If you own one of the many Galaxy Tab 2 tablets by Samsung and wondering whether this old buddy will ever receive the Marshmallow as update, well here is your answer: No and Yes.

We said no because Samsung is never going to release Marshmallow update for Galaxy Tab 2 tablets. But we said yes because it’s available unofficial, in the form of custom ROM. So, yes, if you wish to install Android 6.0 update on your Galaxy Tab 2, you can do so by installing the custom ROM given below.

Installing a custom ROM requires a custom recovery like TWRP recovery on your Galaxy Tab 2. We have provided more about installation at the bottom of this post. The most popular among custom ROMs, CM13, is already available — and it brings lots of cool features and customization and tweaks to your Tab 2, including theming.

Read: One M8 Marshmallow Update

The Marshmallow custom ROM for Galaxy Tab 2 (7 inch and 10 inch) provided below is based on AOSP. It comes with stock UI, and is lighter and faster on your device compared to official Samsung ROM/firmware which comes with kind-of-ugly TouchWiz UI. Stock UI is Android own, as designed by Google.

Galaxy Tab 2 should be working fine with Marshmallow update as it has 1GB RAM installed, which is sort of minimum requirement for Marshmallow.

With the Marshmallow update, which is currently latest of Android, you get super cool new features and various under the hood improvements that combine to get you massive battery life savings (of up to 20% it is estimated) and faster performance.

Read: Moto X Play Marshmallow Update

The Marshmallow update for Galaxy Tab 2 will bring the famous features like Doze mode, app permissions management, better app control, easy sharing with contacts, Now On Tap, etc. to the device.

If you ever wish to remove the custom ROM and thus Marshmallow update (like when you decide to sell your Tab 2), you can simply install the firmware back to remove both ROM and TWRP recovery in one shot. Everything software will go normal as if you just bought the device.

Required? To update Galaxy Tab 2 to Marshmallow 6.0 first you have to go through a custom recovery. So, first of all, install  TWRP recovery for Galaxy Tab 2. For more help on this, check the ‘How to install’ section below.

Galaxy Tab 2 Marshmallow Update

Supported devices

  • Galaxy Tab 2 (download ROM as per model no. given below)
  • Don’t try this on any other device whose model no. is different from the one specified above.

Download Marshmallow Custom ROMs

Find the Marshmallow ROMs along with their download link below. Also linked is ROM’s development page, where you could find that ROM’s latest download link, a current list of bugs (if any) and a list of features and all other info about the ROM.

Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 inch

1. CyanogenMod 13.0 (CM13)

For model no. P3100 → Download Link | Development Page

For model no. P3110 → Download Link | Development Page

For model no. P3113 → Use 3110 ROM.

Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 inch

1. CyanogenMod 13.0 (CM13)

For model no. P5100 → Download Link | Development Page

For model no. P5110 → Download Link | Development Page

For model no. P5113 → Use 5110 ROM.

How to Install

Well, download the ROM of your choice from above first. Then check the link below to guide on installing a custom ROM.

Be sure to also download and install Marshmallow Gapps linked below as these contain Google Apps like Play Store, Maps, etc. that are missing in the ROMs by default.

How to Install custom ROM | Marshmallow Gapps

Need help? Let us know if you need any help with this via comments below.