The Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660 is a smartphone that lets you experience Android without having to spend much from your pocket. This phone is ideal for first-time Android users, teenagers, and those who want to experiment and play with their phones.  But, unbenknownst to most newcomers to Android, there is more to play and experiment with than just the apps and features that your phone comes with from the factory.  If you root your phone, you can open it to countless opportunities and possibilities for customizing, tweaking, and modding.

But, to reach farther from the shore, you need to start from the beginning: rooting your Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn to do just that.  You’ll also find instructions for installing ClockworkMod Recovery on your phone.

Caution

Rooting your phone is a risky endeavor (apart from breaking your phone’s warranty).  Although most folks succeed with it, a few others fail.  The instructions in this guide are provided for educational purposes only.  Use them at your own risk.  Do not hold us responsible for whatever happens to your phone or to you because of your use of these instructions.

Rooting Instructions (Gingerbread)

NOTE: Use these instructions to root your Galaxy Gio S5660 running Android 2.3.3 to 2.3.6 Gingerbread.  For phones still on Froyo, check the next section below.

1. Download the appropriate root package for your specific handset model:
   1. Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660
   2. Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660 (Bell or Virgin Mobile)
   3. Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660V
2. Copy the downloaded ZIP file to the root of your phone’s SD card.  Do not place the file inside any subfolder.
3. Turn off your phone.
4. Reboot the phone into recovery mode by holding down the Home/OK (middle) button as you turn on the phone using the Power button.  In recovery mode, use the Volume buttons for navigation and the Home/OK button for selecting.
5. Select “Update from SD card” from the recovery menu.
6. Look for the root package file from the list that appears.
7. Select the root package to start the rooting process.
8. Reboot your phone.

NOTES:

• If the root packages in step 1 don’t work for your phone, try this signed root package.  Flash the package in the same manner.
• If these instructions don’t work for your Gingerbread handset, try the alternate method for Froyo (below) on your Gingerbread handset.

(Un)Rooting Instructions (Froyo)

NOTE: Use these instructions if your phone is still running on Android 2.2 Froyo.  You can also try these instructions on a Gingerbread handset if the instructions in the previous section don’t work for you.

1. Download the SuperOneClick package from here.
2. Extract the files from the SuperOneClick ZIP file into a new folder on your computer.
3. Enable USB Debugging on your phone through Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.
4. Enable installation of non-Market apps from Settings > Unknown sources (make sure the checkbox is checked).
5. Go to Settings > SD & phone storage.  Tap on “Unmount SD card.”
6. On your computer, in the folder that contains the SuperOneClick files, look for SuperOneClick.exe and run it as Administrator.
7. Click the Root button in SuperOneClick to start the rooting process.  (For unrooting, click the Unroot button in SuperOneClick.)

Unrooting

NOTE: Use these instructions if you rooted your phone using the instructions in the section Rooting Instructions (Gingerbread).

1. Download the unrooting package from here.  (If this package doesn’t work, try this other one instead.)
2. Flash the unrooting package in the same manner as flashing the root package.

Installing ClockworkMod Recovery

1. To be able to install ClockworkMod Recovery on your Galaxy Gio, your phone must be rooted first and must be running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread or higher.
2. Download the ClockworkMod Recovery update package from here.
3. Copy the ZIP file into the root of your phone’s SD card.  Do not place the file inside any subfolder.
4. Reboot the phone into recovery mode by holding down the Home/OK (middle) button as you turn on the phone using the Power button.  In recovery mode, use the Volume buttons for navigation and the Home/OK button for selecting.
5. Select “Update from SD card” from the recovery menu.
6. Look for the ClockworkMod Recovery package file from the list that appears.
7. Select the ClockworkMod package file to start installing the custom recovery.
8. Reboot your phone.

Congratulations!  You have successfully rooted your Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660 and installed ClockworkMod Recovery.