Root and Install TWRP on Android 7.0 Nougat Galaxy S7/S7 Edge [Verified Method]

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Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were updated to Android 7.0 Nougat recently. New firmware brought a lot of changes. Samsung has managed to upgrade the phones from top to bottom. At first, the new firmware brings a new and updated UI. You will find new icons and new background in the toggles menu. The settings application has been revamped. The caller ID UI has been built from scratch. Samsung has upgraded the edge panel. There are performance and battery life enhancements. Overall, the Android 7.0 Nougat just boosts up the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The new firmwares have started hitting through OTA and also surfaced over the internet. You can update your phone by flashing the firmware manually or by checking the OTA updated feature in your phone.Root and Install TWRP on Android 7.0 Nougat Galaxy S7/S7 Edge

Once you update your phone from Marshmallow, and if you happened to have Root and TWRP recovery on previous build, you are going to loose it right after your phone comes on the new firmware. For Android power users, TWRP recovery and root access are the very important elements of an Android device. If you are an Android geek like me, the very first thing that you would want to do on your phone after updating it to Nougat will be to root it and install TWRP recovery.

I just updated my phone and tried flashing TWRP recovery. After installing recovery, I tried rooting it and the method worked flawlessly. The method to root and flash custom recovery on Android Nougat powered S7 or S7 Edge is still the same as Android Marshmallow. We will have a look on how we can do it and get done with the entire process in a few minutes.

Early preparations

  1. Charge your Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge up to 50% to avoid power issues during the flashing process. Check your device’s model number carefully under settings > more / general > about device.
  2. Enable OEM Unlocking and also enable USB debugging mode on your phone.
  3. Get a microSD card as you will need to copy SuperSU.zip file to that, otherwise you will have to use the MTP mode while you boot up into TWRP recovery to flash copy it.
  4. Backup your important contacts, call logs, sms messages and also copy your media content to your computer as you will have to wipe your phone on the way.
  5. Uninstall/disable Samsung Kies while using Odin. Samsung Kies can hinder the connection between your phone and Odin.
  6. Use OEM data cable to establish connection between your PC and your phone.
  7. Follow these instructions to the letter to avoid any mishap during flashing process.

Note: These are highly custom processes and involve a risk of bricking your device. In case of a mishap, we or the recovery/root developers may not be held responsible. 

Downloads and installations

  • Download and install Samsung USB drivers on your PC: Download Link with Guide
  • Download and extract Odin 3.12.3 on your PC: Download Link with Guide
  • Download the TWRP Recovery.tar file carefully according to your device.
    • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S7 SM-G930F/FD/X/W8: Download
    • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S7 SM-G930S/K/L: Download
    • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S7 SM-G935F/FD/X/W8: Download
    • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy S7 SM-G935S/K/L: Download
  • Download SuperSU.zip file and copy it to your phone’s external SD card. If you haven’t got an external SD card, you will need to copy it to internal storage after installing TWRP recovery.
  • Download dm-verity.zip file and copy it to the external SD card as well. Alternatively, you can also copy both these.zip files to a USB OTG if you have got one.

How to Install TWRP Custom Recovery and Root Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge now

  1. Open Odin3.exe file from the extracted Odin files that you downloaded above.
  2. Put your Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge in download mode now. To do so, turn off your phone first. Now turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Down + Power + Home button. As soon as your device boots up showing a Downloading screen, leave the keys.
  3. Connect your phone to your PC now. Odin should show an “Added” message in the logs and also show the blue light in the ID:COM box. This will verify a successful connection between your phone and your PC.
  4. Now click on the “AP” tab in Odin and select the TWRP Recovery.img.tar file according to your device carefully.
  5. The options ticked in Odin should be only “F.Reset Time“. Make sure that the Auto-Reboot option is not checked, we do not want to reboot the phone after flashing TWRP recovery.
  6. After selecting the file and checking/unchecking the options carefully hit the start button. Odin will now flash the TWRP and show you a PASS message in a few minutes.
  7. Once done, disconnect your device from your PC now.
  8. Now you need to boot directly into TWRP Recovery. Press and hold Volume Down + Power + Home button, as soon as the screen goes black, switch from Volume Down to Volume Up key. Wait until your phone takes you to the recovery screen. Your phone should successfully boot into newly installed custom recovery.
  9. TWRP will ask you whether you want to allow modifications or not, you will need to swipe finger to the right to enable modifications. Swiping the finger to right will trigger dm-verity, if you will need to disable it immediately. Leaving it enabled will not let you boot the phone neither root it. This is an important stuff since we want to be able to modify the system.
  10. Now tap “Wipe > Format Data > type “yes” to format data. This is important to disable encryption. This step will factory reset your phone, so make sure that you’ve backed up the entire data at hand.
  11. Now go back to the main menu in TWRP Recovery and tap “Reboot > Recovery”. This will once again reboot your phone in TWRP.
  12. Now make sure that you’ve copied the SuperSU.zip and dm-verity.zip files in external SD Card or USB OTG, if not then transfer both these files to your external SD Card by using MTP mode in TWRP now. Once you’ve the files, tap “Install > locate the SuperSU.zip according to the location where you copied > flash it”.
  13. Now once again tap “Install > locate the dm-verity.zip file > flash it”.
  14. Once done flashing, reboot your phone to system.
  15. That’s all. You’re rooted and have a TWRP recovery installed. Best of luck.

That was it guys. Don’t forget to backup your EFS partition now and also create a Nandroid backup. Its’ time to unleash the true power of your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. I hope that this guide proved to be fruitful for all of you. Let us know if you are stuck with something or something isn’t working right for you.

Credits: jcaduono

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Usama is a software engineer by profession and at TechBeasts.com he uses his expertise to solve everyday consumer tech problems with his main areas of interest being Android, iOS and Windows.

18 COMMENTS

  1. I followed your steps on my g935fd and when I tried to boot into TWRP, the phone tried to boot into Nougat it would go no further than the “Samsung” boot logo. I could get it into doenload/Oddin mode, but coukd not get into rrcovery. I’ve spent nearly a week trying to restore my phone. I think an alternative method needs ti be developed for accomplishing the same thing; for example using adb to flash both SuperSU and the no-dm-verity. Once the ohone is rooted, the proper TWRP file can be installed with the Official TWRP app available on Play Store.

    • @mike44r:disqus
      You use Volume Up + Home + Power key to boot into TWRP.
      Can you please explain what you exactly did which booted the phone into the OS? Did you turn off Auto-reboot option in Odin??

      What do you exactly want, do you want to root the phone or you want the TWRP recovery as well?

      • I followed your steps precisely until I got to the step for booting into TWRP (Step 8). You say to turn the power off completely, but how do I do that?? There is no option in Download to “power off”. Pressing and holding the power button should work, but as soon as it is released, the phone starts booting into Android with no time to shift my fingers to press Power, V. Up and Home simultaneously. Everything I’ve been able to try has SOMETIMES allowed me to get to Download, bu I can’t get to Recovery AT ALL. And, with the dm-verity tripped by installing TWRP through Odin3, the phone only gets to the Samsung logo screen and hangs until the battery is drained. If I coukd get to TWRP, the rest of the steps would be a snap. So, I’m asking you to help me solve this problem because it is your instructions I’ve been following.

        You asked above what I’m wanting to do. My goals are: 1) Be able to use TWRP, 2) Disable “dm-verity and encryption” and 3) Root my phone.

        • After flashing the TWRP recovery, disconnect the phone from computer.
          Now press and hold Volume Down + Home + Power key. Keep the keys pressed for a while. As soon as the screen goes black, switch from Volume Down to Volume Up key.

          This will take you to the TWRP recovery. Now allow modifications, wipe the internal storage, connect your phone to your computer, Mount the usb storage, copy the required files, flash them, reboot phone. Done.

          You can repeat the flashing process and then follow the instructions I wrote in this comment above. I hope it’s more clear now. Best of luck 🙂

          • I DID PRECISELY WHAT YOU INSTRUCTED IN YOUR ABOVE REPLY AND THE PHONE TRIES TO START. IT GETS AS FAR AS THE “SAMSUNG” LOGO AND HANGS! On my phone, when the screen goes black, it stays that way for only a fraction of a second and then the phone’s model appears followed shortly afterwards by the Samsung logo, where it hangs. It is nit black long enough to reposition my fingers. Once the phone’s midrk appears on the screen, the phone WILL NOT enter recovery.

          • @mike44r:disqus Nothing’s deleted.

            The previous process basically messed up the phone. You have to download the stock firmware, flash the stock firmware and then root the phone again while following these steps.

            The method that I wrote in the guide previously works too, It was verified by myself. However, the new instructions are more easy to follow. Nothing’s gone out of your hands at all.

          • I wasn’t suggesting your method was flawed, but I needed help because I couldn’t get into recovery.

            I tried once more to get into TWRP, but did it a little differently. I removed the phone from its case and THEN tried to shift from V.Down to V.Up while holding Power and Home. And little and behold, it worked. Thus, I was able to complete the process of flahing no-dm-verity and SuperSU successfully. I think the problem was that, when the phone was in the case, I couldn’t tell whether I was pressing ONLY the V.Up and not both V.Up and V.Down simultaneously. With the phone in the case I think I was doing the katter and “confused” the ohone. Thanks for the help. And know that your instructions for rooting the S7 are the clearest and most detailed and complete that I’ve come across. Thanks.

          • I’m afraid I’m back and this will be a LONG post. I have created a problem that I don’t know how to fix. Here’s the situation:

            After successfully following your steps in the article, I rebooted the system and went through the setup process. When that finished there was a security warning notification that said there were unauthorized actions. When I tapped on the notification a window opened telling me about the unauthorized actions (just repeating what the notification said) and a red Repair button. I initially backed out of the window and for a day or two ignored the notification, which I couldn’t get rid of. No one had mentioned this warning with respect to rooting Android 7 on the S7

            Yesterday, in an effort to get rid of the persistent notification, I tapped the Repair button. The phone immediately rebooted into recovery (TWRP). I first tried simply to reboot the phone, but it went back to recovery. I tried to power off and it returned to recovery.

            Then I did a normal, not advanced, wipe and tried to re-flash the firmware, but I got an error saying the file was corrupt. I have three different original firmwares. I tried flashing each and got the same error for all three. So, I wiped everything except the external SD and otg storage with the intent of using Odin to flash TWRP, and the firmware and then to go into TWRP to flash the no-dm-verity and SuperSU. However, when I tried to reboot into Download, TWRP told me there is no OS and asked if I REALLY wanted to reboot. Not knowing whether or not I had erased the Download feature when I did the advanced wipe, I chose NOT to reboot to Download. And so, the phone now sits in TWRP (which is only in RAM now that the phone has bern wiped).

            My first questions are: 1) Can I get out of this predicament? And 2) how?

          • @mike44r:disqus for this: that said there were unauthorized actions

            You will simply open SuperSU, it will ask you to disable Knox. Disabling knox will kill this notification.

            You should have come here first if this error was coming up again and again. This is a common error that can be easily kicked away by disabling knox.

            Now try rebooting your phone into Download mode, and flash any new complete stock firmware. If the installation goes fine for you, your phone should boot up. You can flash recovery and root it again afterwards.

            The download feature cannot be erased. Pressing and holding Vol Down + Power + Home button for a while will take you to the download mode. Best of luck.

          • Thank you very much. The fear I had was that Download had been erased AND if I booted into download I would also lose recovery and totally brick the phone.

            Actually, although there ARE some things I either don’t know or am weak on, I’m actually pretty tech savvy. Nevertheless your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

            I will let you know what happens.

          • Okay. I finally got the phone up and running, but there are two issues.

            First, the default (Samsung) keyboard doesn’t work properly. In certain places, such entering an email address to setup an account, each letter typed replaces the previous letter. I installed a good third party keyboard that works much better in all ways. I didn’t have to do that on my previous phones or versions of Android.

            The second issue is that SuperSU has been trying to disable Knox for two hours now. What should I do? Thanks.

          • @mike44r:disqus Samsung keyboard on Nougat/S7E has issues. That’s has been reported by many users. I’ll recommend going with Swiftkey or Google Keyboard instead.
            You can also try turning off predictions. To do so,

            Go to settings > Keyboard settings > Samsung Keyboard > turn off predictive text, auto spell check and other options that you don;t want. This should fix the issue that you are facing.

            Close supersu, open it now and disable knox again. SuperSU gets stuck in the first try but works once you restart SuperSU app.

            I hope that you have a rooted phone with everything perfect now. Stay connected with us 🙂

          • I rebooted the phone hoping that would clear up the Samsung keyboard issue. It didn’t, but SUPERSU successfully disabled Knox.

            I installed a keyboard that I like. In fact, I like it so well that I bought the pro version and installed it on all my devices.

            Yes, after my blunders and with your help, the phone is rooted, has TWRP 3.1.0-1 for recovery, has dm-verity disabled and is wotking as it should. Than you!

  2. If I tap “Wipe > Format Data > type “yes” to format data, will I have to restore every thing again after rebooting to system?
    OmarBravo

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