If there’s one thing about Android that the whole community is more or less united about; it’s the dark side of Android updates, and by dark side we mean the uncertainty, the waiting and in most cases, the delays. That’s why it’s nice to hear that another of Samsung’s elderly devices is getting the update to Android 4.1.2, sure that might not be Android 4.2 but, for the Galaxy S II, that launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it’s a welcome update, for sure. It might come as an annoyance to some of you Galaxy S II users on T-Mobile that you’ll have to use Sammy’s desktop software to update your device but, the update is 756MB so, maybe it’s a good thing.
As with all updates like this, it might be a good idea to backup any sensitive data on your smartphone, just in case anything goes wrong, like photos and things like that. After that, just head over to Samsung’s KIES page, be sure to have at least 50% of battery and prepare yourself for a wait until the 756MB file has downloaded.
If you’re unfamiliar with what Jelly Bean brings to the table, then you’ll be pleased to know that it should mean a considerable performance boost thanks to Project Butter and with Google Now you should be able to use Google a lot easier with this new update. Samsung have been doing a really good job at keeping their older devices up to date when it comes to Jelly Bean and after the fiasco that was the original Galaxy S it’s good to see them learn from their mistakes. While KIES isn’t our favorite option, when an update is 750MB or more, it’s better than nothing.
Are there any of you out there still using a Galaxy S II that have managed to try out the update? How’s it performing?