboot in ten seconds and then check that Odin shows a pass message from the user interface before unplugging from the computer.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T550 tablet running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by flashing the CF-Auto-Root tool by Chainfire. You now have the SuperSU application available from the app drawer, and you can open it up anytime you want just like any other app. You do not need to open it up though before you start installing the root applications; nor do you need to make any changes to the SuperSU app before the rooting apps can run. They right as soon as you want to run them. All you need to do is find them and download them first. Most of the rooting applications are available from the Google Play Store, and the rest can be found by doing a Google search for the names.

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