Samsung budget devices mostly come under J-Series. The J-Series devices are popular in the developing markets such as India, Indonesia and so on. One among the J-Series which was a bestseller in most of the markets where it went for sale is the Galaxy J3 (2016) or known as Galaxy J3 Pro in countries such as India. This budget device packs decent hardware at a reasonable price tag. Here’s how you can root Samsung J3 safely.
As usual, we’ll be using the custom recovery, TWRP compatible with the Galaxy J3 to flash the Magisk root. Needless to say flashing TWRP or custom binaries trip the Samsung Knox and voids your warranty. So, proceed if and only if you know the consequences of rooting a device.
Guide to Root Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
1. Flashing TWRP Recovery Using Odin
Warning: Flashing custom recovery, replaces the stock Android Recovery. In effect, your device warranty will be void, and Knox status gets tripped to 0x1. Proceed further, if you are very much sure about what you are doing. Importantly, we are not responsible for any damages that cause to your valuable device.
- Enable Developer Option(settings – about phone – Software information – Tap seven times on build number to activate developer option in the settings menu).
- Enable OEM Unlock. From developer option (Currently no workaround to leave this disabled. If you failed to do above mentioned steps, better don’t proceed further. Because you will be surely caught by Samsung’s FRP Lock Protection).
- Power-off the Galaxy J3 (2016).
- Reboot to Download Mode: For that Press Vol down + Menu Button + Power simultaneously for a couple of seconds.
- On your PC, Download Odin and open it
- Disable ‘Auto reboot’ from the options menu of Odin.
- Select TWRP (.tar file) with AP tab of Odin and click Start.
- Wait for the program to complete the flashing process.
- Once Successfully flashed, you will see ‘Passed’ in Odin tab.
- Disconnect the device and hold Vol down + power till the screen goes off.
- Now immediately press Vol Up + Home Button + Power to reboot to TWRP.
- Swipe the slider to “allow modification”.
With all of the above steps, you’ve successfully installed the custom TWRP recovery on your device. Now, we’ll be flashing Magik to root the J3 (2016) with the help of TWRP.
Also Read: How to root Samsung Galaxy On5 ( T-Mobile SM G550T )
2. Flash Magisk via TWRP on Galaxy J3
Let us assume that the device is now on TWRP recovery after completing the 1st Step.
Note: Before proceeding, it’s highly recommended to take a complete Nandroid Backup of the device.
- From TWRP main screen. Tap on Wipe in the menu and clear Dalvik/ART cache.
- Revert to TWRP main screen. Then, select the Install menu and navigate to the SD card path where you’ve earlier stored the SuperSU flashable file.
- Once chosen the correct file. Swipe to confirm the flashing.
- Again, clear the Dalvik/ART cache.
- Once Magisk is flashed successfully, Reboot to System.
Important: Wiping the Dalvik Cache before and after the flash is required to avoid boot loops.
Also Read: How to add screenshot toggle in Quick Settings on Samsung Experience 8.1 and above
Once rebooted, check whether the root is successfully installed or not in the system. For that, look for the Magisk app on your apps screen. Or otherwise, use the RootChecker app.
Downloads
Odin: Download
TWRP Builds
Magisk 18.1: Download
Hopes you’d successfully root Samsung J3 (2016). In case any discrepancies do let us know in the comments below. Let’s wind-up the section by recalling the specification of the Galaxy J3 (2016)/ Pro. The smartphone was launched in June 2016 and came with a 5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels. Powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Speadtrum processor and Exynos 3575 in certain regions, Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro comes with 2GB of RAM. The phone packs 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro packs an 8-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. It runs Android 5.1 and is powered by a 2600mAh removable battery.
