We reported on an Android 4.2 ROM for the Samsung Captivate a week ago, but unfortunately that particular ROM had quite a few issues to be used as a daily driver and was more of a test build. But fret not, as an almost fully working version of Android 4.2 has now been released for the Captivate, by XDA Recognized Developer pawitp, who also brought Android 4.2 to the Galaxy S in a very stable form.

In case you were wondering, Android 4.2 is still called Jelly Bean but brings quite a few new features, such as a new keyboard with inbuilt Swype-like typing mode, Photo Sphere mode in the camera for 360 degrees panorama photos, Daydreams screensaver mode for displaying pictures and other info when the device is charging, lockscreen widgets, Quick Settings toggles in the status bar, and general performance and stability improvements. If you thought Android 4.1 was great, just wait till you try out 4.2.

However, there are a couple of issues in the ROM at this point, quoted from the source page, where you can always find the most updated list of known issues. Here’s the list of known issues in the ROM currently:

  • Wifi not working for some users (I’ve already included a fix which worked for some users (on I9000), but still doesn’t work for some users apparently.)
  • Sim Toolkit (STK) does not work
  • Bluetooth not working (Fix included in guide)

Follow the guide below to know how the Android 4.2 ROM can be installed on the Samsung Captivate. Keep in mind that this is an unofficial ROM that may have some issues, and no Samsung-specific features will be available as it is a ROM built from stock Android sources.

Compatibility

The procedure described below is only for the Samsung Captivate. 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 4.2 on Samsung Captivate

  1. [Important] The procedure to install the ROM includes wiping the data on the phone, so make sure you backup important apps and data such as SMS, contacts, bookmarks, etc. See our Android Backup Guide for help. The personal files on your SD card, however, will not be wiped, so there is no need to back them up. You just need to take a backup of the installed apps and data such as messages if you want.
  2. Make sure you have ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery installed on the phone.
  3. Download the latest build of the ROM from the source page.
  4. Also download the “Google Apps” file from the source page. AOSP ROMs like CM do not contain Google apps like Gmail, Talk, YouTube, Search, etc by default, so you will need to install the Google apps package as well to be able to use all the Google services.
  5. Copy both the ROM and Google apps files (copy the files, don’t extract them) to the internal storage on the phone.
  6. Turn off your phone. Then, boot into CWM recovery. To do so, press and hold the Volume Up + Volume Down buttons while powering on the phone. When the screen turns on, let go of all three buttons. The phone will boot up into ClockworkMod recovery in a few seconds.
    In recovery, use Volume keys to scroll up and down and power key to select an option.
  7. Select wipe data/factory reset, then select Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait a while till the data wipe is complete (this will only wipe installed apps and settings, but will not wipe personal files on the SD card).
  8. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the ROM file and select it. Confirm installation on the next screen.
  9. The phone may reboot once during installation, then continue installing the ROM automatically. If it doesn’t resume and just boots into ClockworkMod recovery, repeat step 8 to install the ROM again.
  10. After ROM installation completes, select choose zip from sdcard again, then select the Gapps file to install the Google apps package.
  11. Once the installation of the Google apps package is complete, go back to the main recovery menu and select reboot system now to reboot the phone and boot up into Android 4.2. The first boot can take a few minutes, so don’t panic if it takes 5-7 minutes to do so.
  12. [Bluetooth Fix] If you find that Bluetooth isn’t working for you, download the patch to fix it from this link. Then, copy the downloaded file to the internal storage, boot to recovery, repeat step 8 to install it, then reboot the phone. Bluetooth should then work.
  13. NOTE: The ROM will get regular updates as development goes on, so be sure to check back on the source page for updated versions. To update to a newer version of the ROM, just download it, put it on the phone, and flash it from recovery, without wiping data. Be sure to flash the Google apps package as well.
Android 4.2 is now installed and up and running on your Samsung Captivate. Don’t forget to visit the source page for further details and updates on the ROM. Do let us know how it works!