Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Samsung has taken some criticism on the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The reviews have been so-so and it seems many are still waiting and hoping to see the watch get a bit more in terms of functionality. We recently saw a hack that allowed the Galaxy Gear to run regular Android apps, and more recently, it looks like the watch has been rooted.

The details of the root are coming by way of the xda-developers forums. User photonicgeek has shared the process, as well as the steps that would be needed to reverse the process. As we often say with these types of situations — this is something you should do at your own risk. Photonicgeek has the process broken down into just a few steps, which seems to be rather basic.

You need to install some official drivers from Samsung and also grab the Cydia Impactor from Saurik’s website. Otherwise, the process involves enabling ADB mode on your Gear and installing those drivers. From here, you can have root access. Of course, what we just listed is a much simpler version of the actual steps. Photonicgeek also mentions that once rooted, the device will still look as it did before.

With that, while root has been achieved, there is still a bit more to the process. After you have root access you will need to install a utility, such as SuperSU or Superuser. That all being said, while the process itself does involve some risk — your watch and what used to be your $299, there is another side to consider. The other side here is that it seems many are unsure of what to actually do now that the watch has been rooted.

The xda thread is basically in what we would consider discovery mode at the moment. Users seem to be working through the process and taking it to further places. Needless to say, unless you are experienced in rooting and playing with Android, we would likely suggest holding off at the moment. Still, this would be a good thread for Galaxy Gear users to keep an eye on.