Not too long ago, an unlock tool was released for some Motorola devices that used Qualcomm processors. Well, it turns out that unlocking hack still works on newer Qualcomm devices, including the variant of the Galaxy S 4 with the Snapdragon 600 chip. So if you're planning on picking up a new Galaxy S 4 this weekend, you won't have to wait for a root method.
The downside is that there are no stock images or custom recoveries available for the device yet, so if you brick the device in the root process, you're completely out of luck. OTA updates will also likely mess up root. Fortunately, it's a pretty safe bet that this is going to be a popular device, so it shouldn't take long before some recoveries and ROMs start popping up. Until then, though, root at your own risk.
The method is the same as it was for the Motorola unlocking. You'll need to download the package at the XDA link then follow these instructions.
- Extract the entire contents of the zip file.
- If you are using Windows, ensure you have installed the latest Motorola USB drivers available for your phone.
- Ensure your device has been rooted and you have a working installation of “su”.
- Ensure USB Debugging mode is enabled on your device.
- If you are using Windows, navigate to the extracted directory and execute “run.bat”. If you are using Linux or OS X, navigate to the extracted directory in a terminal and execute “./run.sh”.
source: XDA
