The Galaxy S3 might be really old, but it is still a great Android smartphone even without root access. However, rooting can make Android devices a lot more awesome. If you feel that rooting didn’t bring any benefits to your Galaxy S3, then you might be interested in reading about the 10 best ROMs for Galaxy S3 before finalizing your decision on unrooting the device.
Why Unroot Galaxy S3?
You’ll find many guides on rooting the Galaxy S3 along with the benefits of rooting, but you won’t find many benefits for unrooting the phone. That being said, unrooting does have some advantages.
Send your phone for repairs under warranty. If you send your phone to Samsung in order to claim warranty, they’ll refuse to repair your phone if it’s rooted or if there is a custom ROM installed. Unrooting alone will not fix it and you’ll have to reset the flash counter. I’ll show you the steps for resetting the flash counter in this guide as well. Sell your phone to someone else. If the buyer of your phone finds out that you rooted your phone or if the phone doesn’t have its original firmware, he/she may refuse to buy it. Install regular Over The Air updates. Once you’re unrooted and back on stock ROM, you’ll be able to install OTA updates like you used to before rooting your phone.
What You Need To Do Before Unrooting Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Resetting the flash counter and unrooting the phone are both risky processes which is why you should only attempt them at your own responsibility. If you’ve made up your mind to unroot Galaxy S3, then follow the tips mentioned below.
Charge your Samsung Galaxy S3 at least 70% in order to avoid your phone running out of power during the unrooting process. Backup your phone. Feel free to read our list of the best backup apps for Android. Sync your Galaxy S3 with your Google account so that you can get some of your data back when logging into your Google account after unrooting the device.
How To Reset The Flash Counter
This is an optional process before unrooting your Galaxy S3. This basically resets your flash counter. If you’ve flashed custom firmwares on your Galaxy S3 and you want to send it for repairs under warranty, then you’ll need to reset the flash counter.
Step 1 – Download Triangle Away
Go to this XDA forum thread and download the TraingleAway APK file from Attached Files. Also, make sure that your Galaxy S3 variant or model number is supported from the Supported devices list in the same thread. The app is also available on the Google Play Store, but it costs $2.49.
Step 2 – Transfer The APK File To Your Phone
Once you’ve downloaded the APK file, transfer it to your phone.
Step 3 – Enable Unknown Sources
Go to Security in Settings and enable the Unknown sources option.
Step 4 – Install The App On Your Galaxy S3
Go to your file manager and install the TriangleAway APK file.
Step 5 – Launch Triangle Away
Make sure that your internet connection is enabled and working. Open the Triangle Away app and tap on Grant if you get a Superuser request popup. Tap on Continue and press the Download button. Wait for the download process to complete.
Step 6 – Press Reset Flash Counter
Once the download process is complete, tap on Reset flash counter and press the Continue button.
Step 7 – Reset The Flash Counter On Your Galaxy S3
Your phone will now boot into a new screen with a Triangle warning sign. Press the Volume Up button once to reset the flash counter. Your phone will now reboot. That’s it!
How To Unroot Galaxy S3
Follow the steps mentioned below in order to unroot your Galaxy S3. The entire process is not that difficult and you’ll be able to unroot your phone in just several minutes.
Step 1 – Download Odin
Download Odin on your PC. You can get it through this link. Once downloaded, extract the ZIP folder on your PC.
Step 2 – Download Your Firmware
Download your phone’s stock firmware. This is a vital step. Make sure that you get the right firmware for your Galaxy S3 variant. There are various sources for downloading firmwares and two popular ones are sammobile.com and samsung-updates.com.
Step 3 – Extract The ZIP File
Once you’ve downloaded the firmware, extract the ZIP file on your PC. The file should have a .tar.md5 extension.
Step 4 – Install Samsung Kies
Download and install Samsung Kies if you don’t have it installed on your PC. You can get it through this link.
Step 5 – Enter Into Download Mode On Your Galaxy S3
Press and hold the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons simultaneously until your Galaxy S3 reboots and shows a warning screen. Press the Volume Up button once to enter into Download mode.
Step 6 – Connect Your Galaxy S3 To Your PC
Launch the Odin app on your PC and connect your Galaxy S3 to your PC using a micro USB cable while your phone is in Download mode.
Step 7 – Select Firmware In Odin
Click on the PDA button in Odin and select the firmware .tar.md5 file that you downloaded and extracted earlier.
Step 8 – Check Options In Odin
Make sure that only the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options are checked under the Option tab.
Step 9 – Click On Start
Click on the Start button and wait for the process to complete.
Step 10 – Wait For Your Phone To Reboot
Once the process is complete, you’ll see a PASS message in Odin. Wait for your Galaxy S3 to reboot and this might take a while. That’s it! You have successfully unrooted your Samsung Galaxy S3.
Conclusion
Rooting is a process that opens up many possibilities on Android devices, from custom ROMs to installing third party apps that require root access. If you have rooted your Galaxy S3 and you’re not comfortable with it, then you can easily unroot your phone using the method mentioned above. Please do this only at your own risk and make sure that you follow all the instructions properly. If you miss something, you might brick your Galaxy S3. If you have any questions about how to unroot Samsung Galaxy S3, feel free to ask them in the comments area below.
