It’s true that once an Android user has enjoyed the privileges of owning a rooted smartphone or tablet, he/she cannot live a single day without root access on it. It was a few months ago that we posted a rooting tutorial for Sprint Galaxy S4 on Android 4.2.2 firmware. And now when this smartphones has already received the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean firmware  update, all those users who got it on their phone must have lost root access.

Since the root method for Galaxy S4 SPH-L720 on Android 4.2 is no longer working on the latest Android 4.3 firmware, many users who opted to update their device to the latest L720VPUAMJA OTA lost the root access. If you happen to one such Sprint Galaxy S4 owner, the present rooting tutorial will help you gain root access on your phone again. Since there is no method available currently to bypass KNOX, the procedure of rooting will trip your KNOX warranty counter to 0 x 1.

Warning!

Please be warned that the procedure described below are considered risky and by deciding to follow it, you are ready to face any consequences. The method has been tested successfully but 100% success for all users is not guaranteed. Neither the developer of this method nor DroidViews shall be responsible for any mishap, though we’ll be always here at our end to help you in case you get in any problem.

UPDATE

To root your Sprint Galaxy S4 SPH-L720 on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, use Geohot’s TowelRoot app.

Let’s Get Ready!

So, if you are eager to get root on your Sprint Galaxy S4, be a little patient for a while and do a few things first.

Root Sprint Galaxy S4 Running Android 4.3

  1. Turn off your Galaxy S4 and boot it into Download Mode. You can do it by holding the Volume Down + Home + Power buttons at the same time for 2-3 seconds. Release the keys when you see the warning screen with a yellow triangle and then press the Volume Up key to enter Download mode.
  2. Now run Odin 1.85 as administrator and connect your phone to PC using USB.
  3. When the ID:COM port at Odin turns yellow and you see “Added!!” in the message box, click the PDA button, navigate to the “CF-Auto-Root-jfltespr-jfltespr-sphl720.tar.md5” file and select it.
  4. Make sure that only “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” are selected on Odin.
  5. Now click the Start button and wait till you get PASS !/ RESET!  message on Odin and your device reboot automatically.
  6. You can now disconnect USB cable.

Wait till your phone boots up and then open the app drawer and look for SuperUser app that signals the presence of root permission on your Galaxy S4. In case you do not see SuperUser on your device or have issues with verifying root access, please install the app from Play Store:

To verify root access, install Root Checker from the Play Store and run the app.

Root Check Price: Free

Installing CWM Recovery on Galaxy S4 SPH-L720

So, you now have a rooted Sprint Galaxy S4 and if you also plan to install custom ROMs and mods on your phone, you will have to install a custom recovery too. Below you’ll find the steps to install CWM recovery which are pretty much the same as the rooting part.

  1. Boot the phone into Download mode.
  2. Launch Odin 3.07 and connect you phone to computer.
  3. Click the PDA button and select “sph-l720-recovery.tar.md5” file.
  4. Now click the Start button to install CWM on your phone.
  5. When the installation is finished, you will get PASS !/ RESET!  message followed by device reboot.

Now your phone has a custom recovery and you can now be able to install custom ROMs, mods, backup and restore your ROMs easily.

Unable to Get Root Access While Being Rooted?

Read this Tutorial to Fix the KNOX Issue

After Rooting Your S4, Do Not Miss!

How to Tweak and Customize Samsung Galaxy S4

Things to Do Before and After Installing Custom ROMs

Best Apps for Rooted Android Devices

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109 COMMENTS

  1. I rooted the phone right after I updated it and it works perfect. SuperSU was already installed as was Titanium back-up before the update and they work fine after I used this method to re-root, didn’t have to re-download anything.. Thank you very much.

  2. Root Method worked for me on sprint model. Just to add though, supersu is not automatically installed. When I would go on titanium backup it would stay on searching for root for a long time. You’ll need to go to the Play Store and download SuperSU for the root to work. After installing SuperSU all my apps have root access now (apps that require root access)

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