Unroot Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910U (NZ)

Unrooting your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910U (the New Zealand variant) restores the phone to its original factory state, removing root access and the custom recovery that often comes with it. This is necessary if you want to receive OTA updates, use banking apps that block rooted devices, or send the phone in for warranty service. Before you begin, back up all important data—unrooting wipes the phone—and ensure the battery is charged above 70%.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows PC (or a Mac with Odin alternatives, but Windows is easiest).
• The original Samsung USB cable.
• Odin3 (v3.13.1 or newer) downloaded and extracted on your PC.
• The official stock firmware for the SM-N910U (New Zealand variant). Download from a trusted source like SamMobile or Updato—make sure the model number and region (NZL) match exactly.
• Samsung USB drivers installed on your PC.
• Your phone’s IMEI (dial *#06#) to verify the correct firmware if unsure.

Step-by-Step

1. Back up your data. Unrooting wipes the phone. Use Samsung Smart Switch or copy files to your PC manually. Sync contacts and photos to cloud services.
2. Enable USB debugging and OEM unlock. Go to Settings > About Phone > tap Build Number 7 times to enable Developer Options. Then go to Settings > Developer Options and enable both “USB Debugging” and “OEM Unlock” (if present).
3. Download and extract the stock firmware. The file will be a ZIP; extract it to get a .tar.md5 file. Do not extract that .tar.md5 further.
4. Boot your phone into Download Mode. Power off the phone. Press and hold Volume Down + Home + Power simultaneously. When the warning screen appears, press Volume Up to continue.
5. Connect the phone to your PC. Plug in the USB cable. Windows should detect it as a Samsung device. If not, reinstall the Samsung USB drivers.
6. Open Odin3. Right-click and select “Run as Administrator.” You should see a blue or yellow box in the top-left indicating the phone is connected (shows COM port number). If not, try a different USB port or cable.
7. Load the firmware into Odin. Click the “AP” button (or “PDA” in older versions) and select the .tar.md5 file you extracted. Do not touch any other buttons—leave BL, CP, CSC, and UMS empty.
8. Disable auto-reboot (optional but recommended). In Odin, uncheck “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” (if visible). This gives you control after flashing.
9. Start the flash. Click the “Start” button. The process takes 5–10 minutes. You’ll see a progress bar in Odin. Do not unplug the phone during this time.
10. When Odin shows “PASS” (green box), manually reboot the phone: hold Power + Home + Volume Down for about 10 seconds until the screen turns off, then immediately switch to Volume Up + Home + Power to boot into Recovery Mode.
11. In Recovery Mode, wipe data/factory reset. Use volume keys to navigate and Power to select. This removes any leftover root files and ensures a clean state.
12. Reboot the phone. Select “Reboot system now.” The first boot may take longer than usual—be patient.
13. Verify unroot. After boot, install a root checker app from the Play Store (e.g., Root Checker Basic) and confirm that root access is not available. Also check that the phone’s status in Settings > About Phone shows “Official” or “Normal.”

Common Mistakes

• Using the wrong firmware. The SM-N910U has different regional variants. Flashing a firmware meant for another country can cause network issues or boot loops. Always match the exact model and region (NZL).
• Not backing up data. The factory reset in step 11 erases everything. If you skip the backup, you lose photos, messages, and app data permanently.
• Interrupting the flash. Unplugging the USB cable or letting the battery die during Odin flashing can brick the phone. Keep the phone plugged in and the PC stable.
• Leaving “Re-Partition” checked. This is a common cause of hard bricks. In Odin, ensure “Re-Partition” is unchecked—it usually is by default, but double-check.
• Using a custom recovery after flashing. If you reinstall TWRP or similar, the phone is still considered rooted. Stick to stock recovery.

Tips

• Before starting, disable any antivirus or firewall on your PC that might interfere with Odin.
• Use the original Samsung cable—third-party cables can cause connection drops.
• If you’re on a Mac, you can use Heimdall instead of Odin, but the process is more complex. Windows is recommended.
• Write down your current Android version and baseband before flashing. If something goes wrong, you can search for that exact version.
• After unrooting, update the phone via OTA to the latest security patch—this ensures the bootloader is fully stock.

Troubleshooting

• Odin doesn’t detect the phone. Try a different USB port (preferably USB 2.0), reinstall Samsung USB drivers, and ensure the phone is in Download Mode. Also try running Odin as Administrator.
• Odin fails with “FAIL!” or “MD5 hash error.” The firmware file may be corrupted. Re-download the firmware and re-extract it. Also check that the .tar.md5 file is not in a subfolder.
• Phone stuck in a boot loop. This usually means the firmware didn’t flash correctly or data wasn’t wiped. Boot into Recovery Mode (Volume Up + Home + Power) and perform a factory reset again. If that doesn’t work, reflash the firmware with Odin, this time ensuring “Auto Reboot” is unchecked and manually rebooting after.
• Phone shows “Custom” status after flashing. This can happen if the bootloader wasn’t fully reset. Reflash the firmware again, and after the flash, immediately do a factory reset from recovery. If the status still shows “Custom,” you may need to use a tool like “Samsung FRP Hijack” or take it to a service center.
• No network signal after flashing. The firmware region may not match your carrier. Double-check that you downloaded the NZL (New Zealand) version. If you did, try toggling airplane mode or re-inserting the SIM.
• Phone won’t boot at all (hard brick). If Odin shows “PASS” but the phone stays black, try a different firmware version (older or newer). If the phone doesn’t respond to any button combination, you may need a JTAG service—this is rare but possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will unrooting void my warranty? Yes, if you send the phone in with root access, the warranty is void. Unrooting restores the software to stock, but the warranty may still be void if the bootloader counter is tripped. You can reset the counter using a tool like TriangleAway, but this is not always reliable on newer bootloaders.

Do I need to unroot before receiving OTA updates? Yes, OTA updates will fail or cause boot loops on a rooted device. Unrooting is the only safe way to get official updates.

Will unrooting delete my files? The factory reset step wipes the internal storage. If you skipped the backup, you’ll lose everything. Always back up before proceeding.

Can I unroot without a PC? If you have a custom recovery like TWRP, you can flash a “stock recovery” and then factory reset, but this is more complicated and still requires a PC to download the files. The Odin method is the most reliable.

What if I only want to remove root but keep custom recovery? That’s not recommended. Custom recovery is a sign of root and can cause OTA failures. For a clean unroot, you must restore both the stock system and stock recovery.

Is it safe to unroot my phone? Yes, if you follow the steps correctly. The main risk is bricking the phone if you interrupt the flash or use the wrong firmware. As long as you use the correct SM-N910U NZL firmware and a stable connection, it’s safe.

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