Install TWRP Recovery and Root Galaxy A5 on Lollipop

You can now install TWRP Recovery and Root your Samsung Galaxy A5 running Android Lollipop. You will learn the method in the following guide. As you scroll down, you will come across a step-by-step method to be able to do this. Before we jump up to the method, we will have a flashback at the Samsung Galaxy A5 and also learn a little bit about a custom recovery and root access.

Samsung released the Galaxy A5 back in December, 2014. Samsung equipped the Galaxy A5 with a 5.0-inch 720p display. We witnessed a 5 MP shooter for selfies and a 13 MP shooter at the back. In the spec-shed we also found a Snapdragon 410 Quad-Core CPU accompanied by an Adreno 306 GPU and a RAM of 2 GB. On the software end we found this device running on Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box, but Samsung didn’t take long to update it to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. The device might get Android 5.1.1 Lollipop as well anytime soon.

Galaxy A5 was easily root-able on Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Since the day Samsung updated this device to Lollipop, it has become tough to achieve root access on this device. A custom kernel is required to root Lollipop as its not directly root-able. You can flash a custom kernel equipped with a custom recovery and then flash SuperSu.zip file to root the device. A working TWRP recovery has landed for our beloved Galaxy A5. You can flash this recovery on a Galaxy A5 running Android Lollipop and you can also root the phone using this recovery. Furthermore, you can also flash a custom ROM on your A5 using this custom recovery. In case you don’t have an idea about custom recoveries and rooting stuff and this is your first time, you may want to know a little bit about both these terms. Let’s learn a little bit about custom recovery and root access and then head towards the installation method.

A custom recovery helps you to create and restore Nandroid Backup, EFS Backup, IMEI Backup, Modem Backup etc. Using a custom recovery you can also flash MODs, .zip files or other custom packages on your phone. You can also wipe cache and dalvik cache of your phone using a custom recovery. In case your device is bricked, you can use a custom recovery to easily recover your data or fix your device by means of flashing particular files. Root access a little different purpose, but is as handy as a custom recovery. Root access allows you to install root-specific applications like Titanium Backup, Greenify, System Tuner and many others to modify or enhance the performance of your Android device and do the things that you ordinarily can’t do. You can also modify the UI of your system and add a lot of cool applications using an application like Xposed Module which requires root access to work on an Android smartphone. That’s all you need to know to have a basic idea about root access and custom recovery. Now that you’ve a very good idea about these terms, we can head to the recovery installation and root processes.

Here are some precautions

• This recovery has been found working fine on Galaxy A5 A500FU, A500G and A500M. It should work on other variants of Galaxy A5 as well running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. Do not use this recovery on any other Android device as using an invalid file may result in bricking it.
• Charge your phone up to 50% to avoid power issues during flashing process.
• Backup your important contacts, call logs, sms messages and media content before proceeding.
• Turn off Windows Firewall before connecting your device to your PC.
• Uninstall Samsung Kies if you have already installed it.
• Make sure that you’re using original data cable to establish connection between your phone and your computer.
• Follow this guide carefully to avoid any mishaps and get the process done successfully.

Disclaimer: Flashing custom recoveries and rooting the Android smartphones at first involves going through a complex process and it includes potential risks. Although the methods listed on our site are pretty much safe to follow, but we do not guarantee a safe result in the end. Just in case you end up bricking your device or getting something wrong done, TechBeasts or the device manufacturer may not be held responsible in that case. Make sure that you’ve read each and everything carefully and you’re proceeding at your own risk.

Required downloads and installations

• Download and install Samsung USB drivers on your computer.
• Download and extract Odin3 v3.10.6
• Download twrp-2.8.7.0-a5ultexx-11112015.tar.md5 file
• Download SuperSu.zip file and copy it to your phone’s internal or external storage.

Install TWRP Recovery and Root Galaxy A5 running Lollipop

1. Make sure that you’ve installed and downloaded the stuff linked above.
2. Open Odin3 V3.10.6.exe that you extracted on your PC.
3. If there’s OEM Unlock option in your phone, then enable it first. Enable OEM Unlock on your phone. To do so on your phone, go to settings > about device > tap the build number for 7 times to enable developer options. Get back to the settings and open developer options. Under developer options turn on “OEM unlock.“
4. Put your Galaxy A5  in download mode now. To do so, turn it off completely. Now turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Down + Home + Power Key. Once your phone boots up, press the Volume Up key to continue.
5. Connect your phone to your PC now. The ID:COM box in the top-left corner of Odin3 should  turn blue. This indicates that your phone is connected properly.
6. Now click the “AP” tab in Odin and select the twrp-2.8.7.0-a5ultexx-11112015.tar.md5 file that you downloaded. It will take a second or two for Odin3 to load this file.
7. Make sure that your Odin3 looks like this. The only option ticked should be F. Reset Time.
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8. Now you’re all set to flash the recovery. Just click the start button in Odin3 and sit back.
9. Once the process box above ID:COM box shows green light and flashing process is finished, disconnect your device.
10. Now turn off your device properly as we are going to boot into recovery mode. You can turn it off by keeping the power key pressed for a while. 
11. Now turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Up + Home + Power Key. This will boot your device in recovery mode. It should be TWRP recovery that you just installed.
12. Now in CWM recovery, select Install > locate SuperSu.zip file and swipe finger on the screen from left to right to flash it.
13. Once done, reboot your device into system using the reboot option in TWRP recovery.
14. As it boots up, checkout the SuperSu in application drawer. Also install BusyBox from Play Store.
15. Verify root access using Root Checker.
16. That’s all. You’re now set to unleash the open source nature of Android.

Now that you’ve rooted your Galaxy A5, don’t forget to create a Nandroid backup and also backup its EFS partition. Also checkout our best root applications list.

Source and Credits