All the goodness of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean started rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Wi-Fi  in Germany back in early December, that last month of one of the most eventful years in the world of Android, and we’d promised to put together a guide to help users flash the update manually. Well, here it is, for anyone who’s still waiting to receive the update directly from Samsung.

With the Android 4.1.1 update – which has the build number N8010XXBLK9, you get a faster and smoother interface, Google Now, expandable notifications, faster browsing and lots more; you will also get the Premium Suite of new apps and features that Samsung has been bringing to all high-end devices of theirs.

While the firmware is for Germany and European countries like the UK, Austria, or France, you can flash the firmware to update to Android 4.1 on a Galaxy Note 10.1 from any region, though for those attempting to flash it on a non-European region’s Note 10.1 or over a custom ROM, a data wipe may be required. Oh, and this is only for the unlocked international variant, with model number N8010, and shouldn’t be installed on carrier-locked devices.

Let’s begin with the installation guide and get your Galaxy Note 10.1 updated to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

Compatibility

The procedure described below is only for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Wi-Fi, model number N8010. Do not try it on any other device.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky, so try them out at your own risk, and make sure to read each step carefully before attempting anything. We will not be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

How to Install Android 4.1.1 Firmware on Galaxy Note 10.1 Wi-Fi

  1. [Important] You might need to wipe the data on the tablet to make the firmware boot up properly. Hence, to be sure you do not lose any data, backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you. The SD card contents are always safe, so there is no need to back up those. Only backup apps and personal data.
  2. Download Kies
    You can also download the drivers directly — download from here: 32 bit (x86) Windows | 64-bit (x64) Windows
  3. Download the firmware for your country.
    Download XXBLK9 Firmware
  4. Extract the firmware file downloaded in step 3 to a convenient location on your computer, to obtain a file named KIES_HOME_N8010XXBLK9_N8010OXABLK9_541027_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5 (the file may also show up only as final.tar, which is normal and due to Windows hiding the .md5 part of the file name). This is the actual firmware file that we need to flash on the tablet.
  5. Download Odin. If you are new to this, Odin is a Samsung program used to flash stuff – firmware, kernels, etc. – on Samsung devices. We’ll use Odin to flash the firmware file obtained in step 4.
    Download Odin3 v3.04 | Filename: Odin3_v3.04.zip
  6. Extract the contents of the Odin3_v3.04.zip file to a folder on your computer.
  7. Now, turn off your tablet and wait for it to shut down completely.
  8. Then, put the tablet into download/Odin mode. To do so, press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Power (volume down is the button next to the power button) till the tablet turns on and shows a Warning!! screen. Then press Volume Up to enter download mode.
  9. Open Odin by double-clicking on the Odin3 v3.04.exe file obtained in step 6 after extracting Odin3_v3.04.zip.
  10. Important! Connect your tablet to PC now. You should get the message “Added !!” under Odin’s message box in the bottom left.
    • If you don’t get this message, make sure you installed drivers correctly (using Kies or directly) as given in step 2. If it still doesn’t work, try changing to another USB port on the computer and also use the USB ports on the back if you have a desktop PC.
  11. Click on the PDA button in Odin, then browse to and select the KIES_HOME_N8010XXBLK9_N8010OXABLK9_541027_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5 file obtained in step 4 above.
  12. Important! Do not make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required files as given in step 11. Leave all other options as they are. Make sure Re-Partition check box is not selected.
  13. Now, make sure you took a backup as explained in step 1 before continuing, then click the Start button in Odin to start flashing the firmware on your tablet. When the flashing is complete and is successful, you’ll get a PASS message (with green background) in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin, and the tablet will automatically reboot. When you see the Samsung logo, you can safely unplug the cable.
    • What do if Odin gets stuck or doesn’t do anything: If ODIN gets stuck on setup connection or at any stage of this process after you’ve hit the Start button, and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, or if upon completion of the process you get a FAIL message (with red background) in ODIN, do this: disconnect the tablet from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery for 4-5 seconds, re-insert it, turn tablet on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again from Step 9.
  14. [Important] What to do if tablet doesn’t boot: After you get the PASS message and the tablet reboots, it might get stuck at the booting animation. If that happens, perform the following steps to make it boot. Remember that these steps will wipe your personal data like contacts, apps, messages, etc. If your tablet has already booted, stop reading the guide here, your tablet has been updated successfully:
    1. Boot to recovery mode — for which, press and hold down Power and Volume Up buttons together till the device reboots. When the screen turns on, let go of the power button but keep holding down the volume up button till the device boots into recovery. Once you are in recovery mode, use volume keys to move the selection up and down and home/power key to select the option.
    2. Go to Wipe data/Factory Reset and select it. Select Yes on next screen.
    3. Then, select reboot system now to reboot the tablet, which will now boot properly.
  15. You can proceed to restoring your data if you had to wipe it in step 14. If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the firmware, let us know and we’ll help you out.

Your Galaxy Note 10.1 Wi-Fi should now be running the official Android 4.1.1 update, and you can enjoy all the improvements and new features it brings along. Have fun!