Samsung must be pushing the carriers in the US (and Canada) pretty hard to get the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update out to the public for the Galaxy S3 as soon as possible, instead of taking a long time as was the case with previous devices. With two official Jelly Bean firmware leaked for the T-Mobile Galaxy S3, and not to mention numerous leaks for the international Galaxy S3, now a Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OTA update – having the firmware version MVLALI1 – has leaked for the Canadian Bell Galaxy S3 variant (model number i747M).

“You can find the latest Jelly Bean update leak for the international Galaxy S3 → here, and the T-Mobile one → here.”

With Android 4.1 being quite an important update, mostly due to the performance and smoothness improvements as well as the new Google Search experience, many will be wanting to try it out. The guide below will walk you through the steps to update to the leaked Jelly Bean OTA update with step-by-step instructions, so that you can get a taste of the official Android 4.1 update on your Bell Galaxy S3 before the final update actually rolls out.

However, considering this is a leaked pre-release update and is not being officially rolled out by Bell/Samsung, it may have issues and some things might not work properly. It might not be stable enough for every day use, so if you aren’t comfortable with trying leaked pre-release firmware, you should wait for the official update.

Now, let’s take a look at how the MVLALI leaked official Jelly Bean OTA update can be installed on the Bell Galaxy S3. Be sure to read the instructions carefully.

Compatibility

This guide below is compatible only and only with the Bell Galaxy S3, model number SGH-i747M. It’s not compatible with any other Galaxy S3, it only works for Bell variant. Check your device’s model in Settings» About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Install Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OTA on Bell Galaxy S3

  1. This method might need you to wipe data, so backup all your apps, data and settings.  Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you. Also make a backup of the files on your internal storage. External storage (microSD) will not be affected in any way.
  2. [Important] Flash the stock MVLALH1 firmware on your phone by following the guide → here. The update will fail to flash on any other firmware or on custom ROMs. Keep in mind that this may require you to wipe data on your phone, so be sure to make a backup (see step 1). Also, if you are already on the MVLALH1 firmware (check in Settings » About menu), you can skip this step.
  3. Download the Jelly Bean OTA update file.
    Download OTA  |  Alternate Link  |  Filename: SGH-I747M_I747MVLALI-OTA-I747MVLALH_BMC_322447427.zip
  4. Copy the SGH-I747M_I747MVLALI-OTA-I747MVLALH_BMC_322447427.zip file to the internal storage on your phone.
  5. Turn off the phone. Then, boot into stock recovery. To do so, hold down Volume Up, Home and then the Power buttons together for about 5 seconds, then let them go. The phone will boot into recovery in a few seconds.
    In recovery, use the volume buttons to scroll up/down and the home button to select an option.
  6. Select apply update from sdcard (or apply update from internal storage), then scroll to and select the SGH-I747M_I747MVLALI-OTA-I747MVLALH_BMC_322447427.zip file to start installation of the Jelly Bean OTA update.
  7. After installation is complete, the phone should reboot automatically. If it does not reboot, go back to the main recovery menu and select reboot system now to boot up into the newly installed Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

NOTE: To go back to ICS Android 4.0, you can flash the MVLALH1 firmware by following the guide linked in step 2 above.

The leaked official Jelly Bean Android 4.1 firmware is now up and running on your Bell Galaxy S3. Use it, go through what’s new and what’s changed, and do let us know what you think!