Samsung said we’ll see the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy Note in March, and they’ve been true to their word this time around. The Korean manufacturer has now started rolling out the official Jelly Bean update in India, which upgrades the device to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with build number DDLSC.

Android 4.1 is an important update for many reasons. First and foremost, it features “Project Butter”, which provides a much faster and smoother interface and operation compared to previous versions of Android. Using the processor and GPU in tandem along with techniques such as Vsync, triple buffering, and touch anticipation, Project Butter keeps the interface running at 60 fps and results in a smooth and responsive experience.

Other new features in Jelly Bean include the expandable and actionable notifications, Google Now search assistant that provides users with information before they even look for it, offline voice typing, faster browsing performance, better accessibility features, and a range of other small yet useful tweaks that put Android 4.1 leaps and bounds ahead of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

But the biggest change of all is that Samsung has completely replaced its old user interface and slapped on the Nature UX found on newer devices like the Galaxy S3 or Note 2. It’s a major revamp and brings along some very useful features from Samsung’s latest iteration of TouchWiz, such as multi window multitasking, pop-up video play, and many more, along with a radically different visual look.

The new TouchWiz features and improvements in the update include:

  • Multi-View (Multi Window Multitasking, same as in Note 2)
  • Multi-View can also be disabled
  • Page Buddy
  • Notification Panel can now be customized
  • New Additions in Notification Panel
  • Smart Rotation (Screen Display adjusts to your angle of sightings)
  • Continuous Input in Samsung Keyboard (Like Swipe or Android 4.2 Keyboard)
  • Samsung’s Cloud services
  • Features like Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play
  • New Widgets From the Galaxy S3
  • 2 Home screen modes
  • New Notifications bar

While the update is rolling out over the air, the firmware for the update is available for manual download as well, so that you can update right away without waiting. Furthermore, thanks to XDA member ThaiDai, there is also a rooted custom version of the Android 4.1.2 firmware, installable as a custom ROM using a custom recovery.

However, keep in mind that manually updating, especially if you’re on a custom ROM, might require you to factory reset your device, and while apps and personal data can be backed up and restored, things like your Google account will need to be re-entered. If you aren’t okay with that, it is best to wait for the over the air update to arrive on your phone.

Now let’s see how we can install either the official Android 4.1.2 firmware or the custom rooted version on the Galaxy Note.

Compatibility

The procedure described below is only for the Samsung Galaxy Note, model number N7000. Do not try it on any other device, not even on the LTE/US variant of the Galaxy Note.

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.

Official Android 4.1.2 Firmware (DDLSC)

This is the full official firmware that has been released by Samsung and won’t make any unofficial modifications on the phone. Use it if you want to update to the official Android 4.1.2 manually. If you want a pre-rooted version of the firmware, follow instructions for that given after the official firmware instructions.

  1. [Important] You might need to wipe the data on the phone to make the firmware boot up properly, especially if the firmware is flashed over a custom ROM. 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 and install the software Kies on your computer, which will install the necessary drivers for the phone.
    Download Kies
    You can also download the drivers directly — download from here: 32 bit (x86) Windows | 64-bit (x64) Windows
  3. Download the firmware.
    Download Link
  4. Extract the file downloaded in step 3 on the computer to obtain a file named N7000DDLSC_N7000ODDLSC_N7000DDLS6_HOME.tar.md5 (the file name may end at .tar, which is normal). This is the actual firmware file that we need to flash on the phone.
  5. Download Odin. If you are new to this, Odin is a Samsung program used to flash stuff – firmware, kernels, etc. – on Samsung phones. 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. If your phone is rooted, perform the following steps before moving on to step 8 (skip this step if your device is not rooted), to retain root access after the update.
    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.
  8. Now, turn off your phone and wait for it to shut down completely.
  9. Then, put the phone into download mode. To do so, press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power till the phone turns on and shows a Warning!! screen. Then press Volume Up to enter download mode.
  10. Open Odin by double-clicking on the Odin3 v3.04.exe file obtained in step 6 after extracting Odin3_v3.04.zip.
  11. Important! Connect your phone 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.
  12. Click on the PDA button in Odin, then browse to and select the N7000DDLSC_N7000ODDLSC_N7000DDLS6_HOME.tar.md5 file that you extracted in step 4.
  13. 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.
  14. 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 phone. 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 phone 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 phone from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery for 4-5 seconds, re-insert it, turn phone on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again from Step 10.
  15. [Important] What to do if phone doesn’t boot: After you get the PASS message and the phone reboots, the phone 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 phone has already booted, stop reading the guide here, your phone has been updated successfully:
    1. Boot to recovery mode — for which, first power off phone (by removing battery and reinserting it), wait for 5-6 seconds, and then press and hold Home + Volume Up + Power keys together till the screen turns on, then let them go to boot 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 phone, which will now boot properly.
  16. [Restore Root] If you were rooted before installing the update but temporarily unrooted according to step 7, 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. Also, if you wiped data to make the phone boot up, you’ll be unable to restore root.
  17. If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the firmware, let us know and we’ll help you out.

Custom Rooted Android 4.1.2 Firmware

This is a custom version of the official firmware. It is rooted, and comes in two versions – one is the full unchanged (apart from root) version, while the other is a small version which has some of the stock apps removed. You can flash either one following the instructions below.

Part I: Download ROM

  1. This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
  2. Download the latest version of either the Full or Small version of the ROM from the source page.
  3. Then, copy the ROM’s file to the internal storage on the phone. Don’t extract the file, copy it as it is.

PART II: Flashing Safe Kernel

Since Ice Cream Sandwich-based stock kernels can brick the device while wiping data (required for installing the ROM), we’ll flash a safe kernel which doesn’t have this issue before installing the ROM. This will also install a custom recovery (ClockworkMod) which we need to install the ROM.

  1. It’s important you’ve the proper drivers for the phone installed. If you have installed Samsung’s Kies software, you already have the drivers, so download them only if you haven’t installed Kies.
    Download links: 32 bit (x86) Windows  |   64-bit (x64) Windows
  2. Download CF-Root kernel from the original download page → here.
    Filename: CF-Root-SGN_XX_OXA_LC1-v5.3-CWM5.zip
  3. Unzip the downloaded file once. You will get a .tar file – CF-Root-SGN_XX_OXA_LC1-v5.3-CWM5.tar.
    DO NOT extract the .tar file (this might show up as a zip file as well, but do not extract it). You need to flash the .tar file using Odin to gain root access and install ClockWorkMod Recovery (CWM) alongside. (If you’re getting a zImage file, it means you’ve extracted the .tar file too! — and that’s not a right thing to do. Use 7-zip to extract.)
  4. Download Odin 1.85 from → here.
    Filename: Odin 1.85.zip | Size: 199 KB
  5. Extract the contents of the Odin 1.85.zip file to a folder.
  6. Disconnect your phone if it’s connected to PC, then switch it off.
  7. Now, put the Galaxy Note in Download Mode — press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power. A Warning! screen will come up; press Volume Up key to continue to enter Download Mode.
  8. Open Odin — double-click the Odin3 v1.85.exe that you got after extracting the file Odin 1.85.zip.
  9. In ODIN, click on the PDA button, then select the CF-Root-SGN_XX_OXA_LC1-v5.3-CWM5.tar file obtained in step 3.
  10. Important! Do not make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required file as given in step 9. Leave all other options as they are.
  11. Connect your phone 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, then probably there is a problem with drivers. Make sure you’ve proper drivers installed (check step 1). Also, uninstall Kies from the Control Panel as well (this will leave the drivers on the computer but remove Kies which can interfere with the procedure).
  12. Now, hit the START button to start flashing of CF-Root kernel on your Galaxy Note. When the flashing is complete, your phone will automatically reboot — and when you see the Samsung logo, you can safely unplug the cable. Plus, you’ll get a PASS (with green background) message in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin.
    • What to do if Odin gets stuck: If ODIN gets stuck and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, or you get a FAIL message (with red background) in ODIN, disconnect the phone from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery, re-insert it, turn phone on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again from Step 8.
  13. [Important] The phone will get stuck on the boot screen now. Now, disconnect the phone, remove its battery,  re-insert it, but DO NOT turn it on yet. Go to the next part of the guide.

Part III: Installing the ROM

  1. Boot into ClockworkMod recovery. To do so, make sure the phone is off, then press and hold the Volume Up + Home (Center) + Power keys together until the screen turns on, then let them go. The phone will boot into ClockworkMod recovery in a few seconds.
    In recovery, use the Volume buttons to navigate and the power button to select items.
  2. Select wipe data/factory reset, then select Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait a while till the data wipe is complete.
  3. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the ROM file on the sdcard and select it. Confirm installation by selecting Yes on the next screen.
  4. After the installation is complete, select Go back then select reboot system now to reboot the phone and reboot into the rooted Android 4.1.2 ROM.

The Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware – either the official or rooted version – is now installed on your Galaxy Note. Go ahead and play around with your phone and check out all the new features and improvements, and don’t forget to leave a comment if you run into any trouble.

Via: Sammobile