How to Root and Install CWM on Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE GT-I9505 (Android 4.2.2)?

      The Open Source nature of Android makes is more open to development and gaining access to the root level of system files and this quality makes this OS far more better than all other platforms. In fact, rooting an Android device  unlocks its true potential. While any Android user with the smack of geekish instinct cannot even imagine living without root access on his/her device, there is still a larger class of users who just shudder at the thought of it. Thus, there is a mixed perception about rooting an Android devices. For a detailed discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of rooting readthis article.

        The openness of Android has given rise to a huge community that works day and night to take advantage of the flexibility and access level this OS offers. As soon as a new smartphone hits the scene, and sometime even before the official launch, our developers throw themselves to the job of overcoming new challenges by forwarding a root method for the same. And when it comes to rooting a Samsung Galaxy device, we all look to the renowned developer Chainfire.

    At a time when the Galaxy S4 has not even been released globally and people are still waiting to get it, Chainfire devised a way to root the LTE variant of the phone with model number GT-I9505. In most cases we see a root method for the international version of a Samsung device first but this time it’s the LTE version. One of the reasons why we do not have a working root access on the regular GT-I9500 is the new chipset it houses. It is said that the new Exynos processor will pose greater challenge than the Qualcomm chips used in GT-I9505 when it comes to rooting .

  Anyways, if you have the Galaxy S4 LTE GT-I9505, you can root your device by installing Chainfire’s CF-Root package via Odin.

Prerequisites:

• Charge your S4 to at least 60% of battery level
• Download and install Samsung USB Drivers on your PC: Download
• Download Odin3 and unzip it on your desktop: Odin3-V3.07.Zip
• Download CF-Auto-Root Package and unzip it: Cf-Auto-Root-Jflte-Jfltexx-Gti9505.Zip
• Download CWM based Recovery for GT-I9505: I9505-Cwm-Recovery-6.0.3.2-4.Tar
• Open phone Settings> About> Build Number and tap it 7 times to activate Developer Options. Returning back to main Settings menu, go to Developer Options and enable USB Debugging.

Rooting Galaxy S4 LTE GT-I9505:

Now here are the easy steps to install the root package to your Galaxy S4-

1. Turn off your device and boot it into Download/Odin mode: hold down Volume Down + Home + Power keys together for 3-4 seconds and press Volume Up when prompted on the warning screen.
   
2. Now launch Odin3 and connect the device to computer using USB cable. Wait till Odin detects the device and you see“Added!!” at the message box on Odin.
3. Do not mess with any other option on Odin and directly click the PDA button. Select the CF-Auto-Root-gti9505.tar.md5  file.
4. Finally click the Start button.
5. Installation will begin and when it finishes, you’ll see green signal with PASS!!/RESET!  message followed by device reboot.

Now you will see “Android is upgrading…” message on the screen and after a few moments your Galaxy S4 will boot up properly. Your device is rooted now.

Installing CWM Recovery on Galaxy S4 GT-I9505:

Now that your Galaxy S4 has been rooted, you can also install ClockWorMod Recovery on it. Since it is .tar file, it’ll also be installed using the same procedure you did while rooting the device above. Here are the quick steps to install the custom recovery:

1. Turn off the device and boot it into recovery mode.
2. Launch Odin and connect the device to PC.
3. Click on PDA and select “i9505-cwm-recovery-6.0.3.2-4.tar” file.
4. Do not mess up with anything else on Odin and hit the Start button.
5. Finally, you will get PASS!/RESET! message and your device will reboot automatically.

Done! Your Galaxy S4 LTE GT-I9505 now has root and CWM on it. Enjoy the luxury of owning a rooted Galaxy S4 LTE GT-I9505.

Cheers!