Custom ROMs based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are just flying out of the custom development community’s factories, and the owners Verizon Galaxy S3 now have another Android 4.1 custom ROM to try out, called Slim Bean.

“Owners of other variants of the Galaxy S3 can find links to Jelly Bean custom ROMs at the bottom of the article.”

Slim Bean ROM gets you all the features of Jelly Bean – such as a butter smooth interface, actionable and improved notifications, a smarter keyboard, faster browser, etc – but in a small and lightweight package designed for speed and good battery life, stripped of all bloat and unnecessary things for the lightest stock Android experience.

Keep in mind that this is not an official Samsung ROM. It’s a custom ROM that is under development and may have a few bugs and issues, and some things may not work properly and some stock Samsung ROM features will not be available.

Let’s take a look at how Slim Bean ROM can be installed on the Verizon Galaxy S3.

Compatibility

This guide below is compatible only and only with the Verizon Galaxy S3, model number SCH-i535. It’s not compatible with other US variants or other devices. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Install Slim Bean ROM on Verizon Galaxy S3

  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.
    NOTE: Don’t forget to at least note down your network’s APN settings, which are required to make mobile data work. Go into Settings » More » Mobile Networks, click on the APN that is in use, then note down the setting for each field. While APN settings should be automatically restored from network, you can enter them manually if needed to make mobile data work. You can also find your APN details → here.
  2. [Important!] Unlock the bootloader on your phone by following this guide. This is necessary and will void your phone’s warranty, however it can be relocked when needed to get warranty back.
  3. Install ClockworkMod recovery on your phone by following the guide → here.
  4. Download Slim Bean ROM. You will need to download the following files:
    1. d2vzw from here
    2. Common_2.*.zip from here (where * = the latest version number)
  5. Copy the files downloaded in step 4 to the internal SD card. Do not extract them.
  6. Now, boot into ClockworkMod recovery. To do that, turn off your phone. Then, hold down Volume Up, Home and then the Power buttons together until the screen turns on, then let them go. The phone will boot into ClockworkMod recovery in a few seconds.
  7. Perform a Nandroid Backup of your existing ROM, so that you can always restore it from recovery if something does not work out with this ROM. To perform a backup, select Backup and Restore –> On the next screen, select Backup again. Go back to main recovery menu after backup is complete.
  8. Select wipe data/factory reset, then select Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait a while till the data wipe is complete.
  9. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the d2vzw.zip file on the SD card and select it. Confirm installation by selecting Yes on the next screen. The ROM will start installing.
  10. If the d2vzw.zip file installation finishes too quickly, like in 5 seconds, repeat step 9 before going to the next step.
  11. After ROM installation completes, select choose zip from sdcard again, then select the Common_2.*.zip file. Confirm installation on next screen.
  12. After the ROM finishes installing, select go back then select reboot system now to reboot the phone into Slim Bean ROM.
    NOTE: If you want to go back to your previous ROM, boot into recovery (the same way you did in step 6), select backup and restore then restore your previous ROM by selecting it from the list.

Installing ROM Addons

To install features such as Google Now (the voice recognition based Google Search app which also provides automatic info like weather, traffic info etc.) or the Face Unlock feature, perform the following steps after Slim Bean ROM has been installed and booted up.

  1. Download the Google Now and/or Face Unlock package from this link.
  2. Copy the downloaded file(s) to the internal SD card.
  3. Turn off the phone, then boot into ClockworkMod recovery (the same way you did in step 5 of main guide).
  4. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the Google Now file on the SD card and select it. Confirm installation by selecting Yes on the next screen.
  5. Then repeat step 4 to install the Face Unlock file if you have downloaded that as well to install the face unlock feature.
  6. Then, go back to main recovery menu and reboot the phone. After it boots up, you’ll be able to use Google Now and Face Unlock.

Slim Bean ROM, based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now installed and running on your Verizon Galaxy S3. Visit the source page for more info and to get the latest updates on the ROM. Share your thoughts on the ROM in the comments.

Also try out other Jelly Bean ROM for the Verizon Galaxy S3 → here.

Jelly Bean ROMs for other Galaxy S3 variants: