Root Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean XXUAMD2 Firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 LTE

Root has been achieved for the Galaxy S4 LTE that runs on Android 4.2.2 XXUAMD2 firmware. This comes several weeks before the smartphone will hit stores worldwide. You can learn how to successfully root it using the instructions that I’ve listed below. Read the entire post and don’t skip any instructions if you want to root the SGS4 I9505.
This root has been achieved and confirmed by Chainfire, an XDA Elite Recognized Developer. Using his tool you will be able to achieve root and from now on you can start looking for new custom ROMs to get rid of all the Samsung bloatware and all the other features coming with stock firmware. In order to make sure that you successfully flash this Root for your device, you will first have to read the guidelines below:

• Use the guide only for the Samsung Galaxy S4 4G LTE model number I9505. It is the device that uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9 GHz CPU.
• The Android 4.2.2 firmware supported by this guide is the XXUAMD2 version. This guide will not work with any other Jelly Bean firmware build.
• Don’t use this tutorial with the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500, the Exynos 5 Octa variant as it won’t work and you might end up bricking it.
• Make sure to backup the data that is currently stored on your smartphone. This is a precaution that you should take before starting the root actions, as you wouldn’t want to lose any data in the process.
• Make sure that no antivirus apps are running on your computer. Also, make sure that the Samsung KIES software is disabled.
• Enable USB Debugging option from your device’s Developer Options. In case you cannot find this menu, then you have to open Settings, then scroll down to About Phone section and then tap 7 times on the ‘Build Number’ area. This will enable Android Developer Options for your smartphone.
• The battery power charge level has to be over 50% so that the phone won’t switch off in the middle of the rooting process.
• Use the tutorial only if you’re an advanced Android user and you wish to flash new custom files on your Galaxy S4 I9505.
• Read the entire post and make sure that you won’t skip any steps that I have listed here. In case you cannot complete the tutorial, then you should ask for more help in comments. I will try to offer you any help that you might need in your rooting attempts.

Now that you know all of the above, you can continue to the next part of this post.

How to root Galaxy S4 I9505 4G LTE on Android 4.2.2 XXUAMD2 Jelly Bean Firmware:

1. Download the XXUAMD2 Firmware root file from HERE. Unzip the contents of the zip and save the file on your computer. Create a single folder.
2. Next, download Odin 3.07 from HERE. This is the tool that you’re gonna use in order to successfully root your phone. Extract its contents and place them into a single folder. In case Odin 3.07 doesn’t work, then you can try to use Odin 1.85 (link here) or Odin 3.04 (link here).
3. Power off your smartphone now.
4. Boot the Galaxy S4 LTE into Download Mode. Do it by pressing and holding at the same time Volume Down + Home + Power. Release the buttons when the screen flickers and then follow the instructions shows by your phone. When you’re in Download Mode continue to the next step.
5. Now, launch Odin executable from the folder created in  step 2.
6. Next, click PDA button in ODIN. Browse for the ‘CF-Auto-Root-jflte-jfltexx-gti9505.tar.md5′ file and load it into Odin. This file should be find in the folder created in step 1.
7. Don’t change any other default settings of ODIN. Make sure that the Re-Partition option is disabled.
8. Connect your Galaxy S4 to your PC now using the USB cable. ODIN will display a confirmation message saying ‘Added!!’, it means that the phone has been recognized and you can apply root.
9. Press the ‘Start’ button when you’re ready for the rooting process to start.
10. When the SGS4 LTE is rooted, you will see that the phone restarts. Unplug it from PC and wait for the rooted Android 4.2.2 XXUAMD2 welcome screen to load.
11. That’s it, you’ve managed to successfully root your phone.

NOTE: When the phone restarts, it should display a red Android on its display during the boot. In case this isn’t shown then you need to boot the device into Recovery Mode. Here’s what you need to do:

• Power off the device completely by removing its battery.
• Re-insert the battery after several seconds have passed.
• Boot the phone into Recovery mode by pressing Volume Up + Home + Power. Release the buttons when the Recovery mode appears.
• Select ‘reboot system now’ option and wait until the phone boots into normal mode.

If you want a custom Recovery for your device, then you can choose to download and install ROM Manager from Google Play Store. Install the CWM Recovery using the ROM Manager app. An alternative would be to install GooManager and install TWRP Recovery. These custom Recoveries will help you install new custom ROMs when such releases will be available for your Galaxy S4 I9505.
If you have any other questions, please post them in comments.
In case you’re having problems rooting your device, then you need to leave a comment detailing exactly which steps you took and where you got stuck. Remember that this is a guide that works only with the XXUAMD2 firmware build of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 LTE.