Install TWRP recovery on Galaxy On5 and Root it [G550T/G550T1]

Samsung introduced its new Galaxy On series almost 10 months ago. The Galaxy On series brought two smartphones into existence including the Galaxy On5 and the Galaxy On7. After Galaxy On5 and On7 debuted in the Chinese region. These devices found their way to the other regions after some time of the official release. The Galaxy On5 sports a 5-inch 1280 x 720p display and is equipped with Exynos 3475 SoC accompanied by 1.5 GB RAM.

The standard variant of the Galaxy On5 touts an 8MP camera at the back and a 5MP shooter on the front. T-Mobile version of the Galaxy On5 comes with a 5MP shooter at the back and a 2 MP on the front. As these smartphones happened to be low-budget, the base internal storage was only 8GB with an expandable storage option. Galaxy On5 has a 2600 mAh battery and it runs on 5.0 Lollipop. T-Mobile variant is upgradable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The MetroPCS (SM-G550T1) and T-Mobile (SM-G550T) variants of the Galaxy On5 were blessed with a TWRP recovery almost a month ago. With the release of TWRP recovery, rooting these smartphones was made quite easy. Once you have installed the custom recovery, all you need to do is to flash SuperSu and you are done.

Curious users having no or a little knowledge about a custom recovery and root access may be interested in knowing that custom recovery allows you to flash custom ROMs, Mods, and other .zip files. Root access allows you to run root-specific applications and enhance the performance, battery life and also add new features to your Android smartphone. After rooting your phone, you can explore the Google Play Store and find our root specific applications to start modifying and tweaking your phone.

Assuming that Galaxy On5 users have got a brief overview of a custom recovery and TWRP recovery, we can now head back to what we were here for. We are going to show you how to Install TWRP recovery on Galaxy On5 and Root it [G550T/G550T1].

Early preparations

1. Charge your Galaxy On5 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 a connection between your PC and your phone.
7. Follow these instructions to the letter to avoid any mishap during flashing process.

Disclaimer: Rooting, flashing custom recoveries and tweaking your device are the processes which are never recommended by device manufacturers or the OS providers. In case a mishap occurs while following the method listed below, TechBeasts or the device manufacturer may not be held responsible. Make sure that you are doing everything at your own risk.

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
• Also, Download the TWRP Recovery.tar file carefully.
  • TWRP Recovery for Galaxy On5 SM-G550T/G550T1: 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.

Install TWRP recovery on Galaxy On5 and Root it [G550T/G550T1]

1. Open Odin3.exe file from the extracted Odin files that you downloaded above.
2. Put your Galaxy On5 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. Turn off your phone completely and turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Up + Home + Power key now. Your phone should successfully boot into newly installed custom recovery.
9. Now make sure that you’ve copied the SuperSU.zip file in external SD Card or USB OTG, if not then transfer it to your external SD Card by using MTP mode in TWRP now. Once you have the files, tap “Install > locate the SuperSU.zip according to the location where you copied > flash it”.
10. Once done flashing, reboot your phone to the system. That’s all.

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 On5. 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.