[Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) Questions & Answers] MIP_21:
How to Root Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 (a750fn) + Working Secure Folder & Samsung Health

Hello, this is a guide on how to root Samsung galaxy A7 2018 (a750fn). I've tried to simplify the guide as much as I can but I still suggest to root your phone only if you know what you are doing! Also if you have any questions or problems, just ask.

Note: Sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes. English is not my native language.

!Disclaimer!

- You do this at your own risk! I am NOT responsible for bricked devices, stuck on bootloop etc.!

- Backup your device before proceeding forward!

- This guide WILL trip Knox so your warranty will be void!

- The Knox-dependent applications like Secret Folder and Samsung Health will stop working but in this guide, there are two other miniguides that will explain how to enable them even after tripped Knox. - All of these steps have been tested on my phone - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) (a750fn) where they worked without problems.

Required Software/Resources:

- Odin (for flashing) - Download

- Samsung USB Drivers - Download

- 7zip (for archives) - Download

- Firmware with the last security patch from 2020 (for me, the patch was from November 2020) - Download

- TWRP Recovery - Download

- Magisk (for root) - Download

- DM-VERITY, FORCED ENCRYPTION, AND DISC QUOTA DISABLER (Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip) - Download

- A MicroSD card

Setup the Software/Resources:

1. Install 7zip

2. Install the Samsung USB Drivers

3. Extract Odin to a folder and put it on the Desktop

4. Extract the firmware to a folder and put it on the Desktop

In the firmware there'll be 5 files:

- BL_FIRMWAREVERSION

- AP_FIRMWAREVERSION

- CP_FIRMWAREVERSION

- CSC_OMC_OXM_FIRMWAREVERSION

- HOME_CSC_OMC_OXM_FIRMWAREVERSION (delete this one)

Delete the files starting with HOME_CSC.

5. Change the Magisk extension from .apk to .zip (Ex. Magisk_ver.apk --> Magisk_ver.zip)

6. Put the Magisk_ver.zip in the MicroSD card

7. Put the Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip in the MicroSD card as well

8. Insert the MicroSD card in the phone

Steps to Root:

NOTE: BEFORE PROCEEDING FORWARD, BACKUP YOUR DEVICE!

1. Enable Developer Options (by clicking 7 times the build number of your phone)

2. Open Developer Options and find the option OEM Unlock

3. Enable OEM Unlock (this will factory reset the phone)

- After the factory reset the OEM Unlock option will be enabled and this will allow

flashing custom recoveries and etc. to the phone.

4. After the factory reset, when the phone boots up, turn it off

5. Connect the phone to you PC/Laptop via USB cable

6. While the phone is completely turned off, hold the buttons Volume UP + Volume DOWN until Download mode shows up

7. Press Volume UP again to confirm that you'll be modifying your device

8. On your PC/Laptop open Odin

9. On the left side in Odin there are 3 tabs: Log, Options and Pit

10. Open Options and remove the checkmark on the Auto Reboot option, then go back to Log

11. In the middle of the program there are 5 slots:

- BL (Bootloader)

- AP (Application Processor)

- CP (Modem)

- CSC (Consumer Software Customization)

- USERDATA

12. Click the first slot and navigate to the location where you extracted the firmware

- The start of the names of each firmware file corresponds to the names of the slots in Odin

13. Place each firmware file in the correct Odin slot that corresponds to their names

(Ex. BL_FIRMWAREVERSION is inside the BL slot)

14. With your phone connected, press the Start button to flash the firmware

- After the firmware has been flashed successfully, your phone will be downgraded to the last security patch from 2020 which fixes possible bootloops or other issues when rooting/disabling forced encryption.

- The firmware is successfully flashed when the top left bar is green and above says PASS!

After flashing the firmware DON'T boot in Android yet!

15. After flashing, hold the Volume DOWN + Power button for around 7 seconds, immediately when the screen goes black switch to holding Volume UP + Volume DOWN

- You will enter back in Download mode

16. In Odin, press the Reset button and again uncheck Auto Restart in Options

17. In the AP slot, select the TWRP Recovery (which is in .tar archive)

18. With your phone connected to your PC/Laptop in Download mode, press Start on Odin

- This will flash the custom recovery to the phone

19. You can now disconnect the phone from your PC/Laptop

Again, after flashing the recovery, do NOT boot into Android yet!

20. After flashing the custom recovery, hold the Volume DOWN + Power button for around 7 seconds, immediately when the screen goes black switch to holding Volume UP + Power button

- This will boot the phone into the custom recovery (TWRP in this case)

22. Inside TWRP Recovery, go to Wipe, select Format Data and type 'yes' to confirm

23. After the format, go to Install, select the MicroSD card and find where you've put the Magisk_ver.zip file, select it and install it

- This will root to the device!

24. After you have installed Magisk, go back to Install, select the MicroSD card and find where you've put Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip and install it

- This will disable the forced encryption!

- If there's an error when installing the zip that says 'Failed to mount '/odm' (no such file or directory)", simply ignore it and proceed forward.

25. Go to Reboot, select System and wait around 5-10 minutes till Android fully loads

- After Android has loaded, proceed through the setup process.

26. Go to all apps and find the application called Magisk

- When you open it, it'll ask you to complete the installation of the Magisk app.

- It may also ask to reboot, to fully complete the installation.

27. After the application has been fully installed, your device will be Rooted and with disabled forced encryption!

Fix Secure Folder & Samsung Health

Note: TWRP Backup is recommended in case something fails

Samsung Health:

Required Software:

- A build.prop editor like this

Steps:

1. Install a build.prop editor from the play store

2. Give the build.prop editor root access

3. Open the editor and search for the line - ro.config.tima=1

4. Change the 1 to 0

(Ex. ro.config.tima=1 --> ro.config.tima=0)

5. Save and Reboot the device

6. After the reboot Samsung Health should work as expected

Secure Folder:

Required Software:

- Smali Patcher - Download

Steps:

2. Extract Smali Patcher.zip into a folder

3. Run as administrator

- Wait until it says 'idle..' at the bottom left of the program

4. Uncheck everything checked (like Mock locations, Mock providers, High volume warning etc.)

5. Check Samsung Knox

6. Enable USB Debugging on your phone

7. Connect your phone to your PC/Laptop

8. Press the ADB PATCH button

- A prompt will appear on your phone that asks if you allow your pc to do debugging mode operations on your phone.

9. Press allow on the prompt on your phone

- Wait until Smali Patcher is done.

- After Smali Patcher is done there should be a Magisk module inside it's folder.

10. Copy the Magisk module created by Smali Patcher to your phone

11. Open Magisk and go to Modules (the puzzle piece icon)

12. Tap on the button saying 'Install from storage'

13. Find the location where you've copied the module

14. Install the module

15. Restart your phone

16. If all done correctly, you should be able to set up and use Secure Folder