The Samsung Galaxy S2 was a great phone back during its prime and now, consumers and the tech savvy community finds the smartphone outdated. Even with the release of Android KitKat, the Galaxy S2 won’t be getting an update about it.
That is until CyanogenMod, which came out of the darkness with a stable version of the Android 4.4 KitKat. After a series of silence, the team of modders have managed to bring over CM11 to GT-i9100 version of the Galaxy S2.
The ROM appears to be the evolution of an Open Source Project firmware. Users of the Galaxy S2 don’t have to worry as this Android 4.4 from Cyanogen is both virus and bloatware-free. In addition to that, most of the Android 4.4 features are present in the ROM.
Things like edit themes and tweaking the UI are all do-able in this cracked Android 4.4 Kitkat. Samsung Galaxy S2 owners can already start installing this great third party OS. Of course, it is best if you keep the following in mind:
1) Flash this firmware to the Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 only, as any other models might get damaged.
2) Root the handset and then install a custom recovery like ClockworkMod.
3) Install the right USB drivers for your Galaxy S2 on your PC.
4) Make a manual backup of all your personal info, settings and data files.
5) Ensure that your battery level is at least 50% to stop any power interruptions during the flash.
6) Enable the USB debugging mode on your phone. Head to “Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging mode” or “Settings > Developer options > USB debugging.”
7) Download CyanogenMod 11 for Galaxy S2 i-9100 and the Google Apps package to your computer.
Unless you’re tech savvy, you might want to refer to the following instructions.
1) Plug your Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 to your PC with a USB cable.
2) 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.
3) Unplug the phone from the PC, then turn it off.
4) Reboot into recovery mode by pressing and holding the volume up, home and power keys together till you see the Samsung logo.
5) 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.
6) Do a full wipe on your phone. Select “wipe data/factory reset” and “wipe cache partition.” Then choose “advanced > wipe Dalvik cache.”
7) 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.
8) Once the installation has finished, go back and select “reboot system now.”
9) It might take five minutes or so before your Galaxy S2 reaches its home screen after rebooting.
