This tutorial uses PhilZ Touch Recovery released by Recognized XDA-Developers, Phil3759. PhilZ Touch is a CWM Advanced Edition that adds all the features you could ever miss in CWM. Head over to the PhilZ Touch main thread to learn more about the features.
Disclaimer: Rooting voids the warranty of your device. We and the developer of this rooting procedures shall not be held responsible if any undesirable outcomes may happen to your device. use of this root guide is solely at your own risk!
Pre-Requisites
1. Install USB Drivers for Samsung Galaxy S4 on your computer.
2. Enable USB Debugging Mode on the phone by navigating to Settings >> Developer Options.
3. Make a backup of all your important data before following the guide.
4. The Galaxy S4 should be factory unlocked and not locked to any particular carrier.
5. Ensure the battery of the phone is charged more than 80 percent.
6. The CWM recovery works only on the Galaxy S4 with model number GT-I9500. Applying these on any incorrect variant might brick the device. Verify the model number of the Galaxy S4 by selecting Settings >> About Phone.
Files Required
1. CWM (Mirror Link)
2. Odin 3.07 (Mirror Link)
Steps to Root Galaxy S4 I9500 Running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat Firmware
Step 1: Extract the Odin 3.07 .zip file using WinRAR/7-Zip/WinZip or any other extracting tool.
Step 2: Switch off the Galaxy S4. Then boot into Download Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down, Home and Power buttons together until a construction Android robot icon with a warning triangle appears on screen. Now press the Volume Up button to enter Download Mode.
Step 3: Run Odin on the computer as an Administrator.
Step 4: Connect the Galaxy S4 to the computer using USB cable while it is in the Download Mode. Wait until Odin detects the device. When the device is connected successfully, the ID: COM box will turn to light blue with the COM port number. Additionally, the successful connected will be indicated by a message saying Added.
Step 5: In Odin, click the PDA button and select the CWM recovery.tar.md5 file. Make sure that the Re-Partition checkbox is NOT selected.
Step 6: Double-check and click Start button in Odin. The installation process will now begin.
Step 7: Once the installation process completes, your phone will restart and soon you will see a PASS message with green background in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin. You can now unplug the USB cable to disconnect it from the computer.
Step 8: Switch off the Galaxy S4. Then boot into CWM recovery by pressing and holding Volume Up, Home and Power buttons together.
Step 9: In CWM recovery, go to "Philz Settings" option and select "Re-root system (SuperSU)". Then confirm by selecting "Yes - Apply SuperSU".
Step 10: Return to main recovery menu and select "Reboot System Now".
Step 11: Install SuperSU from Google Play Store.
Step 12: Open SuperSU app and update the binaries as normal.
Step 13: Reboot your device.
Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500 running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat is now rooted successfully. Open the app drawer of the phone and check for an app called SuperSU. Verify the root status of the device by downloading Root Checker app from Google Play Store.
Thank's to all fellas at XDA who first tried out this rooting technique. This method was originally posted via XDA-Developers.
Read also: How to Update Galaxy S4 I9500 with Android 4.4.2 XXUFNB3 KitKat Official Firmware