Famous Android developer Chainfire, known for providing custom kernels and rooting methods for Samsung devices, recently released his CF-Auto-Root tool, which roots devices automatically while keeping the stock kernel on the device, instead of flashing a custom kernel on it as was the norm with his previous rooting solution CF-Root. Now, this CF-Auto-Root tool can be used to root the Sprint Galaxy Note 2 as well.

Flashing CF-Auto-Root will flash a custom recovery, root the phone automatically, restore stock recovery, then reboot the phone. However, this will also increase the flash counter on the phone, which voids warranty, but the flash counter can be reset by using Chainfire’s TriangleAway tool, so one does not need to worry.

Let’s take a look at how CF Auto Root can be used to root the Sprint Galaxy Note 2.

Compatibility

This hack and the guide below are compatible only and only with Sprint Galaxy Note 2, model number L900. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.

Warning

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Root Sprint Galaxy Note 2

  1. Download and install the software Kies on your computer, which will install the necessary drivers for the phone.
    Download Kies
    You can also download the drivers directly — download from here: 32 bit (x86) Windows |   64-bit (x64) Windows
  2. Download the CF-Auto-Root file.
    Download Link  |  Filename: CF-Auto-Root-t0ltespr-sphl900.zip
  3. Extract the CF-Auto-Root-t0ltespr-sphl900.zip file once to obtain a file named CF-Auto-Root-t0ltespr-sphl900.tar.md5 (the file name may end at .tar, which is normal as the .md5 part of the file name will be hidden by Windows). Do not extract this .tar/md5 file even if it shows up as a compressed file. You only need to extract the downloaded file once.
  4. Download the Odin PC software. If you are new to this, Odin is what is used to flash stuff – firmware, kernels, etc. – on Samsung phones. We’ll use Odin to flash the CF Auto Root file obtained in step 3.
    Download Odin3 v3.04  |  Filename: Odin3_v3.04.zip
  5. Extract the contents of the Odin3_v3.04.zip file to a folder on your computer. You should obtain a total of 4 files after extracting it.
  6. Turn off your phone and wait for it to shut down completely.
  7. Then, put the phone into download mode. To do so, press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power till the screen turns on. Then press Volume Up to enter download mode.
  8. Open Odin by double-clicking on the Odin3 v3.04.exe file obtained in step 6 after extracting Odin3_v3.04.zip.
  9. Important! Connect your phone to PC now. You should get the message “Added !!” under Odin’s message box in the bottom left.
    • If you don’t get this message, make sure you installed drivers correctly (using Kies or directly) as given in step 1. If it still doesn’t work, try changing to another USB port on the computer and also use the USB ports on the back if you have a desktop PC.
  10. Click on the PDA button in Odin, then browse to and select the CF-Auto-Root-t0ltespr-sphl900.tar.md5 file obtained in step 3 above.
  11. Do not make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required files as given in step 10. Leave all other options as they are. Make sure Re-Partition check box is not selected.
  12. Click on the Start button in Odin to start flashing CF-Auto-Root on your phone.
  13. Once the flashing is complete, the phone will be rebooted into Android recovery (with a large red Android logo) and rooted automatically. After rooting is complete, the phone will reboot.
  14. What to do if phone doesn’t reboot into recovery: There is a possibility that instead of rebooting into recovery after step 12, the phone will reboot normally instead and not get rooted. If this happens, perform the following steps to root the phone:
    1. Follow steps 6 to 10 again.
    2. Then, untick the Auto Reboot option in Odin. That is, make sure the option is not selected.
    3. Click on the Start button in Odin to start flashing CF-Auto-Root.
    4. After the flashing is complete, you will get a PASS message in Odin. Now, remove the battery on the phone. Then, re-insert the battery, and enter recovery manually by pressing and holding the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together till the screen turns on.
    5. Once the phone enters recovery, CF-Auto-Root will root the phone, after which it will reboot automatically.
  15. Once the phone has turned on, it will be rooted and ready to be used.
  16. NOTE: To reset the flash counter, use the TriangleAway app available → here. This is only needed if you want to send the phone to Samsung for repairs, otherwise the flash counter has no effect on the operation of the phone.

Your Sprint Galaxy Note 2 will now be rooted, allowing you to use any root-enabled apps and make other modifications to the system. Do let us know how it works!