How to Root the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2

Released in April, the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 has one major difference compared to its predecessor; the device is now running Samsung’s own Tizen instead Android.  But that’s not viewed as a deterrent by many as Samsung added in an infrared blaster (to control AV systems from the device), and moved the camera on to the device itself instead of the wristband, which enables users to get their own choice of wristbands.

What could make this Tizen-running Gear 2 better though is rooting it, as it will give you the ability to turn off the camera shutter sound and add in custom ringtones among other things.  And that is what the guide below will help you do.

Rooting is the process of gaining administrative rights on your Android device. Once we root our Android device, we can then make changes to it to customize it well beyond what it normally can do.

Once you have root access on your Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, you’ll be able to:

• Remove apps that were preinstalled by your carrier/manufacturer from your device.
• Free up storage space (because of the above benefit).
• Increase battery life (apps that might have been running constantly can be removed).
• Increase performance (after removing apps that are always running, the device will be less bogged down and run smoother).
• Update to a new version of Android (by flashing a custom recovery/ROM, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
• Tons of other customizations when you use your new found administrative rights to flash a custom ROM (again, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).

Interested? Here’s how to root your Galaxy Gear 2:

 I.  Before You Begin

1.  This procedure is designed for the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 (R380) running R380XXU0BNE5, R380XXU0BNDD and R380XXU0BND8 firmwares.  Do not try this if you are not running the listed firmwares.

2.  Make sure you have the necessary drivers installed before you start.

II.  Necessary Downloads

1.  R380XXU0BNE5rootfs_root.tar (for R380XXU0BNE5 firmware) | R380XXU0BNDDrootfs_root.tar (for R380XXU0BNDD firmware) | R380XXU0BND8rootfs_root.tar (for R380XXU0BND8 firmware) [Links available in this post]

3.  Odin_v3.09.zip

II.  Rooting the Galaxy Gear 2

1.  Extract the Odin_v3.09.zip file you downloaded above to a folder on your desktop.

2.  From the extracted folder, double-click on Odin3 v3.09.exe to run the tool.

3.  Put your device into Download mode.  To do this, with the device off, press and hold the Home + Power + Volume Down buttons until you get to Download mode.

4.  Click on AP button in Odin, locate R380XXU0BNE5rootfs_root.tar (or the other ones, depending on the firmware you are running) you downloaded above and click on OK to load it on Odin.  The ID:COM field on Odin should now light up yellow and you should see the “ADDED!” message to signify that your device is connected and recognized properly.  If not, reinstall drivers and try again.

5.  Make sure that the Re-Partition and Flash Lock are unchecked; this is important as you might brick your device if these options are ticked!

6.  Click on Start.

7.  Once done, reboot your device.

All set! You have now rooted your Samsung Galaxy Gear 2!