[Samsung Galaxy Tab A series Guides, News, & Discus] gcrutchr:
I have root on my SM-T295 A8 tablet!!

See my new post: How to Install TWRP and Root T295

Update 19 March 2021

Tested on T295XXU3BUC3 ROM

Prerequisites:

Bootloader unlocked - search forums.xda-developers for instructions how to do this.

OEM unlock on. In Settings/developer options, OEM Unlock slider should be to the right.

I see people still trying to patch files to get root.

If you flash the TWRP posted by @Talich52, with reboot unchecked you can install Magisk from TWRP.

1. If prerequisites met: install Android 9 bootloader through ODIN

2. Reboot to system

3. Go into download mode.

4. Open ODIN and in the AP slot put TWRP (see attachment below)

5. Uncheck auto reboot

6. Flash TWRP

7. Press vol dn + pwr keys.

8: When screen goes blank, press vol up + pwr keys.

9. Keep holding down both keys after reboot.

10. Tablet will reboot again.

11. When Samsung logo appears stop pressing pwr key.

12. When bootloader msg appears, release vol up key, quickly press & release pwr key, and quickly press vol up key until in TWRP.

13. You will then format (NOT WIPE) data. Answer yes to the format prompt

14. Clear dalvik/cache if prompted

15. Install Fix_vendor_9.0.zip or Fix_vendor_10.0.zip. See attached files.

16. Clear dalvik and cache.

17. Reboot back into recovery.

18. Install magisk - see attached

19. Reboot into system. May reboot again - that's okay

20. Enjoy!!

Updated (23 March 2020) my Tab A with XXS3ATB2 and got it rooted!!

Attached AP.tar file is for XXU2ASL3 only.

T295-Magisk-AP.tar

Okay, after multiple failed attempts, I read about a method to root my T295. It did not work!! But, I decided to just use Magisk Manager on the boot.img file only. The resultant file would not flash - it will fail. The original boot.img & recovery.img files are 65,536K bytes each. I had to take the Magisk modified boot.img and overlay it onto the original boot.ing file. I did the same for the recovery.img. Then the files would flash successfully. The first thing after booting was to check Magisk Manager. It showed I have Magisk 20.3 installed. So, I tested this with Root Explorer. I did have root!!

If you are going to try this, you need to unlock your boot loader, I think. I have not tried this with a locked bootloader.

Basic instructions

PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE STARTING!! VERY IMPORTANT!!

Here are the steps to root your tablet:

Make a backup of you apps & data before doing this. This procedure will

wipe all you data.

Go to settings.

Select software info

Tap build number 7 times to get into developer mode

Go back to main settings page.

Scroll to bottom and select developer mode

In middle of page find OEM unlocking

Make sure slider is all the way to the right (should say allow bootloader to be unlocked)

Unlock bootloader:

1. turn off tablet

2. press and hold down vol up & vol down keys together

3. insert usb cable (should already be connected to computer)

4. when bootloader screen appears, release all keys

5. press and hold vol up key for 5 seconds, then release

6. read instructions on screen to unlock bootloader (this will wipe all your data)

After reboot, go through normal setup.

Now for the hard part.

You need to download the complete ROM you have installed on your Tablet.

It will be better if you have the same ROM version as I do in post in this post (#1).

You need to unzip the ROM so you can flash it in ODIN.

If you are on the same ROM version as in my post #1, then you can just download my rooted files.

Unzip my downloaded root files zip file.

Unzip the downloaded ROM files.

In the AP* file, you need to replace my files in the zip: boot.img, recovery.img & vbmeta.img

Start ODIN. Select files for BL*, AP*, CSC* & CP*

For CSC file, select HOME_CSC*

*** Uncheck auto reboot ***

Flash ROM.

After flashing ROM. press vol dn + pwr key

As soon as screen goes blank press vol up key and hold

When get into recovery, select data wipe, then reboot

Set up phone as you normally would.

After setup, go to Play store and install Magisk Manager. Run Magisk Manager to see if you have root.

Do It Yourself Instructions

You need to do some research before doing this. This is NOT a walk you by the hand tutorial. You need to learn some things before following these instructions. Learn how to use lz4.exe. Learn how to use simg2img. Learn how to make a .tar file.

Make a backup of you apps & data before doing this. This procedure will

wipe all you data.

Go to settings.

Select software info

Tap build number 7 times to get into developer mode

Go back to main settings page.

Scroll to bottom and select developer mode

In middle of page find OEM unlocking

Make sure slider is all the way to the right (should say allow bootloader to be unlocked)

Unlock bootloader:

1. turn off tablet

2. press and hold down vol up & vol down keys together

3. insert usb cable (should already be connected to computer)

4. when bootloader screen appears, release all keys

5. press and hold vol up key for 5 seconds, then release

6. read instructions on screen to unlock bootloader (this will wipe all your data)

After reboot, go through normal setup.

Now for the hard part.

You need to download the complete ROM you have installed on your Tablet.

Extract ROM files

Extract system.*.lz4, recovery*.lz4 and vbmeta*.lz4

Use tar to make an AP.tar file with the 3 above files. **Search the Internet if you do not know how to use tar.

Copy the AP.tar file to your phone. It is better to use adb push to prevent file correuption.

Install Magisk Manager from Play store.

Run Magisk Manager. Select install Magisk. Choose Select and Patch a file. Follow directions on screen to patch the AP.tar file.

Once the AP.tar file has been patched, use adb to pul the file to yur computer.

Extract the file from the AP.tar file.

Now come the hard part:

You cannot edit .lz4 directly. You have to decompress them. After decompressing system*, use simg2img to decompress the sparse file. Search the Internet if you do not know how to do this.

Now we make our modified files so they will flash in ODIN.

Instructions:

I used hex editor neo - a windows 10 app

I opened the stock kernel & recovery files in hex editor neo

I opened the Magisk modified kernel & recovery files in hex editor neo

I copied the modified kernel & recovery code onto their respective stock files in hex editor neo

I saved the stock files & closed hex editor neo.

I used cygwin to create a tar file: boot.img, recovery.img, vbmeta.img plus other files in original AP*.MD5 file.

You should also flash all ROM *.MD5 files (BL, CP, CSC) per Magisk instructions.

New AP.tar contents:

boot.img

dtbo.img.lz4

meta-data

recovery.img

system.img.ext4.lz4

userdata.img.ext4.lz4

vbmeta.img

vendor.img.ext4.lz4

I used Odin to flash the tar file

Flash ROM.

After flashing ROM. press vol dn + pwr key

As soon as screen goes blank press vol up key and hold

When get into recovery, select data wipe, then reboot

Set up phone as you normally would.

After setup, go to Play store and install Magisk Manager. Run Magisk Manager to see if you have root.

After installing Magisk:

(Powering up normally) → (System with NO Magisk)

(OEM Recovery Key Combo) → (Splash screen) → (Release all buttons) → (System with Magisk)

(OEM Recovery Key Combo) → (Splash screen) → (Keep pressing volume up) → (Actual recovery)

Please follow my instructions and the install instructions from Magisk web page.

Magisk Installation