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How to Update Acer Iconia Tab A500 to Latest Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb

By
January 24, 2012

Acer did not make much noise in the smartphones market, but it did make some waves in the tablets market, especially with the Acer Iconia Tab A500.  If you are thinking of upgrading your Iconia Tab A500 to Ice Cream Sandwich, you might want to hold off first and instead check out the latest version of Honeycomb for the Iconia Tab A500.

XDA Developer member germsa has created an Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb build for the Iconia Tab A500. The build is from Acer’s latest update released in the first week of January.

The ROM has two versions: a non-rooted, full stock version (which you need to root separately) and a pre-rooted version (with busybox). The two versions can be easily flashed using ClockworkMod Recovery.

Requirements

Before proceeding to the instructions, here are some requirements:

  • Rooted Acer Iconia Tab A500 (with ClockworkMod Recovery installed)
  • Complete backup of all phone data
  • At least 50% of battery power
  • Stock ROM and rooting package, OR pre-rooted ROM

Instructions

Follow these instructions carefully to successfully install the ROM.

NOTE: Proceed with these instructions at your own risk.  We shall not be liable if you damage your phone by following this guide.

  1. Download either the stock ROM or the pre-rooted ROM and save the file(s) to your computer.
    • Download the stock version here.  Since this is stock, it will revoke previous root access.  So, you will also need to root your device again after installing this stock ROM.  Get the rooting file here and save it to your computer.
    • Download the pre-rooted and busyboxed version here.  If you opt for this version, you won’t need to root your device again after flashing the ROM.  So, you don’t need to download any rooting file.
  2. Copy the downloaded ROM file (and rooting tool file, if you opted for the stock version) to the root of your SD card.
  3. Turn off your device and boot it in to recovery mode.  To boot into recovery, hold the Volume Down key + Power button simultaneously.  Wait for text to display on the screen, and when the text appears, release both buttons.
  4. Backup your data first.  Find the options under “Backup and restore” in recovery mode.
  5. Clear your phone data.  Do a “Wipe data/factory reset,” “Wipe cache,” and “Wipe Dalvik cache.”
  6. Now, select “Install zip from SD card”, then choose the ROM file that you have transferred earlier.  The flashing process will begin and will last for a few minutes, after which, you will be redirected to the recovery menu.
  7. (Perform this step only if you flashed the stock version instead of the pre-rooted version.)  Repeat the previous step, but this time choose the rooting file.  The previous step flashed the ROM, and this step will root it.  Wait a few moments for the flashing process to finish.
  8. Go back to the main recovery menu and choose “Reboot system now” to reboot your tablet.

Congratulations! You have successfully updated your Acer Iconia Tab A500 to the latest Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb.