Upgrade Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 (I8160) to Android Jelly Bean

By -
There has been talk of Samsung working on an Android build of Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 (I8160) for quite some time.

A couple of leaked versions of the build have been available since the end of February and during March, but these contained various bugs as you might expect.

On April 2nd, an official release was available on www.sammobile.com and available for install using KIES or OTA, but only for Portuguese customers on the TMN network.  This was curious as this network didn't actually sell the phone.  It could be a way of getting the early adopters to test this version before the big operators like Telefonica and Vodafone build and release a version themselves.

There are many online guides on how to manually download the firmware and apply it to your device, but if you make the direct jump from Gingerbread (2.3) to Jelly Bean (4.1.2) you will likely have RAM issues.

The gingerbread versions only allocated around 500MB for RAM whereas Jelly Bean needs more than this.

The fix for this is the install one of the leaked versions first which include a PIT file.  This will effectively repartition the RAM allocation and provide the Jelly Bean OS with 624MB.  This amount of RAM is sufficient for Jelly Bean to run comfortably.

I will not bother reinventing the wheel, so to upgrade to Jelly Bean you will complete the following guides in order (I will take NO responsibility for any bricked phones etc.  If you are unfamiliar with this process read forum sites like XDA-Developers before going ahead with this procedure.)

To install the leaked version of Jelly Bean for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 follow this guide

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/442793/20130306/galaxy-ace2-android412-xxmb4-jellybean-official-leak.htm

Once this has complete, follow this guide to install the official version of Jelly Bean

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/456243/20130412/samsung-galaxy-ace-2-now-android-4.htm

Once this is complete you should have a Jelly Bean (official TMN) Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 with 624MB RAM





You will notice the many applications which are not required and TMN branding.  Most of these are easy to remove with the exception of the boot screen animation which is a little more tricky but not impossible to remove.

Enjoy!

UPDATE

I originally forgot to mention getting Root access after applying this firmware.  There are a number of method of doings this, but I followed guide below which seemed to be the simplest method and didn't require CWM.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2139263

Other links

Firmware guide for Samsung Devices
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2118119

Sammobile
Location for downloading any Samsung firmware
http://www.sammobile.com/

Edit custom boot animations
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2217215





Comments

  1. The Survivor28 April 2013 at 09:13

    Hey, can i ask some question? My phone is samsung galaxy ace 2 GT-i8160 and i from indonesia, but i understand uk or us english, should i update this? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  2. Samuel Owens28 April 2013 at 09:34

    I am not sure if this baseband covers Indonesia...only Europe I think. You can try but you might need to downgrade if the cellar coverage doesn't work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Survivor28 April 2013 at 10:54

      And perhaps did odin v3.5 support samsung galaxy ace2?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2 November 2013 at 06:17

      HOW TO DOWNGRADE????? when i flash back my official ROM I8160JPLK2 (KSA) i can't open my device it stucks in the (Samsung GALAXY Ace 2 I8160) screen and doesnt move.. and cant even open the recovery mode to wipe data.. HEEEEEEEELP

      Delete
  3. The Survivor28 April 2013 at 11:30

    can i jump to the TMN version without install leaked version?

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Survivor28 April 2013 at 11:35

    Hey i just checked xda developer in your root instruction and it say an indonesian user form depok(you maybe know this place) just upgraded his samsung galaxy ace 2 and root it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous29 April 2013 at 08:49

    im from philipines is this ok if i update my gt-i8160?
    is there a issue ?? hope you put suported countrys tank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 09:22

      Well you need to know which baseband u use (i forgot myself, i have updated my Samsung galaxy ace 2 gadget), if it matches, it's runs fine, but if you do something wrong with odin your phone is bricked

      Delete
    2. Samuel Owens29 April 2013 at 09:26

      If you go to the dialler app and press *#1234# it brings up some of this information also.

      Delete
    3. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 11:05

      well i have updated the gingerbread to jelly bean here so i can't know about my old gingerbread os, sorry XD.

      Delete
    4. Unknown1 June 2013 at 13:08

      I AM FROM JEDDAH AND MY GALAXY ACE2 PDA IS I8160JPMA2...CAN I INSTALL OTHER REGIONS FIRMWARE IN MY PHONE THRUG ODIN....LIKE JEDDAH/EUROPE/INDIA FIRMWARES...ETC

      Delete
  6. Samuel Owens29 April 2013 at 09:07

    To answer all comments

    I think this version only works for European networks but I am not 100% sure. Please research before going ahead with the upgrade.

    You can go straight to TMN version but you will get RAM issues. If you do the leaked version first you will have a better experience.

    I used Odin 3.07 for my upgrade.

    As always, upgrade at your OWN risk. I will NOT take any responsibility for bricked phones etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 May 2013 at 17:22

      It works as long as your phone is i8160
      Dnt instal it f u have an0ther versi0ns of galaxy ace 2
      Its proven by me i instal it woks great
      N0 mater wat country or region
      As long as u have i8160 factory unlock
      Your go0d to go just folow the steps here

      Delete
  7. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 09:16

    This Update works in Indonesia, Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samuel Owens29 April 2013 at 09:17

      Excellent, good news! Are you enjoying Jelly Bean?

      Delete
    2. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 11:03

      Yup, but i can't root with your link because i don't understand what is root directory and voila?

      Delete
    3. Samuel Owens29 April 2013 at 11:06

      The root directory is just the first directory in the file system...so basically just store the zip file at the highest level (do not put it in a folder)

      voila is a French term but basically it means.....and that is it.

      http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/voil%C3%A0

      Delete
    4. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 11:22

      I did the process and it says:
      File Verification failed
      Checking archive failed
      Then update show a meter that not fills up, what's wrong with it?

      Delete
    5. The Survivor29 April 2013 at 13:24

      Finally i root it, from tutorial on another site, it's http://rizgadget.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-root-galaxy-ace2-for-jelly-bean.html

      Delete
    6. Anonymous2 May 2013 at 10:08

      hello im from philipines will this work on my country?
      its very tempting

      Delete
  8. givilamer25 May 2013 at 09:07

    Hey can you explain whats the difference between the leaked and the official version?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Samuel Owens5 May 2013 at 09:24

    Sure, the leaked version was an early version which included some bugs, or software that didn't work very well (maybe the camera function didn't work or bluetooth etc.)

    Those bugs have been fixed in the official release. The reason you need the leaked version is because there is a repartition file which allocates more RAM which is required for JB to work properly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown21 May 2013 at 09:16

      hi im from philippines i already upgrade my I8160 to tmn and i got problem with the ram. my question is can i flash it again with the leaked version and flash it again from the official version can it fix the ram issue?

      Delete
  10. Anonymous7 May 2013 at 10:17

    PLEASE REPLY!!! I really need your help!!

    After I Installed the leak version I booted up my phone but I can't get past the samsung setup wizard and it says: " Unfortunately, Samsung setup wizard has stopped." What do i do?

    And can I also just install the official version even if I can't get past the samsung setup wizard? Please.......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samuel Owens7 May 2013 at 11:38

      I haven't seen this issue myself. You should be able to install the official version because you have reallocated the RAM.

      I would try to install the leaked version on the device and boot it up, otherwise try to downgrade back to Jelly Bean and try the process from scratch.

      As I mentioned before I will NOT take any responsibility for bricked phones, tinker at your own risk.

      Sam

      Delete
  11. Anonymous9 May 2013 at 16:50

    If you are reporting on the subject? Than please do your homework before you destroy your readers phones.

    One more thing.
    " IB TIMES " is the worst source of information you can find. And they are responsible for many bricked phones. All thanks to stealing information and miss reporting it.

    The link below is from the original and full proof instructions first released on xda than Android forums.
    It is the safest method to perform the update:
    Credits to Smokey.

    http://androidforums.com/showthread.php?p=5750102

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samuel Owens9 May 2013 at 20:19

      I appreciate your concern, but I followed the guide above and my phone upgraded without any issue. You are right, always read up before going head first into this and XDA and android forums are a great source of information.

      The reason I created this post is to make people aware that the RAM problems can be avoided.

      Sam

      Delete
  12. Anonymous12 May 2013 at 19:41

    Great!Everything works.Big THANK YOU:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unknown17 May 2013 at 02:22

    When i went into recovery mode,i could not update from external storage do u have any idea why this happened?Thanks in advance:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samuel Owens17 May 2013 at 10:18

      Are you trying to gain root now?

      Someone else mentioned that this rooting mechanism worked for them

      http://rizgadget.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-root-galaxy-ace2-for-jelly-bean.html

      Sam

      Delete
    2. The Survivor19 May 2013 at 10:48

      Whoops! I'm forgot to tell you! that link is in Indonesian sightly informal language, maybe i'll translate it in my blog to english later, but sorry i'll do it in 2 weeks later cuz i'll have final test in my school

      Delete
    3. The Survivor19 May 2013 at 10:51

      Wow sorry, it's english, sorry!

      Delete
    4. The Survivor23 May 2013 at 12:45

      Use stock kernel!

      Delete
  14. Hedi Satriana21 May 2013 at 12:57

    the Firmware works on my Ace 2, n my RAM is 624 mb, thx to u Sam..

    Jellybean is quiet nice, but Gingerbread is the fastest one, just cant wait the official Firmware for my country Indonesia...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Survivor23 May 2013 at 12:44

      Ok, I'm Indonesian too and just install this great update and root the device, method are above (use stock kernel method, it's works with almostly all android device ICS and JB OS), if you WANT TO SPEEDUP YOUR DEVICES, ROOTED DEVICE DO THIS BY PLACING SWAP FILE Sacrifice internal sd card Read Only Memory and degrade internal sd card life, google play software for this are SWAPPER FOR ROOT(free), BUT IT"S BETTER TO USE RAM MANAGER PRO(paid, but there's free version), IT'S ADD maximally 256MB Additional (undetected on scanner) usable RAM and i use that, it's speedup and it's making this build as FAST as official gingerbread os,

      Delete
    2. The Survivor23 July 2013 at 14:32

      indonesian version released, here's the link = http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2340849

      Delete
  15. The Survivor26 May 2013 at 09:09

    Whoever want to root the device, you can follow the method above, but if you like to have latest Supersu and CMW6, you can search in XDA developer, but here's the latest update for now: SuperSu= http://download.chainfire.eu/324/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.30.zip CWM6= http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2141395

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hery26 May 2013 at 14:09

      Saya dari Indonesia juga. pengen tau nih cara updatenya. bisa minta alamat emailnya gak? ato nmr hp yg bisa dihubungi. thanks.. :)

      Delete
    2. The Survivor29 June 2013 at 07:28

      perkenalkan diri dahulu sebelum mengobrol yah : 087783171666 (XL)

      Delete
  16. Beast17 June 2013 at 00:52

    TMN are in fact the only portuguese network that sells the Galaxy Ace 2, I bought one myself...however I bought it from them then had it unlocked, how do you remove the TMN branding on the boot-up screen?
    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown22 June 2013 at 13:57

    is this work on galaxy ace 2 i8160L ?

    ReplyDelete
  18. The Survivor29 June 2013 at 07:36

    For everyone, please go to xda developer first and search your region in there to upgrade this, all os work as long you have same model number, if yours is different, search until you got your specific os, there's turkish xxme7, germany XXMF1. Latest JB Os like Germany will be better but also maybe have german language only, carefull with this! I choose Europe because it's support english and indonesian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Survivor5 July 2013 at 09:05

      Hello, whoever want to remove tmn branding you can go to link below and flash new os (i choose germany) and it's replace the boot image and tmn branding, plus more quicker reboot and responses, grab it!

      Delete
  19. The Survivor29 June 2013 at 07:45

    For samuel owen and everyone, check first in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2340849, this is the complete JB os list, pick your phone model and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. AmanSinghUK20 July 2013 at 22:15

    Hello Samual, im from England

    I have just upgraded today 20th July:
    from android 2.3.6 to Android 4.1.2 I8160XXMF2 OTA

    BUGS I HAVE NOTICED:
    - When i try to open an image my phone says "Not enough memory (96mb free)"
    - When I connect phone to PC via usb, the PC shows that there is 0MB on the phone memory?? but the phone is saying it has 500mb + 96mb free in each 1gb partition.

    My SD CARD has plenty free memory

    - Youtube app stutters while playing video and then makes my phone crash.

    My RAM manager says i have 624mb TOTAL ram.

    - There is no SWYPE

    - Google music app, some times the song name and art work randomly disapears when playing music, so i just see blank song and no art work. first it works ok tho, could be ram problem??

    And final comment:
    Im never buying a Mid range samsung device again, they ALWAYS FUCK IT UP and lleave the customer to fend for them selves.

    First I had Samsung Wave, bada firmware... that was a COMPLETE FAIL... bugs etc

    and Now the galaxy Ace 2 - more BUGS and hours of searching how to fix it

    I guess we get what we pay for...

    I JUST WAANT A PHONE THAT WORKS

    p.S can you help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Survivor23 July 2013 at 14:30

      note: sorry for grammar error, im from indonesia
      Before just saying bad words, first can you explain, where is the image located, how many space left and are there sd card inserted. please try to clean up some memory then try again, or move the image to sd card. My bugs with firmwares is slow speed of gaming, but i never seen memory errors.

      Delete
  21. deky30 July 2013 at 06:17

    Please Help!!
    Already upgrade from GB to Jb but when I Click Start from the screen it say's "Unfonately Samsung setupWizard has Stopped."
    Cann't Figure out what to do next???

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous4 August 2013 at 05:31

    Can I have GB version but with a 624 ram mb?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous7 August 2013 at 08:33

    i have galaxy ace 2 GT-I8160 purchase from saudi arabia enjyoing Gingerbread 2.3 but having 555 MB RAM only why this much only??
    and which country firmware can i use to enjoy Jelly bean ??

    i have been waiting for it since march but still not received VIA OTA/KIES. right now i m residing in INDIA

    ReplyDelete
  24. Unknown14 September 2013 at 14:15

    good evening, my ace 2 is bought from taiwan,im from Philippines. only BRI, TGY & TWM is the region of my ace 2. is there any way to install / add region in my phone? thanks

    ReplyDelete
  25. Unknown1 October 2013 at 20:57

    I get below error message logg.
    can I fix this?

    Added!!
    Odin v.3 engine (ID:3)..
    File analysis..
    SetupConnection..
    Initialzation..
    Set PIT file..
    DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!

    Re-Partition operation failed.
    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

    ReplyDelete
  26. -alza prasnanda-27 October 2013 at 11:33

    when i boot Jelly bean i got 'unfortunately, samsung setup wizard has stopped' how do i fix it..??

    ReplyDelete
  27. Unknown21 November 2013 at 14:45

    please answer!!
    I am from Indonesia, yesterday upgraded galaxy ace 2 from gingerbread to jelly bean.
    I bought the phone from Taiwan, it was after I upgraded a jelly bean sim card is not detected.
    I asked to samsung center in indo turned out to be like out factory reset. and apparently samsung Indonesia could not help the problem.
    should go back to taiwan??
    how to overcome this?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oleksa20 July 2020 at 14:42

    Many useful manuals for Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 https://hardreset.guru/samsung/samsung-gt-i8160/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Assigning Windows 10/11 Enterprise Subscription Activation Licences to Hybrid Azure AD Joined Devices

By -
Image
Introduction Starting with Windows 10, version 1703, Windows 10 Pro supports the Subscription Activation feature, enabling users to “step-up” from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise automatically if they are subscribed to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5. The Subscription Activation feature eliminates the need to manually deploy Windows 10 Enterprise or Education images on each target device, then later standing up on-prem key management services such as KMS or MAK based activation, entering GVLKs, and subsequently rebooting client devices. It’s important to note that the Windows 10 Enterprise subscription activation is designed to “step-up” a device from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise. Therefore, your device is required to have a Windows 10 Pro license activated as a baseline. For Windows 10 Enterprise Subscription Activation to function, there a several prerequisites which need to be in place. This blog is aimed for organisations which have Active Directory on premises an...
Read more

Power Automate: Get first item in output

By -
Image
One of the most annoying things about Power Automate for me is when I am trying to use the output of a previous action and as soon as I click that dynamic content button, it pops my new action into a For Each loop. It does this because the previous action could have more than 1 item returned and this would clearly fail unless it was in a loop. But if you have used the Row Count or Top option in the proceeding action, or you know full well that only 1 item will return, it is nice to avoid bloating the flow with an unnecessary loop. There are a couple of way to do this: First function You can craft your filter expression so that the output is wrapped in the First function. This will tell Power Automate to only look at the first item. First(variables('Array')) Calling Index You can edit your filter expression to tell it which item from the source you want. Zero being the first item e.g. variables('Array')[0] Which one to use? I use the index and the main reason is due to...
Read more

De-selectable radio buttons - Power Apps

By -
Image
Introduction When creating a Canvas Power App you can choose from a large number of controls and specifically input controls designed to get information from the user. One of these controls is the humble radio button. This is a good control which provides possible options without requiring a user action. In comparison a dropdown would require the user to click to expand all of the possible options. Example radio button input One of problems with this control is the fact you cannot de-select it. Once an option has been chosen, you can change it but you cannot undo it. The post shows a way to make de-selecting possible in a Canvas Power App. One simple way to achieve this is to have a button or icon next to the radio button and its OnSelect property to be Reset(rdoButton). This is easy, but if there are many radio button controls, it could result in lots more controls on a screen or in an app. Power Apps recommends keeping under 500 for an app and 300 maximum per page. The followi...
Read more