Samsung Galaxy S2 owners thought that they may not get the official update to KitKat 4.4, but it doesn’t really matter as it seems that CyanogenMod have now come to their rescue with a stable ROM.
CyanogenMod 11 has been reworked for the Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-i9100, with the ROM having been based on the Open Source Project. This means that it is free of bloatware. The ROM allows owners of the device to edit themes along with personalising the user interface. The ROM also has all the expected services, apps and memory of the official version. It comes with a CPU Governor and owners of the handsets can choose to install CM add-ons and mods.
The ROM does have to be installed manually onto the Samsung Galaxy S2 and owners would have to make sure they check the instructions and follow them; otherwise they could brick their device. Follow the steps below before making the update.
One: Flash this firmware to the Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 only, as any other models might get damaged.
Two: Root the handset and then install a custom recovery like ClockworkMod.
Three: Install the right USB drivers for your Galaxy S2 on your PC.
Four: Make a manual backup of all your personal info, settings and data files.
Five: Ensure that your battery level is at least 50% to stop any power interruptions during the flash.
Six: Enable the USB debugging mode on your phone. Head to “Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging mode” or “Settings > Developer options > USB debugging.”
Seven: Download CyanogenMod 11 for Galaxy S2 i-9100 and the Google Apps package to your computer.
Flashing Instructions:
One: Plug your Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 to your PC with a USB cable.
Two: Copy over the CyanogenMod 11 and the Google Apps packages to the SD card of the Galaxy S2. You don’t need to extract the zip files.
Three: Unplug the phone from the PC, then turn it off.
Four: Reboot into recovery mode by pressing and holding the volume up, home and power keys together till you see the Samsung logo.
Five: Inside recovery mode, make an Android backup of your current ROM. Select “backup and restores > backup.” You can then restore the saved ROM inside the SD card anytime you need to.
Six: Do a full wipe on your phone. Select “wipe data/factory reset” and “wipe cache partition.” Then choose “advanced > wipe Dalvik cache.”
Seven: Return to the main menu and install the CyanogenMod 11 by selecting “install zip from SD card > choose zip from SD > search the ROM you have copied earlier > confirm installation.” Do the same thing with the Google Apps.
Eight: Once the installation has finished, go back and select “reboot system now.”
Nine: It might take five minutes or so before your Galaxy S2 reaches its home screen after rebooting.
