Finally, Root for the USA Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ has been achieved. Thanks to the XDA Recognized Contributor elliwigy who worked hard and shared the files and guide to Root Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ US variants (Snapdragon Variants). Snapdragon models are available in the US and some other markets and they are hard to root, while the company is selling the Exynos variants in Europe, Korea, and many other regions. Exynos models of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus have been rooted previously and also TWRP for Korean Galaxy S8/Plus Snapdragon variants was available. Now Qualcomm users can check the below guide to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants.

The current root method is exploit-based and does not unlock Galaxy S8/S8+ bootloader. On the plus side, KNOX isn’t tripped but locked bootloader means there is no custom recovery or ROM for it. The developers were able to get read/write access to the system partition and managed to install the SuperSU and root the device. The below guide is focused on Root Snapdragon Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ US Variants and works on both Galaxy S8+ (SM-G955U and G955U1) and Galaxy S8 (SM-G950U and G950U1). If you have a Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S8 or S8+, then follow the below step by step guide to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants.

How to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants

The process to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants is divided into 2 parts. The first step will flash 4 Pre-packaged firmware files and some adb commands to run some scripts and push supersu to root on the ENG system.img. The second process will use Flashfire to flash the stock system.img.ext4 and supersu.zip to install root to the system. Below we shared both steps separately so you can Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants easily.

Also Check –

Note:-

  • Follow the steps correctly otherwise you may brick your device. We are not responsible for any damage to your phone.
  • It will erase all your personal data including data of internal storage, so we advise you first to take a complete backup of your phone and then proceed.
  • Ensure that your phone has at least 50-60% charged to prevent the accidental shutdown in-between the process.

Requirements:-

Files required to Root Galaxy S8 Snapdragon variant –

Files required to Root Galaxy S8+ Snapdragon variant –

List of device Supported –

  • Samsung Galaxy S8 (Snapdragon variants – G950U/U1)
  • Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Snapdragon variants – G955U/U1)

How to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants

Part 1 –

    1. Download the S8/Plus SAMPWND firmware package and the systemroot.zip file to your PC.
    2. Now extract the both zip files in the ADB and fastboot folder.
    3. Open Prince Comsy Odin, and place the firmware files in their respective slot (BL –> BL, AP –> AP, CP–> CP, CSC–> CSC)
    4. Connect your Galaxy S8 to your PC with the data cable and reboot into the Download/Odin mode.
    5. To enter into download mode turn off your phone and press and hold the Bixby and volume down bttons, then press the power button. until you see the download mode screen.Download Mode
    6. Once you enter into Download mode, you see an ID: COM port turned blue and Added message in Odin message box means your device has recognized by Odin.S7 Odin
    7. If ID: COM doesn’t show means your driver is not correctly installed or try it with different USB cable.
    8. Make sure that only these options are select/tick Auto Reboot, Re-Partition, F. Reset Time, Nand Erase All, and Phone Bootloader Update.
    9. Now click ‘Start‘ button and it will start flashing the file. Wait until you see ‘Pass‘ in Green Color on Odin screen.
      Odin Pass
    10. Now your device will reboot into recovery mode, at this point just select reboot system now.
    11. Now, setup your phone and enable USB Debugging again.
    12. On ADB folder press shift+right click and click on open command here.
    13. Now check your connection by typing the below command
      adb devices

       if your device is listed, you’re ready to move to the next step.

    14. Issue the following adb commands one by one.
      adb push systemroot /data/local/tmp
      
      adb shell chmod -R 0777 /data/local/tmp
      
      adb shell setsid su
    15. If the last command from above worked for you, you’ll not be seeing dream2qlte, $ or # in the command window, but when you type in “id” and hit enter it should show you as root.
    16. If you see dream2qlte, $ or # Type “exit” in the command prompt till you see a blank line and don’t get any errors. You will see a in the next line a “#”. Then type “id”
    17. Once you’re in the root shell, enter the command below.
      echo /data/local/tmp/systemroot/remount2.sh > /sys/kernel/uevent_helper
      (this will remount system and rootfs as r/w)
    18. Now wait 10-20 seconds and then type “mount” and enter until you see / or rootfs and /system mounted as RW. Once you see them mounted as RW, execute the below script.
      sh /data/local/tmp/systemroot/root.sh

      (there will be some errors displayed back to you in adb, don’t worry about them)

    19. When the script is complete your device will reboot. This step will Root Snapdragon Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus US variants.
    20. Once the phone is back up, you should be rooted.
 Part 2 (Optional)
  1. Take the stock firmware of your choice and extract the system.img.ext4. Copy system.img.ext4 on your device’s internal storage or sdcard.
  2. Download the supersu.zip file from above and copy it to either internal storage or external sd card.
  3. Download flashfire from the Play Store
  4. Open the flashfire app and grant root permissions (this must be done with airplane mode enabled)
  5. Exit flashfire
  6. Open SuperSU, go to settings, scroll down, and enable pro features.
  7. Reopen SuperSU, select flashfire, and force user ROOT.
  8. Open Flashfire again, and Select Flash Firmware Package and navigate to your system.img.ext4. When you select it and a window pops up, make sure to select mount /system read/write.
  9. Press the + sign again and select Flash Zip or OTA. Navigate to the supersu.zip and select it.
  10. Select wipe and make sure the top 3 options are selected, press the check in the top right corner
  11. Now make sure the files are in specific order like from top to bottom: WIPE –> Flash Firmware Package –> Flash ZIP or OTA. If your order is not this, Press and hold the “wipe” option and slide it to the top above flash firmware package. Make sure it is in that order before pressing the flash button!
  12. Press the Flash button and wait for your device to reboot
  13. Congratulations your Snapdragon Galaxy S8 and S8 plus Root Successfully.

This is the complete guide to Root Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Snapdragon Variants. If you have any questions, then comment below.

Source – (1), (2)

Author

Sumit is a Tech and Gadget freak and loves writing about Android and iOS, his favourite past time is playing video games.

1 Comment

  1. Are there any videos of this process with the correct order of steps with details? I’m not very computer savvy and I don’t know what half of this stuff means. But I do want to be able to root my s8+. This is a lot to figure out and I ain’t scared to try it, but I don’t want to brick my phone either. What is the success rate for this method? If there is a method to root without a pc, please let us know when it is officially done with success.

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