Here we go again; another day, another custom ROM, but this time it’s for one of the most underrated devices in the current lineup of Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy Ace! This ROM comes to us, courtesy Indian developer Rushabh25 from XDA, which is not surprising at all, considering the Galaxy Ace is an extremely popular handset in these parts.

Quoting myself, from an earlier article for the Galaxy Ace, “This is what I love about the Android platform – it doesn’t matter how big, or small you are, or what specs you have, you can always be customized!!!” and that continues to hold true. The ROM is called ICS Stock v1, and is based on Gingerbread, but is cleverly themed (look at the screenshot above) and tweaked to look and work like an Ice Cream Sandwich ROM–kudos to Rushabh25!! And it’s not just a ROM made to look like ICS, but includes various tweaks to the system UI, and all the ICS icons, which is rare in many ICS themes that are available all over the place.

So if you have a Galaxy Ace, and want to taste some Ice Cream Sandwich on your phone, without actually having to sacrifice stable Gingerbread functionality due to bugs, this is an excellent option for you! Let’s move on to see how we can get this great looking ROM running on your Ace.

Warning!!

The steps and methods included in this guide are considered risky. Please do not attempt to try this unless you know exactly what you are doing, as it may render your device unusable, and your pocket lighter by the amount it takes to replace it. You have been forewarned!!!

Compatibility

This ROM is compatible only and only with the Galaxy Ace,  model number GT-S5830. Please do not attempt to flash it on any other device. We are not responsible for any damage that may be caused to your device. Please check your device model and version by going to Settings–> About Phone.

Download Links

ICS Stock v1     File Name: ICS Stock v1.zip    |     Size: 105 MB

ROM Info

  • Developer: Rushabh25 [XDA]
  • Original development thread → here.

Pre-Installation Requirements

How To Install ICS Stock v1 on Galaxy Ace

  1. Download the ICS Stock v1 ROM (link provided above) to your PC
  2. Connect your phone to PC via USB cable and transfer the ROM zip file to the root of internal SDcard on the phone
  3. Disconnect the phone & power it off
  4. Reboot to Recovery (Press and hold Home+Power till the Galaxy Ace logo shows up on-screen. You’ll boot into CWM recovery soon enough. (In recovery, use Volume keys to scroll up and down and power key to select an option. Use back key to go back).)
  5. Once you are in Recovery, scroll down to Wipe Data/Factory reset and select it using the Power button
  6. On the next screen, Select Yes — Wipe Data. Let CWM complete the wipe
  7. Now Select Wipe Cache partition. On the next screen, Select Yes — Wipe Cache. Wait for the wipe to complete
  8. Now scroll down to Advanced & select it using the Power button.
  9. On the next screen, Select Wipe Dalvik Cache, and then Yes — Wipe Dalvik. Wait for the wipe to complete.
  10. Now go back to the Main menu, and select  ’Install zip from SDcard’
  11. On the next screen select ‘Choose zip from Sdcard’ & Navigate to the ‘ICS Stock v1.zip’ file you transferred to the Sdcard in Step 2 above –> and confirm installation on the next screen
  12. CWM will start flashing your ROM now. Wait for the installation to complete.
  13. Once the installation is complete, select ‘Reboot System’ and let the phone reboot.
  14. That’s it. You’re done. Enjoy ICS Stock v1  on your Galaxy Ace!!

You can visit the original development thread (link above) to check updates to this ROM. If you like this ROM, and want to share your experience with us, do let us know in comments below.