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Root Rooting T-Mobile Galaxy S3 SGH T999L doesn't work

THAT problem has been corrected.

I have always had USB DEBUGGING turned on BUT
NEVER until today have I received the message on
the phone saying ALLOW USB DEBUGGING?

Now SAFEROOT INSTALL.BAT gives this message:

THIS DEVICE IS NOT SUPPORTED. IF YOU SEE
YOUR KERNEL IS PATCHED (AND I DO) SAFEROOT
WON'T WORK ON YOUR PHONE.

PLEASE TRY ANOTHER METHOD.

I Guess the STANDARD T-Mobile Kernel appears as
PATCHED. I didn't patch it.

SB
 
The word is that the T999L kernel was patched DELIBERATELY
to keep SAFEROOT from working.

There is a post on W0LFDROID of a procedure to get around
this on the I9300 but it requires I9300 specific files.

I am trying to find a way to contact the author of this page
for help on my device.

SB
 
I rooted a S3, SGH- i747, Android 4.3 yesterday using Towel Root. Root was successful but I had the same problems you had trying to install a custom recovery. Tried flashing image with Rasher Flasher and Flashify. Tried flashing tar files with Odin. Cwm and Twrp. Finally Tried flashing Philz Touch tar and everything worked.
When I copy files to phone to flash, I copy to the download file on phone and Sd card. Easy to find that way. Also renaming the zip file to update.zip seems to help.
 
Your PIX is awesome.

Tell me please if this is correct:

Of everything you tried, only Towel Toot and Philz Touch worked.

I don't currently have a service provider for my S3 SGH-T999L so
is there a way to download the APP on my PC and move it to the
phone and install it?

I also have an email out to MRWolf who was reported to have a
modded SAFEROOT workaround for a I9300 that works, though
I have no idea if I used an EMAIL he is currently using. But at least
it didn't get rejected. I asked him about an SGH-T999L.

Thank you very much.

SB
 
I downloaded app to phone over wifi, no sim card either. Phone had broken digitizer and unused when given to me. Should be able to copy to phone from pc. I'll try to find link to Philz Touch and post when I can. I think I used a unified lte version good for all S3. I'll check my notes.


Other options besides Towel Root work but it was the easiest.
 
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2310081

Got a little free time at work, actual link I used on laptop at home. If no WiFi to download Towel Root straight to phone and you do sideload with pc, don't forget SuperSu apk or you will have nothing to grant permission. If you get everything working I've been hearing good things about Slim Kat rom. I have it downloaded to pc but haven't flashed it yet.
 
I am a retired MAINFRAME SYSTEM MANAGER,
a DOS expert (DOS still ROCKS), and a WINDOWS
SYSTEM BUILDER, I have a small business selling
PROPERLY CONFIGURED WIN PCs.

I know nothing about ANDROID or UNIX so please
forgive me because my questions are so very BASIC.

Should PHILZ TOUCH be installed first? And which
technique should I use to install it? The ZIP contains
an IMG File.

==

If I set up my current ANDROID OS to use Comcast
WIFI can I use that to install TOWEL ROOT?

SB
 
I'm slightly confused @russell stephen broshears ...you are currently rooted correct?
You just need a working custom recovery correct?

If that's the case, I would install the Philz recovery that @Jfalls63 linked in his last post...download the one for ODIN...unzip it and you will see a .tar.md5 file...that is what you want to flash in ODIN.

@Jfalls63...am I correct in that statement?
 
Should be all you have to do. As far as wifI, I use my home system to connect the phones I work on. Turn on wifi on phone,scan and find your network and connect. You can download straight from the web that way without sim or active cell service. Connect to play store for other apps you need. I'm in my 50's,bought my first laptop in may. Learned a lot by trial and error,mostly error. A lot of the basic I still have trouble with.
 
To go by what I did
1- Download towel root and run it, should get success.
2- Download SuperSu, Root checker,and Busybox from play store.
3- click on Supersu and update binary. Click on Busybox and let it install.
4- click on root checker and check root and Busybox installation.
5- Flash Philz Touch tar file with Odin
6- Boot into Recovery with button combo from off and verify custom Recovery.
7- Make first backup of stock rooted Rom.
 
NOT ROOTED
NO RECOVERY installed.

With all the help I have had, as of two-three
days ago, all we (other members) have been
able to accomplish is to make lists of software
and procedures that DO NOT WORK.

And I have looked at several videos and I have
had to reorg a bunch of procedures into proper
order.

SB
 
To go by what I did

1- Download towel root and run it, should get success.

Understand!

2- Download SuperSu, Root checker,and Busybox from play store.

Should these be installed right away?

3- click on Supersu and update binary.

Are you assuming I already installed it?

Click on Busybox and let it install.

OK I guess you didn't want me to install it earlier.

4- click on root checker and check root and Busybox installation.

Should I have installed these earlier?

5- Flash Philz Touch tar file with Odin

OK that makes sense.

6- Boot into Recovery with button combo from off and verify custom Recovery.

What about the issue explained about a week ago and encountered
by me where ANDROID just overwrites custom recovery with
ANDROID STANDARD RECOVERY.

Apparently the script file that does this has to be modded.

7- Make first backup of stock rooted Rom.

How do I do this? What software should I use?

SB
 
https://towelroot.com/

Towelroot is a one click android app that is not available in the playstore. Created by well known and respected developer. It takes advantage of a exploit in android os. If you can connect your phone to Internet via your secure home wifi,click on this link. Click on the Greek symbol to download. Choose download method. Phone will promt you about download from unknown source, allow it. Once app is downloaded to phone, open it. There will be a box with "Make it rain ". Click on it and exploit will run. Should get success and be told to download superuser. Simplest root method known to man.
 
The https://towelroot.com appears only to be a site for collecting donations.
I can't find a download link USING MY WIN PC.

There is a link to XDA but that sends you right back to
https://towelroot.com

I was going to use SIDELOAD.
I found full instructions how to do this.

I googled download towelroot but every one of the 8 sites I tried
say CANNOT BE DOWNLOADED.

I went to this URL on the phone too but no luck.

Where can I find the program?

I have WIRELESS up and running fine now, just for info.

SB
 
Last edited:
When you click on that link and it opens there's a orange symbol in the middle, tap on it. That will promt you to choose how to download app. If you have anti virus app,it will flag it as a pup.
 
Tapping 3 times on WELCOME:

None of the published codes work.

There is a statement that this procedure will not work
on a phone with an altered kernel.

There is a post that somebody re-installed a kernel
and bricked their phone.

I will continue to search for an answer.

SB
 
Wow. I honestly thought it would work on all S3 devices with android 4.3. Worked on att i747 And my S5.
 
Over on NASIRTECH there is something promising.
Apparently an update a few months back broke everything.
All the videos showing SUCCESS were made BEFORE
this update.

I am reading this procedure and making index czrds.

SB
 
Found method on XDA but complicated,requires downgrading to earlier version. A lot of flashing with Odin. There is another easy method I've used before on other devices that didn't have proper root method. Kinda frowned upon here and installs its version of superuser. "Kingo root." Download software to your pc, connect with usb cable and if it makes connection to phone,click root. May or may not work for you. Seems bootloader locked pretty tight on nf4.
 
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