Installing a Custom Recovery and Rooting the Verizon Developer Edition Galaxy S5
This only applies to the Verizon Developer Edition Galaxy S5, NOT the regular Retail Verizon Galaxy S5.
Given that is a Developer Edition device I would assume a basic understanding of Android, adb and other tools needed.
Let’s install a custom recovery (in our case TRWP), then install Root (in our case SuperSU), then make sure we do a backup of the whole device, just in case.
- Install Samsung USB drivers. (They are on the “CD-ROM” that mounts when you plug in the phone in the computer, or can be found here).
- Turn off "Reactivation Lock" in Settings > General > Security
- Download Odin 3.07 here.
- Download the .tar version of TWRP from here.
- Download the .zip file for the SuperSU install from here and copy it somewhere on your phone.
- Select Odin, click the right button and select “Run as Administrator” (Just to be on the safe side).
- Power Off the Phone and reboot in Download Mode (hold the menu button and volume down buttons then press the power button until the device reboots).
- Make sure the phone is detected, then click the PDA button, select the .tar file downloaded on Step 4. Make sure that only “Auto reboot” and “F. Reset Time” are selected. Click the “Start” button. The Phone should reboot once finished.
- Power Off the Phone and reboot in Recovery Mode (hold the menu button and volume up buttons then press the power button until the device reboots).
- Install the SuperSU .zip file from step 5.
- Now it is also a good time to make full backup of the phone from TWRP. Reboot when done.
- ?
- Profit
Once Rooted you can use Xposed installer, AdAway, Root explorer and Titanium Backup to clean up personalize your phone (See next post).