The techno atmosphere is starting to smell like Jelly Bean as more news about this new Android operating system continues to spread worldwide. Though Jelly Bean will soon invade Android phones, a new Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 has rolled out in Russian territory.

It turned out that the update is also compatible with the international variant of Samsung's former flagship device, the Galaxy S2 GT-I9100. If you can't wait for the update for your region to arrive, try to manually install this update yourself.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 still is a great and powerful phone but it's starting to be another victim of planned obsolescence upon the arrival of the Galaxy S3, the new standard bearer of Samsung's brand. The XWLPM update arrives to revitalize the Galaxy S2 experience, making the phone more stable and smooth in performance, particularly the scrolling mechanism.

This guide teaches you how to flash Android 4.0.4 build XWLPM on the Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100.

Warning

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the Samsung Galaxy S2, model number GT-I9100. Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk. We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.
• Some have reported that they bricked their phone when wiping data through ClockworkMod Recovery. Strangely, other users did the same thing but nothing happened to their phone. To be safe, don't do a data wipe in ClockworkMod Recovery.

Requirements

• Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100
• A Windows PC
• Handset USB drivers installed on the PC. You may install the drivers by installing Samsung Kies.
• Enable USB debugging on your handset.
• Disable antivirus, firewall, and other security software. Also disable Samsung Kies and other software that accesses your phone. Such software can interfere with the procedure in this guide.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  • For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.
• Download the following files to your computer:
  • XWLPM firmware (I9100XWLPM_I9100OXELP8_SER.zip, 510.4 MB)
  • Odin3 1.85 (Odin 1.85.zip, 199 kB)

Instructions

1. On your computer, extract the I9100XWLPM_I9100OXELP8_SER.zip file and you should get the I9100XWLPM_I9100OXELP8_I9100XXLQ6_HOME.tar.md5file.
   • NOTE: If you see a file ending in*.tar instead of*.md5, that's okay.  Your OS is most likely set to hide file name extensions.
2. Extract the contents of the Odin 1.85.zip to a convenient location on your computer, preferably on the Desktop where it's easy to find.
3. Switch off your phone. Make sure it's not connected to your computer.
4. Reboot your phone into Download Mode. Press the Power, Volume Down, and Home buttons until you see a “Warning!” message on the screen. Press the Volume Up key to enter Download Mode.
5. Go to the Odin folder that you extracted and double-click Odin3 v1.85.exe to run Odin on your computer.
6. Connect your phone to your computer. Odin should recognize it and will display an “Added!!” message in the message box found in the bottom left. If your phone is not recognized, check if the drivers are properly installed. Reinstall them if necessary.
7. In Odin, click the PDA button and select the I9100XWLPM_I9100OXELP8_I9100XXLQ6_HOME.tar.md5 file that you extracted earlier.
   • NOTE: Don't make any other changes in Odin. Also make sure that “Re-partition” is not selected underOptions.
8. In Odin, click Start to flash the XWLPM firmware. Your phone will automatically reboot when the flashing is done. The Samsung logo will also be displayed on your phone's screen and a “PASS” message will appear in Odin's message box.
9. If you encounter problems with Odin, such us being stuck or getting a FAIL message, disconnect your phone from the computer, close Odin, re-insert the battery of your phone, and repeat the procedure from step 4 onwards.

Congratulations! You just installed the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich build XWLPM on your Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100.