It seems to be update month at Motorola and Verizon – after the official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update starting trickling out for the Droid RAZR, Verizon has started rolling out the Android 4.1.2 update to the Droid RAZR HD.

Along with a few small improvements over Android 4.1.1 – single finger expansion of notifications, stability and performance enhancements, the update brings along improvements in Wi-Fi connectivity, security, touch-to-focus and low-light camera improvements, and quite a few other changes that you can check out here.

While the update should be arriving on your Droid RAZR HD any time soon, you can also update to it manually. However, you’ll have to be on stock Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean that is totally unmodified in any way, though it can be rooted as we can temporarily un-root before beginning the update procedure. Also, this update works on both the RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD.

So let’s see how the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update can be installed on the Verizon Droid RAZR HD and RAZR HD MAXX.

Compatibility

This firmware and the guide below are compatible only and only with the Motorola Droid RAZR HD/Droid RAZR HD MAXX, model number XT926. 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.

Requirements:

  1. You need to have a microSD card on your phone in order to install the update, as the update can’t be manually installed from the internal storage.
  2. Your phone must be on the official Android 4.1.1 firmware with system version 9.1.41. – also, the ROM should be 100% stock and unmodified. Confirm the system version in the Settings » About phone menu on the phone.
    • NOTE: If you’ve rooted, that’s fine as we can disable root temporarily to install the update, but otherwise the system files should be totally unchanged for the update’s installation to succeed.
  3. Make sure your phone’s battery is adequately charged – a minimum of 50% is recommended.

How to Update Droid RAZR HD/RAZR HD MAXX to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

  1. While this procedure will not wipe anything on your phone, it is still recommended to take a backup of all your apps and personal data, such as SMS, contacts, etc. So make sure to take a backup of important files before attempting this procedure, taking the help of this Android backup guide.
  2. Download the update file.
    Download Link | Filename: Blur_Version.9.1.41.XT926.Verizon.en.US.zip
  3. If your phone is rooted, perform the following steps before moving on to step 4 (skip to step 4 if your device is not rooted):
    1. Download OTA RootKeeper from the Play Store. .
    2. Launch OTA RootKeeper on your phone and backup your Root status by clicking the Protect Root button.
    3. Then, click the Temp Unroot option in OTA Rootkeeper to remove root before you flash the update. Close OTA RootKeeper.
  4. Copy the update file to the microSD card on your phone. Don’t extract the file, simply copy it to the phone.
  5. Switch off your phone (also disconnect it from the PC if it is connected).
  6. Boot into stock recovery. To do that, turn the phone off. Then turn it on while pressing and holding down both the Volume Up + Volume Down buttons till the boot selection menu shows up. Here, scroll down to highlight the Recovery option using the volume down button, then select it using the volume up button. You should now see a green Android with a triangle on the screen; here, press both volume up and volume down buttons together to boot phone into recovery.
    • In recovery, use the volume buttons to navigate and the power button to select options.
  7. Wipe the cache by selecting the wipe cache option. This will not erase any of your data, don’t worry about that.
  8. Now select “install/apply update from external sdcard/storage”. Scroll to the update file (Blur_Version.9.1.41.XT926.Verizon.en.US.zip) you transferred to the phone and select it. The update will now start installing.
  9. This is a full OS upgrade and will take approximately 8 minutes. So be patient and do not panic.
  10. Your phone may reboot a couple of times during the entire upgrade process, and finally it should boot back up on its own into the wonderful world of Jelly Bean Android 4.1.2.
  11. [Restore Root] If you were rooted before installing the update but temporarily unrooted according to step 3, then simply open the OTA RootKeeper app and click on the Restore Root button to restore root access. Of course, you can skip this step if you do not wish to restore root access at this time.

The Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update is now installed on your Droid RAZR HD / RAZR MAXX HD, and we hope you enjoy the various new features and goodies that come with it. And if you run into any roadblocks while performing the manual update, leave a comment below and we’ll help you out.

4.1.2-droid-razr-hd