Root T-Mobile Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge on Android 5.1.1 without Tripping Knox

Samsung is one of the leading Android smartphone manufacturers and launches its devices with a custom Android skin called TouchWiz. Apart from the beefy Android skin, Samsung is also an expert in employing additional security layers on their devices which will determine if the device got tampered unofficially. One such popular security implementation is the Knox binary counter, that might not be of worry for you unless you’re trying to root your device or tamper it by other means.

Knox binary counter is a security feature which will be set once the device has tampered in an authorized way. In layman terms, the counter is initially set to zero, and it gets incremented whenever you flash a ROM or root your device. Samsung will not cover your device under warranty if the Knox counter is tripped, so as you can expect, it’s a great headache for those who want to root their device or do something adventurous with their device.

However, most Android users tend to root their devices to enjoy privileged permissions on their devices and install apps which require root access. Developers have found out some rat holes in Samsung’s Knox security system and found ways to reset the counter so that your warranty will be restored. But it’s always better to root your device without tripping the Knox counter at all and we have something that might be of your interest.

Today we will see how to root T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop without tripping Knox. In this method, you’ll have to flash either the Auo kernel or Uni kernel followed by Sboot file provided. The sequence of the flashing is important, so kindly follow the process carefully for the desired result. So, without any ado, let’s see how to root T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge on Android 5.1.1 without tripping Knox counter.

Warning!

Rooting your device involves flashing of custom modules on your device which is not authorized by Samsung. Moreover, there is a chance of bricking your device, so follow the tutorial carefully and read twice before you do anything. We shall not be held liable for any damage to your device, kindly proceed at your own risk and understanding.

Preparations

• Backup everything, this includes your storage, contacts, emails, logs, music, photos, etc. So, if something goes wrong, you will still have your data.
• Charge your device to sufficient battery level, we advise you to charge it to at least 50% to avoid unexpected shutdowns.
• Install suitable USB drivers for your Samsung device on your PC.

Downloads

• Download the Odin tool: Odin_v3.10.0.zip 
• SuperSu v2.49
• UniKernel: S6_UniKernel_v8-0002-ODIN.tar
• Auo’s v4 kernel: g925t_of6_aou_kernel_v4.tar.md5
• Auo’s TWRP v12: g925t_of6_aou_twrp_recovery_v12.tar.md5
• sboot.tar.md5 for G925T (S6 Edge T-Mobile)

Root T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge

The T-Mobile Galaxy S6 Edge users can choose between the Uni kernel or Auto Kernel but the Galaxy S6 users must use only Uni Kernel.

If you use Uni kernel

1. Boot your device into the Download Mode by holding the Volume Down+Home+Power keys simultaneously for a couple of seconds until you see the warning screen. Now, press the Volume Up key to get into the Download Mode.
2. Connect your device to the PC using a USB cable and wait if it’s installing any drivers.
3. Extract the Odin zip file to any place on your PC. Now launch the Odin program and you should now see Phone’s modem port highlighted in blue. This confirms that your device is connected properly.
4. Click on BL tab and select the sboot.bin file downloaded for your device and click start to flash it.
5. The device will reboot on its own, so put it into download mode again.
6. Close the Odin program if it’s running on your PC and relaunch it. Now, click on the AP tab and select Uni Kernel file and click start to flash it.
7. Once the flashing is finished and the device is rebooted, you’ll have a rooted device in your hand.

To verify the Knox counter, once again boot to download mode and it should still say KNOX WARRANTY: 0 (0X0000)

If you use Auo kernel (Not for Galaxy S6)

1. Download the SuperSU v2.49 zip and place it in the root folder of your phone’s internal memory.
2. Boot your device into the Download Mode by holding the Volume Down+Home+Power keys simultaneously for a couple of seconds until you see the warning screen. Now, press the Volume Up key to get into the Download Mode.
3. Connect your device to the PC using a USB cable and wait if it’s installing any drivers.
4. Extract the Odin zip file to any place on your PC. Now launch the Odin program and you should now see Phone’s modem port highlighted in blue. This confirms that your device is connected properly.
5. Click on BL tab and select the sboot.bin file downloaded for your Galaxy S6 Edge and click Start.
6. The device will reboot on its own, so put it into download mode again.
7. Close the Odin program if it’s running on your PC and relaunch it. Now, click on the AP tab and select Aou’s TWRP file and click start to flash it.
8. The phone will reboot again, put it into the download mode one last time.
9. Relaunch Odin again and click on AP tab and select Aou’s v4 kernel and click start.
10. When the device reboots again, put it into the recovery mode. To do this, first power it off and press Volume Up, Home and Power keys simultaneously until the recovery screen appears.
11. In TWRP recovery, click on Install tab and select SuperSU file which you’ve placed it on your device in Step 1. After selecting, just Swipe to flash it.
12. Once the file was flashed, reboot the device by pressing the reboot button in the main menu of TWRP recovery.

Once rebooted, you should see that your device is rooted. Now, to verify the Knox counter, once again boot to download mode and it should still say KNOX WARRANTY: 0 (0X0000).

Read Also: Enable WiFi Tethering on T-Mobile Galaxy S6