[GUIDE] UPDATED: How to Root Your Sprint Galaxy S3

[Skunkape60]

Thanks for all your time and effort Skunkape! So I just wanted to clarify a couple things:

I have a fully stock (never rooted) brand new S3 from Sprint that has received the OTA (over the air) update to Jellybean.

----Is there anyway I can root the device and still keep the actual stock rom that is on the device without flashing any new roms (whether it is the stock or custom rom---b/c I'd rather change as little as possible on the phone besides allowing root access)?

----Also, if I root the device, will I have to worry about future OTA updates unrooting or bricking my phone?

I basically am attempting to root the phone for myself and 3 other people (all of whom have no experience with rooting devices), and I would hate to have a bricked phone 24-48 hours later

Rooting your phone using this method does not reload a rooted rom. It does nothing but install the custom recovery and and superuser on your phone. So you actually have the same exact files on your phone.

It is a common misunderstanding that being rooted will store you from getting ots updates. This is not entirely true. Custom recovery and removing bloatware is what causes the ota's to fail.

This is easy to beat if you're not planning on flashing roms themes our mods.

1. Install titanium backup pro and never remove the bloatware. Instead just freeze it. The apps will not run. When you receive an update you just need to defrost them and your back in business.

2. Custom Recovery is a different story. But still easy to overcome. You can reflash stock recovery using your custom recovery at anytime you want.

3. A second way to defeat the custom recovery is by editing the team epic root from recovery zip file. Samsung added a script file that looks for the stock recovery file and if it's not there, it will reload the stock recovery. Team epic root from recovery renames those files so the script doesn't run. Therefore your custom recovery won't be replaced by the stock. But the zip file can be modified so that the files don't get renamed and stock recovery will automatically be rewritten.

4. Lastly, root may very well be lost during an ota. However there are things you can do that may not guarantee it won't happen but does minimize it a bit. Both ota root keeper and SuperSU will save your root in a backup and even hide or disable your root during the ota process. Thus minimizing the risk of losing it and making it easy to restore if you do.

Worrying about ota's is the worst possible excuse for not rooting your phone. During the first day of the jellybean update, I had multiple ways for everyone who wanted to update to update. Even people on custom roms and custom recoveries were able to get updated to jellybean during the very first day. Long before 95% of the people waiting for the update to be pushed through the ota.

 

[Christopher Omar]

im getting E:SIGNATURE VERIFICATION FAILED.. WHY?

 

[Skunkape60]

im getting E:SIGNATURE VERIFICATION FAILED.. WHY?

Which file are you flashing when this is happening? Is it when flashing recovery in Odin? Or is it happening when flashing team epic root from recovery in cwm?

If in Odin, is probably a bad download and you will need to redownload recovery.tar.md5.

If in recovery while flashing g team epic root from recovery, it can also be a bad download or it could be your setup in cwm or twrp. Check to see if you have something like check md5 enabled. The file your flashing doesn't have md5 so if it's looking for it, and it doesn't find it, it will also fail.

 

[dmolavi]

Wow, that was insanely easy (easier than rooting my old Evo). I think it took all of about 10 minutes once I had the rootkit zip downloaded and ready to go. Thanks

 

[dmolavi]

OK, I've hit a bit of a stumbling block. I worked through it, but I wanted to post it here in case anyone else has this happen.

I ran through everything and had good success. However, once I restarted none of the Google apps could connect to the internet, specifically the Play Store and Gmail. Chrome worked fine, oddly enough. This was over both Wifi and 3G.

After restarting the phone this went away and everything worked just fine.

I'm having this problem on my wife's phone, but mine didn't have any issue...Unfortunately, a reboot didn't clear it up. Any idea what will?

 

[dmolavi]

I'm having this problem on my wife's phone, but mine didn't have any issue...Unfortunately, a reboot didn't clear it up. Any idea what will?

Figured it out...It appeared that the system time was set to not use the network, and as soon as i checked the option, it went back to working. i'll see if it stays workig across reboots.

 

[victor93]

when I try to install team epic I get the e:verification fail and no root when I check for root, and can't install busybox. I got a pass from odin! I'm running jelly bean 4.1.1 I've run odin twice and passed I've also tried xda way cwm and still get e verification fail.

 

[Skunkape60]

when I try to install team epic I get the e:verification fail and no root when I check for root, and can't install busybox. I got a pass from odin!

Are you letting the phone reboot before flashing team epic? Are you unzipping team epic? Team epic must NOT be unzipped it must be put on your phone in the zipped configuration. Busybox is built into team epic and gets installed when to flash the zip file from recovery. If you let your phone boot without going into recovery first and flashing team epic it will fail. Your auto reboot must NOT be selected in Odin. As soon as Odin finishes pull the battery so the phone can't start. Then put it back in and go directly into recovery and flash the team epic zip file. Again this must be done prior to the phone being started.

 

[Noe Lara]

im positive no one has asked this.
maybe just cause its a stupid question haha..
if ive received the ota jellybean update
can i root my gs3 sph l710 ?
i read somewhere that you can only root if you have ics..
and if i can, is your first post the way to do it?
or is your post the way to root for ics?

 

[Skunkape60]

im positive no one has asked this.
maybe just cause its a stupid question haha..
if ive received the ota jellybean update
can i root my gs3 sph l710 ?
i read somewhere that you can only root if you have ics..
and if i can, is your first post the way to do it?
or is your post the way to root for ics?

That's preposterous... you can use this method to root ANY version of the Sprint gs3. Yes, use the files and directions in the 1st post.

 

[BilboBagginsofWeed]

I need help, when in download mode, my computer does not seem to recognize my phone, however, Odin still does. The number shows up in the com block and it says attached, however, my phone is not showing up as a selection in My Computer, neither in Odin or Windows in general. Also, it shows up just fine in regular mode, hence I was able to install the files onto my phone in the first place. What do I need to do?

 

[Nicole Gamble]

if it is formatted to exfat it won't work. it should be fat32.

How do you know how the SD card is formatted? I've only seen the "FORMAT SD CARD" option & I just click it when I put in the SD card.

 

[Skunkape60]

I need help, when in download mode, my computer does not seem to recognize my phone, however, Odin still does. The number shows up in the com block and it says attached, however, my phone is not showing up as a selection in My Computer, neither in Odin or Windows in general. Also, it shows up just fine in regular mode, hence I was able to install the files onto my phone in the first place. What do I need to do?

Please tell me what step are you on in the root guide and what are you not seeing our not able to do?

 

[BilboBagginsofWeed]

I am on the "Using Odin" step and I have installed all of the files on my phone, as well as the Samsung Driver on my PC. Odin opens fine, my phone goes into download mode fine, but when I click on PDA, my phone is not available under My Computer. The phone just won't show up at all (anywhere on my PC) while in DL Mode but it shows up just fine in normal mode.

 

[Skunkape60]

I am on the "Using Odin" step and I have installed all of the files on my phone, as well as the Samsung Driver on my PC. Odin opens fine, my phone goes into download mode fine, but when I click on PDA, my phone is not available under My Computer. The phone just won't show up at all (anywhere on my PC) while in DL Mode but it shows up just fine in normal mode.

That's your problem... The file your looking for is supposed to be on your computer. Recovery tar is supposed to be on your computer. Read the instructions again. Pay attention to details.

 

[BilboBagginsofWeed]

Aaah I feel stupid, many thank you's and happy holidays

 

[Skunkape60]

Aaah I feel stupid, many thank you's and happy holidays

No problem... Happy Holidays to you as well.

 

[Nada Hagab]

Re: [GUIDE] UPDATED: How to Root Your Galaxy S3

hi;
i put my phone in the download mode and started to root the phone step by step according to the guide, however in the end i get (succeed 0/ failed 1) and my phone stocked in the download mode, i want to recover it but i don't know how.!! please help

 

[Skunkape60]

hi;
i put my phone in the download mode and started to root the phone step by step according to the guide, however in the end i get (succeed 0/ failed 1) and my phone stocked in the download mode, i want to recover it but i don't know how.!! please help

Remove the battery. Reinstall the battery and turn on your phone. It should start just fine.

Did you have the com and number in the id com block? Could be as simple as drivers or cable. Just because you can transfer files by usb doesn't always mean it will work with this. Also try downloading the kit or files. If you have Samsung kies installed on your phone or computer remove it.

 

[Nada Hagab]

Thank you for answering me
but i noticed now that in my phone (in the download mode) the flashcount showing this { custom binary download:no} not like what i saw in the image of the Flashcount. plus in the Odin, the number of the com is 3 not 8.
and my phone is not working :'(
what should i do ?