Another day, another Jelly Bean update to a Samsung Galaxy device. Today's target: T-Mobile's Galaxy S Relay 4G (I still hate that name). Unlike many of the other Jelly Bean updates rolling out to Galaxy phones, this one's only available through Kies and OTA.
You know the spill by now: Samsung is pushing Jelly Beans to umpteen hundred Galaxy devices, yadda yadda yadda. Now, it's the Galaxy S II Skyrocket's turn. We haven't heard anything about this phone in some time, so to see this update make its way to the airwaves was quite a welcome surprise.
Like many of the Jelly Bean updates for other Galaxy devices, this one appears to be rolling out exclusively via Kies – at least for the time being. There's always the off chance that AT&T could start pushing it via OTA as well; if it's like the others however, it's nearly a gigabyte in size, so OTA may not be the best way to go.
The Jelly Bean rollout for Galaxy device has been fast and furious as of late, with Samsung making the update available to nearly all of its current and former flagship devices. Today's the day for T-Mobile's version of the Galaxy S II – but the download is only available via Samsung's Kies software.
In order to pull the update, you'll need to be on the latest official firmware from T-Mobile, and must have at least 50% battery. Otherwise, grab the newest version of Kies, plug up, and get to downloading – the 756MB file is going to take some time on slower connections.
Samsung has slowly been updating the majority of its ICS-running Galaxy devices to Jelly Bean (4.1.2) over the last several weeks, and U.S Cellular's Galaxy Axiom is the next in line. Announced just this morning, the update should be available directly from U.S. Cellular via OTA, as well as through Samsung's Kies Software.
This bump in Android version should be a nice one for Axiom owners, as it brings the much discussed Google Now, along with expandable notifications, and several noticeable performance enhancements over Ice Cream Sandwich. If you're the tinkerin' type, Samsung has also released the kernel source code for your tweaking needs.
We sure weren't expecting this, but today Sprint announced on its support site that the Epic 4G Touch (the Now Network's branded version of the Galaxy S II) is getting an update to Jelly Bean. Undoubtedly version 4.1, but this would still be a welcome upgrade as it brings with it the ability to access Google Now, among a host of other features.
The update will require Samsung's Kies software to install. Apparently the file size is too big to rollout over the air. Though, if we had to guess, the fact that the device is nearly two years old by this point and is relatively low-priority for Sprint played a factor in the decision to let consumers foot the bill for the bandwidth.
It's been a long time coming, hasn't it owners of AT&T Galaxy Tab 8.9's (SGH-i957)? All other variants of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 have been sporting Ice Cream Sandwich for weeks - even months in some situations. And it's finally your turn. I'm genuinely happy for you. Seriously. I am. You waited it out, and you deserve this.
But here's the thing: the update isn't coming OTA. Instead, you'll have to pull this one through Samsung's proprietary Kies application. Don't worry - it's not as bad as it sounds. Just plug your 8.9 into the computer, fire up Kies, and let it work its magic.
Sprint and T-Mobile might have beaten the big boys to the punch, but now it's AT&T's turn to get its Galaxy S III updated to (almost) the latest and greatest version of Android. The 4.1.1 update has started showing up for users of the AT&T Galaxy S III (that's the SGH-i747) in the Samsung Kies update and sync software.
Update 12/4/2012: AT&T just announced the update, and it looks like it will indeed be coming only via Kies.
The device launched with Android 4.0.4, so users can expect some solid additions in this update like Google Now, project butter, and enhanced notifications.
If you have a Galaxy S III on T-Mobile, it's time to start mashing the "check updates" button, because Jelly Bean is on its way. Starting today, Team Pink has made the update available via both the over-the-air system, as well as Samsung's Kies application.
Aside from Jelly Bean, the update also brings a handful of other fixes, including improvements to Wi-Fi calling:
- Version:
- Android version 4.0.4/Software version T999UVLJA
- Approved 11/14/2012
- New Features:
- Jelly Bean
- Improvements:
- Wi-Fi calling improvements
- Camera enhancements
- Keyboard improvements
- Prerequisites
- OTA and Samsung Kies update
- T999UVLJ4, T999UVLH2, T999UVLG1 or T999UVLEM
- Device software is not rooted
- 50% battery life
- Data connection
- File size of update is 344 MB (it is recommended to connect to Wi-Fi to complete the OTA)
If you want to pull the software OTA, head into Settings > About device > Software update to see if it's available on your handset.
Back in September, we heard that AT&T was rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Captivate Glide. Well, it turns out, that was delayed. How long, you ask? Until tomorrow, it seems! According to a blog post by AT&T, the upgrade should be available starting November 10th via a download on Samsung's website. There will not be an OTA.
Android 4.0 simplifies common actions and includes a new typeface optimized for high-resolution screens to improve readability.
The many new features include the new browser with improved page loading, tabbed browsing, offline reading and desktop mode. There are new lock/unlock features such as the ability to unlock directly to the camera, text messaging, phone dialer, or home screen, or you can use Face Unlock which lets you unlock your screen using facial recognition technology.
You can easily swipe away notifications with the new notifications bar and multitasking is easier with the new Recent Apps Shortcut that lets you switch between apps quickly. There’s even a setting to help your track your data usage.
Samsung is definitely on a roll with the Galaxy S III updates - not a day goes by without a massive rollout of Jelly Bean to devices all over Europe, and now the Middle East as well. The company began sending Android 4.1.1 OTAs to the following territories:
Branded
- Austria (T-Mobile)
- Germany (O2, T-Mobile)
Unbranded
- Middle East: Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, UAE
- Greater Middle East: Afghanistan, Mauritania, Pakistan
- Nordic countries (NEE): Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland, Iceland
Thanks to Eivind for the screenshot
Here's the history of the Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S III so far:
- October 25: Sprint in the United States.



115,776
64,441
0
8,273