Samsung has released a new Android 2.3.6 update for the Galaxy S Plus – XXKQI for European countries, following the previous Value Pack firmware XXKQG which
brought some Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 inspired goodies to the
device. For those looking to update to the latest Android 2.3.6 firmware
on their Galaxy S Plus can follow the guide below to do so.
NOTE:
Even though the firmware is for Europe, you can flash it on your Galaxy S Plus
no matter which country you’re in, though you might have to wipe your data
(except SD card files) in order to get it to work and then restore them later.
Let’s
take a look at how you can update your Galaxy S Plus to the XXKQI Android 2.3.6
firmware.
Compatibility
This
ROM and the guide below are compatible only and only with the Samsung Galaxy S
PLUS, model number i9001. It’s not compatible with GT-i9003, I9000 or with any
other device and may render an incompatible device unusable. Check your device
model in Settings » About phone.
Warning!
The
methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not
attempt anything if you don’t know exactly what you are doing. If any damage
occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.
How to Install XXKQI Firmware on Galaxy S Plus
1. Important! There
is a possibility that after updating to XXKQI, you might need to wipe data in
order to make the phone fully boot up. So, make sure to backup your Apps
and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc.
This Android backup guide would
help you.
NOTE: Don’t
forget to at least make a backup of your APN settings, which you can restore
later if your data connection does not work after installing the ROM. Use the
backup guide to find out how.
2. Make sure the drivers for the phone are installed on the
computer.
3. Download the firmware.
4. Extract the I9001XXKQI_I9001OXFKQ3_SEB.zip file
on your computer to get the following two files:
1. I9001XXKQI_I9001XXKPM_I9001OXFKQ3_HOME.tar.md5 (filename may
end with .tar, which is normal)
2. SS_DL.dll [not to be used]
5. Also download the following two files:
6. Turn off your phone completely. Then, turn on the Galaxy S
Plus in Download Mode —
press and hold these keys together: Volume_DOWN + Home +
Power until a screen with an Android icon in yellow comes up.
7. Now, open Odin by double-clicking the Odin.exe file
downloaded in step 5.1
8. In Odin, do the following:
1. Press the OPS button,
then select the AriesVE.ops file
downloaded in step 5.2.
2. Activate the One Package option
on the top left of Odin. Then, click on the One
Package button on the bottom right, and select the file I9001XXKQI_I9001XXKPM_I9001OXFKQ3_HOME.tar.md5 obtained
in step 4.1.
9. Now, connect the phone to the computer using your USB cable.
You should get the message“Added!!” under
Odin’s message box in the bottom left. If you don’t get this message, then
probably there is a problem with drivers. Make sure you have proper drivers
installed (check step 2).
10. Click on the Start button to start flashing the
XXKQI firmware. It can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes for the flash
to complete, so be patient.
[IMPORTANT Note: If ODIN gets
stuck at some stage and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, do this
— disconnect the phone from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery, re-insert
it, turn phone on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again
from Step 7. Same if you get a FAIL message in Odin.]
11. After the flashing is complete, your phone will automatically
reboot. In some cases, the phone might reboot into recovery mode. If it does,
select reboot system now with
the home button (center button) to reboot and boot up into the XXKQI firmware.
12. After you get the PASS message and the phone reboots, the
phone might get stuck at the booting animation. If that happens, perform the
following steps to make it boot. Remember that these steps will wipe your
personal data like contacts, apps, messages, etc. If your phone has already
booted, skip these steps, your phone has been updated successfully:
1. Boot to recovery mode — for which, first power off phone (by
removing battery and reinserting it), wait for 5-6 seconds, and then, press and
hold the Volume Up + Power buttons
together, and let go of the buttons as soon as the Samsung logo shows up. Then,
as soon as an icon showing “an Android in a box” comes up, press the Menu button
(the button on the left of the home button) to enter recovery.
In recovery, use volume keys to move the selection up and
down and home/power key to select the option.
2. Go to Wipe data/Factory Reset and
select it. Select Yes on next screen.
3. Now, go to Wipe Cache and
select it. Confirm Yes on next screen.
4. Then, select reboot system
now to reboot the phone, which will now boot properly.
13. In case you encounter any roadblocks flashing XXKQI, let us
know in the comments below and we’ll try to help you out.
The
XXKQI firmware is now installed and running on your Samsung Galaxy S Plus. Let
us know how it works, in the comments below.