With the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy S2, it seems that there are some users who still have problems updating their phones. Samsung just recently released a new Ice Cream Sandwich update known as the XWLPD build for Android 4.0.3 ICS. The XWLPD update is a direct update from the previous ICS versions, bringing a lot of improvements and bug fixes that many users have frequently requested.

The said new update promises to bring improved battery life, performance upgrades, tweaks, and bug fixes that involve the Google Play Store force close bug, brightness bug, and camera image clarity.

For those of you who have missed updating your Samsung Galaxy S2 to the latest Ice Cream Sandwich via OTA or Samsung KIES, here’s your chance to do it via Odin3. Check out our guide below for a step-by-step tutorial on installing it on your Galaxy S2.

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.

Requirements

• Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100
• A Windows PC
• Samsung USB device drivers for the Galaxy S2 installed on your PC. You can use Samsung KIES to obtain the drivers.
• Temporarily disable Samsung KIES, antivirus tools, and firewall programs as they are known to interrupt the installation process.
• Enable USB Debugging on your phone. You can do this by heading to Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. Make sure that there is a check mark beside that option.
• 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 XWLPD firmware package (I9100XWLPD_NEELP4_Nordic_Android_4.0.3.zip, 382 MB) to your computer.
• Download Odin3 1.85 (Odin3_v1.85.zip, 200 kB) to your computer.

Instructions

1. Extract the Odin3_v1.85.zip file and place all the contents inside a single folder.
2. Extract I9100XWLPD_NEELP4_Nordic_Android_4.0.3.zip to a folder on your PC.  You will get one file called I9100XWLPD_I9100XXLPW_I9100NEELP4_HOME.tar.md5.
3. Double-click Odin3 v1.85.exe to run Odin3.
4. Switch off your Galaxy S2.
5. Boot into Download Mode. You can do this by pressing and holding down the Volume Down, Home, and Power buttons.
6. Connect your phone to your PC via USB cable.  Odin3 should be able to detect your phone and should display “Added!” on the message box.  The ID:COM field in Odin3 should also turn yellow.
7. Inside Odin3, Click on the PDA button and browse for I9100XWLPD_I9100XXLPW_I9100NEELP4_HOME.tar.md5.
8. Important! Make sure that you don’t make any changes in Odin. Leave other options as they are.
9. Click the Start button in Odin3 to begin installing the ROM on your phone. Once the installation is done, you device will automatically reboot and you will receive a “PASS” message in Odin3 confirming a successful installation.
10. Disconnect your phone from your PC.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the official XWLPD Ice Cream Sandwich ROM on your Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100. Next destination for you, perhaps, is to root your Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 running ICS firmware XWLPD.