Samsung Galaxy Note  phablet
A passerby using his mobile phone walks past an advertisement promoting Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 3 at its exhibition hall at a railway station in Seoul on 25 November 2013.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Samsung has already released Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS to Galaxy Note 3 N900 quite early in the year as a part of routine software update to their flagship devices but users who are interested in rooting can unlock their device using the Chain Fire's CF-Auto-Root application tool.

Rooting enables users to install custom ROMs, third party applications of their choice and also perform tweaks in the settings to improve the device's performance. Though users get more control over the smartphone, the company warranty will be void and they will no longer be liable for future updates [warranty can be restored by flashing the device with stock-ROM].

Prerequisites (things to remember before rooting the device):

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N900 (Exynos 5 Octa-core model ) must be running on the official firmware - XXUENF3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat
  • Rooting of devices leads to a complete data wipeout, so make sure to back all data. [Install Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone to save the data]
  • Users make sure you have installed USB drivers on the PC to connect your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N900 or else the phone will not get detected in the computer.
  • Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery or else there is chance of device getting bricked.

[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) of Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or may even lead to the device being permanently irreparable. International Business Times, India Edition cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if smartphones get bricked. Hence users are advised to proceed with caution.]

Step-by-step installation procedure of Android v4.4.3 KitKat firmware rooting for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (N9005) LTE via CF-Auto-Root

Step 1: Download CF-Auto-Root application (here) in to your PC, and pull the .zip file to be later installed in to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (N9005) LTE

Step 2: Download ODIN v3.09 (here) [Note: This piece of software will help you through the rooting process]

Step 3: Now, turn-off of the phone, then enter download mode, by press holding volume (down) + home button+ power button, once you see animated Android bot, press power key to enter to download mode.

[Note: Before plugging the phone to the computer, be sure you have installed USB driver software, if not, click here to download firmware]

Step 4: Now, open ODIN on your PC, and then connect the smartphone (under download mode) to the PC.

[Note: If the connection between smartphone and PC is successfully established, then one of the ID: COM turns to yellow color with the COM port number]

Step 5: Then, choose the file to be installed, in this case, select PDA and click the file – 'CF-Auto-Root-ha3g-ha3gxx-smn900.zip'

Step 6: In Odin, don't forget to check options- Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time

Step 7: Now, initiate the rooting process by tapping start button in ODIN.

Step 8: Once the installation is completed, the phone will re-boot automatically in recovery mode to place the root package in the smartphone [hint: ID: COM turns to green if everything done in the procedure is going in the right direction]

Step 9: Once you see the home screen on the Galaxy Note 3, disband the connection between the phone and the PC.

Now, your device (Samsung galaxy Note 3) will take a minimum of five minutes to complete the booting process.

Users should then head to Settings >> select 'About phone' to verify the installation of Android 4.4.2 KitKat or can use SuperSU app/ Root checker to confirm the installation.

Note: despite following this step-by-step procedure, sometimes the device may not get rooted.

  • So users are advised to repeat the procedure again but this time make sure that in 'ODIN', the "Auto Reboot" option is not checked. Then after installation (Step 8), do the following:
  • Take out the battery to turn OFF the phone.
  • Now boot (turn ON your phone) by press holding Volume (Up) + Home + Power buttons to enter into the Recovery Mode manually. This will start the process of rooting your phone.

[Credits: Team Android]