Putting an end to a long wait, Samsung has started rolling out the official Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware update for the International Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) Wednesday.

Although it was reported earlier this month that the South Korean tech giant would release the firmware update in February, a Wednesday report from SamMobile has revealed that the update had landed much earlier than it was expected before.

Considering the new Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S2 as “by far the most major update given to a smartphone yet,” the report also has stated that in the latest firmware update “Samsung has completely ditched the old UI and has given the new Nature UX Interface, which is the same as the one being used in the Galaxy S3 Mini and the Galaxy S3.”

At the time of writing this article, the only region where the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware update for the Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) was accessible was Spain. Other regions are likely to receive the update in the coming weeks as it is rolling out in phases.

You can find a live feed of the official Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update availability for the Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) here. Additionally, you can keep tabs on @SamKiesUpdates for latest information on official firmware updates for your Samsung device.

Here are the firmware details:

Android Version: 4.1.2 – Build JZO54K

PDA: I9100XWLS8

CSC: I9100FOPLS3

MODEM: I9100XXLS8

Changelist: 816988

Build Date: 14th Jan. 2013

Take a look at some of the key features and enhancements included in the new Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update:

- Smooth performance and better stability (Thanks to Project Butter)

- Full user interface revamp (Same UI as of the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2)

- TouchWiz Nature UX

- Samsung’s S Cloud services

- New Lockscreen with many customization options

- New features like Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play

- New Widgets (From Galaxy S3)

- Free 50GB Dropbox storage

- 2 Home screen modes

- New Notification bar with more Notification Toggles

- Google Now

How To Perform A Manual Update

Users can officially update their Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) through Samsung Kies or by using OTA (over-the-air) updates. In case you are using a custom ROM and can’t officially update the Galaxy S2 or if your country is yet to get the firmware update, you can try out the manual installation procedure explained below. But before that, take note of the following vital aspects:

- Make sure that you have proper backups for your data

- Ensure that your Samsung Galaxy S2 has at least 80 percent battery power

- You must have the USB drivers for your device installed on your computer

- Ensure that USB Debugging is enabled

- After flashing the firmware, you will lose custom ROMs such as CM10, Paranoid Android or AOKP installed in your device

- You will also lose custom recovery such as ClockworkMod Recovery or TWRP Recovery if you have any

- After installing it on your Galaxy S2, you will lose root if you have any

Users should also remember that this tutorial is only for Samsung Galaxy S2, model number GT- I9100. So it should not be tried on any other Android device. In addition, users must proceed at their own risk. IBTimes cannot be held responsible for anything that goes wrong.

Step 1: Download Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100XWLS8) for Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) and extract the file.

Step 2: Download Odin 3.07 and extract the file.

Step 3: Turn off Galaxy S2 and put it on the Download Mode. To do this, press and hold theVolume Down and Home buttons while pressing the Power button until the Samsung Galaxy logo appears on the screen.

Step 4: Run Odin 3.07.exe as an Administrator.

Step 5: Connect Galaxy S2 to your computer via the USB while it is on the Download Mode. If the device is connected properly, one of the ID:COM boxes will turn yellow with the COM port number.

Step 6: Select the following files in the Odin at relevant tabs from extracted I9100XWLS8 firmware folder:

- Click on PDA and select file with CODE in its name

- Click on Phone and select file with MODEM in its name (Ignore this step if there is no such file)

- Click on CSC and select file with CSC in its name (Ignore this step if there is no such file)

- Click on PIT and select the .pit file. Use this file only if you get it while extracting the zip file mentioned in step 1 or else just ignore it

Step 7: In the Odin window, ensure that Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time checkboxes are selected. In addition, if you are using a .pit file, ensure that re-partition checkbox is selected. Otherwise, it should not be ticked.

Step 8: Click on the Start button to initiate the flashing process.

Step 9: After flashing is done, you will see a 'pass' message with a green background in the left-most box at the top of the Odin.

Samsung Galaxy S2 GT- I9100 will now reboot automatically. After you get the Samsung logo on the home screen, disconnect the device from the computer.

[Source: Android Jinn]

Must Read: How To Install Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean On Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus (SCH-I515) Using AOKP Custom ROM [Tutorial]

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