How to Root Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535

Manufacturers — sadly — limit their Android devices’ users from using their devices to the full. It is quite an irony because Android is all about freedom. Upon hearing that Verizon will be releasing the Samsung Galaxy S3 with a locked bootloader, many users reacted in different ways. Some were silent about it and agreed to the change, while others expressed their feelings of discontent towards a manufacturer limiting the freedom on an otherwise exceptional phone. This news left a big impact that urged developers to cut the chains and regain their freedom.

XDA Developers member invisiblek shares a guide on how to flash a pre-rooted ROM on your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535. Flashing this ROM will root your device and bring back the true essence of an Android phone.

The developer, however, also warned that an over-the-air (OTA) will be arriving soon and could will block this rooting method. He warns against applying the OTA update on your phone until a rooting procedure for the new update has been cooked up.

Read the rest of this guide to learn how to gain root access to your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535.

Warning! : 

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with theVerizon Samsung Galaxy S3, model number SCH-I535. Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk. We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.

Requirements :

• Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535
• A Windows PC
• Handset USB drivers installed on the PC. You can download the USB driver from Samsung’s Support page.
• Enable USB debugging on your handset.
• Disable antivirus, firewall, and other security software. Also disable Samsung Kies and other software that accesses your phone. Such software can interfere with the procedure in this guide.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  => For backup Tips you can learn at my blog's friends here and here
• Download Odin3 3.07 (Odin307.zip, 453 kB) to your computer.
• Download a modified system.img tarball from one the following sources :
  ==> Stock pre-rooted image including bloatware :
  1. Direct Download (rooted.system.img.tar, md5sum: e937f4a460806e75575c02add8035276).
  2. Torrent Download (rooted.system.img.tar.torrent, md5sum: 0f50fd1d2a8e18154cca712bf1e9d1bd).

Instructions :

1. Download the rooted stock ROM to your PC.
   => If you downloaded the ZIP version without bloatware, unzip the file first in order to extract a *.tar.md5 file.
   => If you downloaded the TAR version that includes bloatware, no need to untar or extract the file. Just use it as it is.
2. Extract Odin307.zipinto a folder on your computer.
3. Go to the extracted folder and double-click Odin3 v3.07.exe to launch Odin on your computer.
4. Switch off your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3.
5. Reboot your phone into Download Mode. You can do that by pressing the Volume Down key, Home button, and Power button simultaneously until a warning message appears. Press the Volume Up key to continue into Download Mode.
6. Connect your Phone to the computer via USB cable. An “Added!!” message will appear in Odin. If it doesn’t appear, make sure you have properly installed the USB drivers on your computer.
7. Make sure that “Re-partition” is not selected under Options.
8. Select the PDA button and locate the downloaded TAR or MD5 file.
9. Click the Start button in Odin to begin flashing the ROM to your mobile phone. This will take a while. If Odin gets stuck, or you get a “FAILED” message, remove and reinsert the battery, then start over from step 5.
10. Your phone will automatically reboot. You phone will also get a “PASS” message in Odin.

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535.