Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

You might know some people who like to have control over you–your Mom and Dad, your girlfriend and so forth–and thought to yourself; this control thing is annoying. Agreed: control freaks can be annoying in day-to-day life, but when it is you who gets to control thing things can seem a bit different. Take a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 for instance. When you open it out of the box, you get to decide what you put on the device and what apps go where, so you can use them and even control to an extent how the system apps appear. However, if you knew that there was a way to be in more control of the Android operating system that is running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S you would probably still do what it takes to get that control.

Most people have no idea what that Android operating system that is running on their devices can do when it is not being locked down by people. There are Android developers who lock it down for safety and then there are manufacturers and phone carrier networks who lock it down again on top of that basically so we cannot remove the services that they put on the device. Those who are looking for the way to get more control over any Androids software want to become the root user or take control of the root user account. We call this rooting the Samsung Galaxy Tab S and there can be numerous ways to get that done.

Some people like to root the Android software by using a one-click rooting tool. In fact, I can assure you guys that a ton of people like to root using a one-click rooting tool because we watch them all the time. However, the one-click rooting tools offer limited teaching about your device; it is operating system, and how the rooting works, so many professionals prefer recommending a more traditional method. What I mean by traditional is getting the bootloader unlocked, installing a custom recovery and then flashing the right version of the SuperSU application that we know works for your device. The way that I just mentioned (unlocking the bootloader, installing a custom recovery image and then SuperSU) is great, but some people do not want to have a custom recovery installed. Usually, the person who has no interest in a custom recovery are the people who want just to install root applications. Root apps are the main reason for people to root a device, and there are heaps of extra apps out there from the Google play Store that require your device to have root access on them or else they will not run. These root apps can allow you to do just about anything these days–from enhancing your music listening experience, to making the battery last longer and even changing the frequency of the central processing unit. Rooting applications can do it all. However, there is also another side to rooting the Android software, and that is custom ROMs and kernels. Things like custom ROMs and custom kernels need you to have a custom recovery installed before you can install them and that is where the other rooting methods of unlocking the bootloader and then flashing the SuperSU from the custom recovery is convenient.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that you can still root with a one-click rooting tool and then install a custom recovery later. It does not matter how you root the device, the custom recovery (as long as it is available) can still be installed. You just might need to unlock the bootloader first. One of the best things about Samsung devices is that you do not need to unlock the bootloader most of the time. The rooting tools either handle it for you or they just don’t need to be unlocked. If you find a one-click rooting tool and a custom recovery image available for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet like we have here, it can be installed without having it do any bootloader work at all.

Notes:

  • The firmware build number that Chainfire as running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705C when he developed the rooting file is the LRX22G.T705CZCU1BOH2 firmware build number. You do not have to be running on the same firmware build number as him. All you need to do is make sure you are running the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop software update and have the SM-T705C model number, and the rooting should work.
  • Sometimes newer versions of Android can bring new bootloader with them that stop the CF-Auto-Root tool from working. If you are noticing that a software update has stopped it from working, you are to send the new recovery image found in the new firmware build to the CF-Auto-Root tool thread made at the XDA-Developers website so Chainfire can update the file. Once the file is updated, the CF-Auto-Root tool works again, and the file in our guide is always updated real-time because we link directly back to the Chainfire repository.
  • You must have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 that comes with the SM-T705C model number if you are to use this guide. The rooting files by Chainfire are usually specific to the model number and the flashing the working file can brick the device.
  • You must have a computer that is running Windows to use this guide or else the Odin flashing application cannot run on the computer.

Files We Need

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705C running on the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop software updates

  1. Log into the computer you are using for the flashing using the Administrators account so the flashing tool can run.
  2. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.4 so you can use the options available on the menu.
  3. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 tablet so when you connect the tablet to the computer with the USB cable it allows for changes to be made to the Android software.
  4. Extract the rooting file to the desktop of the computer and the Odin flashing application and the CF-Auto-Root app are then on the desktop for you to use.
  5. Make sure you have installed the Samsung USB Drivers on the Windows computer before you start using the flashing tool or else the Odin app might not detect the tablet, and that means the rooting will not work.
  6. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705C into download mode and then connect it to the computer with the USB cable once it is in the download mode.
  7. Double-click on the Odin executable file that is on the desktop and the flashing application you are using opens up, and the buttons are available.
  8. Check that the top left side of the Odin app on the computer is lighting up a blue or yellow color where it shows the ID: COM port.
  9. Do not make any changes to the Odin flashing tool user interface and the buttons available.
  10. Click the AP button and then browse through to the desktop of the computer and then upload the CF-Auto-Root file that is on the desktop that ends in the tar.md5 file extension.
    Click the Start button from Odin and the rooting begins.
  11. Check the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 shows some text rolling down the display now that says it is getting the SuperSU flashed, cleaning up the cache partition and flashing the stock recovery.
  12. Check the Odin app on the computer then shows a green pass box around the top left side near the ID: COM port.
  13. The rooting is complete, and you may unplug the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 from the computer and its USB cable.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 SM-T705C tablets when they are running on the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop software updates by using a version of the CF-Auto-Root tool by Chainfire. Chainfire is the same developer who makes SuperSU which is another method that people root Android operating systems with after they have installed a custom recovery image. Instead of the custom recovery, CF-Auto-Root installs a modified recovery and then a modified cache partition which then helps the SuperSU get installed and enabled the same way it usually would from a custom recovery image. The result is the SuperSU once again installed on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S, and you can start installing all the same root applications that you could if you had of rooted the other way. The only difference is you do not have a custom recovery installed at the moment so anyone wanting to installs custom ROM needs to install one of those before it is possible to move away from the stock versions of the Android operating system.

Rooting the Android operating system that is running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is all about installing more applications most of which are usually available from the Google Play Store. You need to know the names of the app that you want to install before you can find them on Google Play because there is no dedicated area to install them. Anyone in need of some ideas can check out the best root apps for the Android OS and keep the names in the memory bank. Google search is also a great resource for more apps if you need to find some others.

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.