Root Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 GT-I8160 On GingerBread and JellyBean Builds

ROOT PACKAGE INFO

Name	Flashable Zip Package
Warranty	Voids Warranty.
Stability	Stable without any issues.
Root Manager App	SuperSU. It manages root permissions for apps on the device.
Credits	antsm, Shaaan

WARNING!

Warranty may be void of your device if you follow the procedures given on this page.

You only are responsible for your device. We won’t be liable if any damage occurs to your device and/or its components.

GUIDE: ROOT SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE 2 GT-I8160

Before you begin with the instructions below, make sure your android device is adequately charged — at least 50% battery of the device.

STEP 0: CHECK DEVICE MODEL NO.

To make sure your device is eligible with this, you must first confirm its model no. in ‘About device’ option under Settings. Another way to confirm model no. is by looking for it on the packaging box of your device. It must be GT-I8160!

This guide is meant only for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2. Do not use the procedures discussed here on any other device of Samsung or any other company. You have been warned!

STEP 1: BACKUP YOUR DEVICE

Back up important data and stuff before you start playing around here as there are chances you might lose your apps and app-data (app settings, game progress, etc.), and in rare case, files on the internal memory, too.

For help on Backup and Restore, check out our exclusive page on that linked right below.

► ANDROID BACK UP AND RESTORE GUIDE: APPS AND TIPS

STEP 2: INSTALL LATEST DRIVER

You must have proper and working driver installed on your windows computer to be able to successfully root your Samsung Galaxy Ace 2.

In case you’re not sure, follow the link below for a definitive guide for installing driver for your Samsung device on your computer.

► SAMSUNG DEVICES DRIVERS INSTALLATION GUIDE

STEP 3: INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

DOWNLOADS

Download the files given below and transfer it to a separate folder on your computer (just to keep things tidy, that is).

GINGERBREAD ROOT DOWNLOADS

ROOT FILE

DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: update_su.zip (602.1 KB)

READY TO ROOT KERNEL

DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: I8160XXLD8_ready_to_root_ANT.tar.zip (5.06 MB)

ODIN FILE

DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: Odin3-v1.85.zip (198 KB)

JELLYBEAN ROOT DOWNLOADS

ROOT FILE

DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: root.zip (1.37 MB)

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

This Guide helps you root your Galaxy Ace 2 either on Gingerbread or JellyBean Versions of your device. Follow the rooting technique relevant to your Version of Android OS on your device.

GUIDE FOR GINGERBREAD USERS

Example video: If you haven’t used Odin before to flash a file on your phone before, then we suggest you first watch a video of that to get familiar with the process. The video demonstrates flashing of a Recovery on Galaxy S3, but since the procedure is same, the video will help: Click here to watch the video

Important Note: Backup important files stored on internal SD card of your device, so that in case a situation arises requiring you to do a factory reset after flashing with Odin, which might delete internal sd card too, your files will remain safe on PC.

Extract/Unzip the Odin file, Odin3-v1.85.zip on your computer (using 7-zip free software, preferably). You’ll get the following files:
- Odin3-v1.85.exe
- Odin3.ini
Extract/Unzip the Kernel file, I8160XXLD8_ready_to_root_ANT.tar.zip on your computer (using 7-zip free software, preferably) and place the kernel file in the same folder as the Odin files are placed. Now you will get the following files in the folder:
- Odin3-v1.85.exe
- Odin3.ini
- I8160XXLD8_ready_to_root_ANT.tar.md5
Download the Root file (From the GingerBread Downloads Section), update_su.zip and place it in the root of your SD card.
Disconnect the Galaxy Ace 2 from PC if it is connected.
Double-click the Odin3-v1.85.exe file to open Odin.
Boot your Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 into Download Mode:
- Power off your phone first and wait for 6-7 seconds after display is off.
- Press and hold these 3 buttons together until you see Warning! screen: Volume Down + Power + Home.
- Press Volume Up now to continue to Download Mode.
Connect your Galaxy Ace 2 to PC. Odin window will show an Added!! message in bottom left box. Odin’s screen would look like this:

If you don’t get the Added! message, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you have installed driver for Galaxy Ace 2 as said above in ‘Before you begin..’ section.
- If you have already installed driver, then uninstall them and reinstall back.
- Connect using a different USB port on your PC.
- Try a different USB cable. The original cable that came with your phone should work best, if not, try any other cable that’s new and of good quality.
- Reboot your phone and PC and then try again.
Load the Kernel file (extracted in Step 2) into Odin as instructed below:
- Click on the PDA button on Odin and select the I8160XXLD8_ready_to_root_ANT.tar.md5 file (from step 2). Your Odin window should look like the screenshot below:
Now in the Option section of Odin, make sure that Re-Partition box is unchecked. (Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time boxes remain checked, while all other boxes remain unchecked.)
Double check the above two steps. (Step 8 and Step 9)
Click the Start button to begin flashing, and wait until you see a PASS! message in Odin’s top left box.
When you get PASS! message, your device will restart automatically. You can then disconnect your phone from PC.
- If you see FAIL message instead of the PASS in Odin’s top left box, that’s a problem. Try this now: disconnect your Galaxy Ace 2 from PC, close Odin, remove phone’s battery and put it back inside in 3-4 seconds, open Odin and then repeat from Step 4 of this guide again.
- Also, If device is Stuck at setup connection or on any other process, then too, try this: disconnect your Galaxy Ace 2 from PC, close Odin, remove phone’s battery and put it back inside in 3-4 seconds, open Odin and then repeat from Step 4 of this guide again.
Now reboot into recovery mode. For this:
- Power off your device and wait for 5-10 seconds until the device is fully switched off.
- Press and hold Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together and release them as soon as you see the Galaxy Ace 2 logo.
  └ In Recovery mode, use Volume buttons to navigate Up and Down between options and use Power button to select an option.
Now select Apply Update from SD card option in the Recovery menu and Select the root file update_su.zip and press Yes in the next screen to confirm your action.
Now reboot your device and you will find the SuperSU app in the app drawer.

That’s all. If you need help regarding this, feel free to ask us in comments below.

GUIDE FOR JELLYBEAN USERS

Important Note: This Root method is only recommended on JellyBean Build of Samsung Galaxy Ace 2. So don’t try the method described here on any other builds of Galaxy Ace 2.

Download the Root File, root.zip provided in the Downloads section and place it in the root of your SD card.
└ Note: SD card is must for this process.
Boot into stock recovery mode. For this:
- Power off your phone first and wait for 6-7 seconds after display is off.
- Press and hold Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together and release them as soon as you see the Galaxy Ace 2 logo on your phone’s screen.
- Your phone will boot into recovery mode.
  └ Use Volume buttons to navigate Up and Down between options and use Power button to select an option in recovery.
Select Install Update from External Storage option from the recovery menu.
Now select the root.zip that you have placed in the SD card and Select Yes in the next screen to confirm your action.
After the flashing process completes, Reboot your device.