How to Root Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 (Newbie Guide with Pictures)

Last time, I discussed about restoring/ resetting/ reformatting your Samsung Galaxy Y. This helps with problems regarding slow android phones and frequent "forced close" apps.

For one, a friend of mine paid a whopping 250 php simply to have her phone reformatted because she couldn't text or call or do anything functional with it. That's a less-than-5-minute process. Others have actually charged her 500 php when all they had to do was do a hard reset/reformat.

So, for my first tip of the day: LEARN HOW TO REFORMAT/ HARD RESET YOUR SAMSUNG GALAXY Y.

Rooting a Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 is actually easier than rooting a MyPhone A818g

Let's get down to business, shall we.

Rooting... Why should I root my phone? (in layman's words)

To be honest, I've barely rooted my phone. And to be more embarrassingly honest, I have bricked  a MyPhone A818 because I was dying to root it. So why do we root?

1. Rooting your android phone can help you adjust the parameters for which your phone is functioning e.g. kill bloatware and manufacturer apps that hog up battery life.

2. Rooting your Samsung Galaxy Y will allow you to install custom roms. Mine, at the moment, is running on ChobitsDigitalis ROM.

3. Rooting gives you that SuperUser icon that looks so cool because it shows you have the briefest idea of what you just did. Oh, and having superuser rights allow you to download the infamous ClockWorkMod/ ROM Manager.

FAQs:

1. Is rooting the Galaxy GT-S5360 difficult? 

No.

2. Do I need to back up my old files? 

In this case, no. They will remain there. 

However, just to be safe, when it comes to tweaking, rooting or installing custom roms, backing-up your files is an imperative.

3. What do I need to root my Samsung Galaxy Y?

a. your computer, to download the update.zip

b. a USB cable to transfer the files from your download folder to your SD card.

c. a Samsung Galaxy Y that has a minimum charge of 50%

d. your concentration

4. If I accidentally install the update.zip more than once, will I brick my phone?

Not to my knowledge. While doing this article, I actually rooted my Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 3 times. Just don't try it for the sake of testing the theory.

5. Will this update.zip work on Galaxy Y Duos?

I haven't tried it (for the absence of a Duos phone). However, I strongly advice for you to look for a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos root instead. 

How do I root my Samsung Galaxy Y?

1. First, download the update.zip.

2. Attach your USB cable to your computer's USB port with the other end on your phone.

USB Connected notification in android phones.

3. Once you see the notification 'USB Connected', just press it and choose "Connect USB Storage". Press "OK" on the next prompt. Your green Android will turn orange and the phone's memory will become visible under 'Devices with Removable Storage'.

Some devices will have another pop-up message before green Android turns orange. Just press 'OK' if this notification pops out.

4. Copy the update.zip into the main folder.

Main folder just means the very first window that opens when you click on 'Removable Disk'

5. Once done, go to your phone again and select  "Disconnect USB Storage".

6. Turn off your phone in preparation for 'Android System Recovery'.

7. Once it's off, press the Volume Up, Home button and Power Button simultaneously. Once the Samsung Galaxy Y logo appears, just let it go  

8. Using the Volume Button as your scroll keys, just press it to go to "apply update from sdcard". Press the "Home" button to choose the update.zip package.

9. Scroll down again to highlight update.zip. Press "Home" again to install the zip.

Select update.zip. If you accidentally placed the zip file in another folder, just select the folder name (the one with a / after each word) and choose update.zip

10. It's a pretty quick process. Once it's done, your phone will have the message on its screen saying: You've been rooted! Install from sdcard complete.

11. Select "reboot system now" and we're done with rooting. You should now see the superuser icon in your menu.

Viola! Now, you've successfully rooted your Samsung Galaxy Y.

And that's how the cookie crumbles, folks.