The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 is finally rolling out officially, bringing all the Android 4.0 features and improvements like faster performance, improved multitasking, face unlocking, advanced mobile data management, and more to your device.

The update is available via Kies, but in case you want to flash it manually on your T-Mobile Galaxy S2, you can do so by following the step-by-step guide below.

Read on to find out how to manually update to Android 4.0 on the T-Mobile Galaxy S2.

Compatibility

This ROM and the guide below are compatible only and only with the T-Mobile Galaxy S2, model number SGH-T989. It’s not compatible with any other device. 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 Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 T989UVLE1 Firmware on T-Mobile Galaxy S2

  1. Make sure you have the phone drivers installed on the computer. If not, download and install them from the link below.
    Download Drivers
  2. [Optional] Backup all your apps, data and settings.  Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
    Important! Don’t forget to at least make a backup of your APN settings, which you can restore later if your data connection does not work after installing the ROM. Use the backup guide to find out how.
  3. Download the firmware
    Download Link  |  Alternate Link  |  Filename: SGH-T989_TMB_1_20120608172207_ugy1nehf4g.zip
  4. Extract the SGH-T989_TMB_1_20120608172207_ugy1nehf4g.zip to obtain a file named T989UVLE1_T989TMBLE1_T989UVLE1_HOME.tar.md5.
  5. Download Odin which will be used to flash the firmware on your phone.
    Download Odin  |  Filename: Odin3 v1.83.exe
  6. Open Odin by double-clicking the Odin3 v1.83.exe file downloaded in step 5.
  7. Switch off your phone. Then, boot into download mode. To do this, turn off your phone. Plug in your USB cable to the computer, but not to the phone. Then, holding the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons on the phone, plug in the USB cable to the phone while holding those buttons. Once the Download mode screen shows up, let go of the buttons.
  8. After you connect the phone in download mode, you’ll notice Added!! message in Odin’s message box in the bottom left. If you don’t get the message, check that the drivers are properly installed and start from step 6 again.
  9. Now, in Odin, click the PDA button and select the .md5 file you got in step 4 — T989UVLE1_T989TMBLE1_T989UVLE1_HOME.tar.md5.
  10. Important! Do not touch any other button or make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required file as given in step 9.
  11. Click the Start button in Odin to flash the firmware on your phone.
  12. Now, hit the START button to start flashing the firmware. 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 message (with green background) in the left-most box at the very top of 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, then repeat the procedure from step 6.
  13. After you’ve got the PASS message, it’s possible — and okay — that phone might get stuck at S logo, and not boot up completely. It’s okay, just follow the steps 13.1 to 13.3 below, and you will be fine. And, if it boots up fine, without getting stuck at S logo, you’re fine. The Android 4.0 installation has been done successfully. So, do the following only if your i9100 doesn’t move beyond the S logo when booting up after getting PASS in Odin (make sure you wait some good 10-15 mins to confirm that it’s stuck):
    1. Boot to recovery mode — for which, remove and re-insert the battery, then press and hold Volume Down + Volume Up + Power keys together till the screen turns on. Once you are in recovery mode, use volume keys to move the selection up and down and power or home key to select the option.
    2. Go to Wipe Data/Factory Reset and select it. Select Yes on next screen.
    3. Now, select reboot system now to reboot your phone. It will now boot up fine and you can use the latest Android 4.0 firmware on your T-Mobile Galaxy S2.
  14. If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the firmware, let us know and we’ll help you out.
  15. [Root] If you want to get root access on the Android 4.0 firmware, follow this guide.

Your T-Mobile Galaxy S2 is now running on the official Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 firmware. Let us know how it works for you, in the comments below.