Root Your Samsung Galaxy S III Mini I8190

Samsung’s Galaxy S III Mini I8190 smartphone, released for those users who would rather purchase a smaller device than go for the flagship Galaxy S III handset, has been rooted too.

Although featuring the same name as the predecessor, the Galaxy S III Mini smartphone is a bit different from it, but the rooting process appears to be very simple. One XDA-Developers forum member managed to build a custom pre-rooted firmware for the device, and users interested in obtaining root access on the handset will simply have to flash that software. This can be done via Odin, it seems, given the fact that there is no custom recovery available for the Galaxy S III Mini for the time being. “This firmware base on the last build for I8190, is a full firmware exactly like the original, except the root. After flash you will see the SuperSU app in the app drawer,” said user explains in a forum post. He also explains that flashing this firmware will not wipe the data on the device, which means that users will have their files intact after the process has been completed.

However, it would still be a good idea to back up all files on the smartphone before proceeding, just to play it safe. To root the handset, simply head to this forum thread on XDA-Developers, download the needed file (in the form of a .tar file), open Odin 3 and put the .tar in pda. Then, enter download mode on the handset (press and hold Vol Down + Home + Power buttons, and then hit Vol Up), connect the device to the PC via USB, wait for Odin to detect it, and hit start. Apparently, the device cannot boot into recovery through a key combination, but users will be able to perform a factory reset via the Settings menu. “If you have a boot loop problem, flash the attached file WIPE_I8190.zip (the tar file inside zip) via Odin in pda, it will do wipe data automatically,” the aforementioned XDA-Developers user notes. Just keep in mind that rooting the device usually results in voided warranty, and that users will be the only ones held responsible should anything go wrong during the process and harm the handset.

Rooted Samsung Galaxy S III Mini I8190
Image credits to XDA-Developers

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