Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

While rooting and jailbreaking are technically two different things, they both offer the same kind of upside which taking more control over your device. Although companies like Android and Apple might not admit it, they do frequently steal ideas from the rooting and jailbreaking scene and then implement them over time into the stock software experiences people get when they open it up out of the box and start using it. A couple of neat examples of this include taking screenshots and using WiFi tethering. These are the kind of features that first start out by the developers who were creating apps for root users, and have been noticed and picked up by the real Android developers and install into the operating system by default.

Rooting the Android operating system by definition means being able to write to the root of the system partition. That means having the ability to do anything from the system partition. That includes being able to change the stock ROM for a custom ROM, being able to read other apps data and take advantage of better backing up a solution that is out there for root users like the Titanium Backup app, and being able to enhance your music listening experience with apps like Viper4Android.

Now it does not make a ton of sense for Android to open the floodgates and give the entire world root access because it can do people more harm than good if they do not know what they are doing. For instance, somebody who is not tech savvy could accidentally delete files that the device needed to run properly with root access to the system partition, or they could potentially fall victim to a virus much easier. Think of the current Android operating system that the Android developers give you (with stock Android) as an OS with training wheels. It is tough to make a mistake when you use the stock versions of Android that is locked down because even a virus is trapped and can’t go anywhere within your system. Now think of rooting the device has taken those training wheels off and riding on one of the fastest bikes out there. As long as you know how to ride that bike, you are going to have the time of your life, but it can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.

Notes:

  • Chainfire was running on the LRX22G.T705XXU1BOJ8 firmware build number when he created the rooting file found in this guide. It does not mean that anybody else needs to be running on the same firmware build number necessarily. All it means is that you can use that information as an indicator later if it is not working. The guide should work for all people who have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet that comes with the SM-T705 model number.
  • You must have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet that has the SM-T705 model number to use this guide. The CF-Auto-Root tool made for each model number of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and flashing the wrong file on the wrong model number bricks the device.
  • You must have a Windows computer running to follow this guide that makes use of the Odin flashing tool. The Odin flashing tool works wonderfully for flashing the CF-Auto-Root tool, but it only does so if you are using the Windows operating system. Those of you who have a Mac OS X or a Linux computer need to run a Windows OS virtual machine to get the flashing tool working if there are no other options.
  • The CF-Auto-Root tool trips Samsung’s Knox security if your device is one that comes with Knox security. Knox means that it picks up on the flashing, and it does not un-trip itself when you unroot the device. That means that even when you unroot the device in future, the warranty does not work again.
  • The Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705 might get some more software updates rolling out to it in the future and some of those can stop the CF-Auto-Root tool from working temporarily. To get it working again, Chainfire relies on users to submit the new recovery image found in the new firmware creating issues to the CF-Auto-Root tool thread made at the XDA-Developers website. He sees the messages people leave and then applies the changes to the rooting files with the new recovery images. The changes that he makes to the rooting files are always automatically updates in our guides too because we link directly back to the CF-Auto-Root pages created by Chainfire.

Files We Need

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705 tablet running on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop software updates

  1. Log into the Windows computer using the administrator’s account that is always created when we first install the Windows operating system.
  2. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 so you can use the options given inside the menu.
  3. Enable the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options menu that you just unlocked so that you can connect the tablet to the computer and the Odin flashing tool can make some changes to the developmental work on the software.
  4. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the Windows PC so that the Odin flashing application can detect the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet and allow for the flashing to happen.
  5. Extract the rooting file to the desktop of the computer and the flashing application and the rooting file are both available for you to use.
  6. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705 tablet into the download mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable that you use for charging the battery any other day.
  7. Double-click on the Odin executable file and then wait for the flashing tool user interface to open on the computer.
  8. Do not make any changes from the default settings once it does.
  9. Check you can see a yellow or blue color coming from the Odin ID: COM port and the added word appears on the display. (These two things are there to let you know that the Odin flashing tool is detecting the tablet, and everything is ready for the flashing to happen).
    Click the Start button from the Odin user interface and then browse through to where you extracted the rooting file (the desktop if you followed our steps) and then choose to upload the CF-Auto-Root file ending in the tar.md5 file extension to this location in the Odin app on the computer.
  10. Check the display of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and take in what the CF-Auto-Root package is programmed to show which includes text letting you know when the SuperSU is being flashed, cleaning up the cache partition and the reflashing the stock recovery.
  11. If a few seconds look back up at the computer display and check the Odin flashing tool gives a green box with a pass message inside.
  12. You can now unplug the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet from the computer as soon as it reboots back into the normal mode.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705 tablets when they are running on the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop software updates by using the CF-Auto-Root tool by Chanfire. The version of the CF-Auto-Root tool found in this guide is the older version which still requires modification of the /system partition.The Samsung tablet should reboot now all by itself and then the SuperSu application is available from the app drawer. That is because Chainfire’s CF-Auto-Root tool has installed and enabled the SuperSU app. It is an app just like any other app which allows people to open it up and adjust the settings inside; however, none of the settings need changing. All you need to do is open up the Google Play Store and start downloading your favorite root applications and then they run when you open them up like you would any other app. Anyone who needs some ideas on what to download can check out our list of best root applications for the Android operating system and find some direct download links there too.

CF-Auto-Root on XDA-Developers

Chainfire, the developer of the CF-Auto-Root tool available in this guide, has created a CF-Auto-Root tool thread on the XDA-Develoeprs website. You can use the CF-Auto-Root thread on the XDA-Developers site for requesting new root methods for devices that are not currently available.

Encryption

Note that flashing a CF-Auto-Root file (regardless of the device) wipes the data if the device storage is encrypted. For everyone else, there should be no data loss when rooting with the CF-Auto-Root tool.

Samsung’s Knox security

Some smartphones and tablets in the Samsung range come with Samsung’s Knox security. The CF-Auto-Root tool trips Knox which prevents you from unrooting and using the warranty again.

Flash counters

Any device with a target flash counter is triggered when using the CF-Auto-Root tool. Chainfire’s Triangle Away supports many devices for this problem.