Help Should I, Can I, update?

jungleexplorer · May 12, 2013

I have had the S2 from at&t for over a year now. It is an okay phone I guess. It has great hardware, but like all things Android, it is hampered by all the problems with the Android OS. My current Android build is 2.3.6 (what the phone came with). I have checked many times for a software update and it always says that this is no up update.

My phone works as it is, but has a lot of OS issues that make me think I am back in the Windows 95 era. The phone locks up if I perform too many actions too quickly. I have to do a complete shut down and reboot at least once a day because the phone slows down because of too many background process from apps I closed but still are consuming resources. The more apps I install the worse this problem has become.

I could on and on, but I digress. What I need to know is;
1. Will updating to a newer build of Android fix the OS issues with Gingerbread 2.3.6?
2. Is there an update for the AT&T S2?

Thanks

Frisco · May 12, 2013

jungleexplorer said:
I have had the S2 from at&t for over a year now. It is an okay phone I guess. It has great hardware, but like all things Android, it is hampered by all the problems with the Android OS. My current Android build is 2.3.6 (what the phone came with). I have checked many times for a software update and it always says that this is no up update.

My phone works as it is, but has a lot of OS issues that make me think I am back in the Windows 95 era. The phone locks up if I perform too many actions too quickly. I have to do a complete shut down and reboot at least once a day because the phone slows down because of too many background process from apps I closed but still are consuming resources. The more apps I install the worse this problem has become.

I could on and on, but I digress. What I need to know is;
1. Will updating to a newer build of Android fix the OS issues with Gingerbread 2.3.6?
2. Is there an update for the AT&T S2?

Thanks

Hello jungleexplorer. Your post there says (to me, anyway): "I want an S4!"

To heck with Gingerbread.

But, back to your questions.. you seem to like your device but could benefit from a root exploit and a well-proven, popular ROM. Have you checked out the All Things Root area for the S2?:

Galaxy S2 (AT&T) - All Things Root - Android Forums

..and in there:

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root/448238-galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root-guide.html

..and in there:

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root/423125-how-root-t-gs2.html and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682&highlight=i777

...and:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1297568

Proceed carefully, and have fun, if you decide to go the root route.

jungleexplorer · May 15, 2013

Frisco said:
Hello jungleexplorer. Your post there says (to me, anyway): "I want an S4!"

To heck with Gingerbread.

But, back to your questions.. you seem to like your device but could benefit from a root exploit and a well-proven, popular ROM. Have you checked out the All Things Root area for the S2?:

Galaxy S2 (AT&T) - All Things Root - Android Forums

..and in there:

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root/448238-galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root-guide.html

..and in there:

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-t-all-things-root/423125-how-root-t-gs2.html and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682&highlight=i777

...and:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1297568

Proceed carefully, and have fun, if you decide to go the root route.

No S4 for me. I am not one of those people that buys new hardware to upgrade software. Buying new hardware to fix software problems is the stupidest things I have ever heard of and it makes my blood boil that phone manufacturers are using this technique as a strong arm tactic to force consumers to buy new phones. Especially, when they are not actually fixing anything. They use the "Promise" of fixing things as the bait to keep consumers constantly spending more money upgrading, but they never spend enough time on any one piece of hardware or software to actually refine it and work out the glitches, so the problems continue. I believe things should be refined BEFORE they are sold. I for one, will not fall for their tricks. Like every other piece of technology I have ever bought, I will own my S2 until it breaks and stops working.

If I understand what you are saying, ROOTING my phone is the only way to upgrade my phone and doing so could brick the phone if I am not careful. Is that right?

LoafPincher · May 16, 2013

Your phone could benefit from a factory reset, which is like a factory image restore on a Windows PC. Typically, you'll have setup your phone all over again and reinstall your apps. But, you can use an app, such as Helium Backup, to backup your phone and make life a little easier.

As for updating, the newest official update to the i777 is Ice Cream Sandwich/4.0.4/UCLL6. The reason it doesn't show up when you check for an update is that it's not available over the air and only available via Samsung's official program, Kies. Just install and follow the on-screen instructions.

From what I've seen on various message boards, the update has been given mixed reviews. Fixes some issues and introduces new ones. Someone else could probably fill in since I've never run the official firmware. Anyway, your results may vary.

jungleexplorer · May 30, 2013

Thanks for the help. I Updated to ICS 4.4 via Kies. Wow! What a difference! My phone can go all day now on a single charge. The battery life is so much better. In general I like ICS better then what I had (Gingerbread), but there are somethings that I wish were different. What surprised me was the upgrades to my apps that took place as a result of the OS uptade. The update actually added features to some my apps that were not availible under GB. I did not know that this would happen. I thought the apps would be that same. My phone still freezes up, but only when I issues too many commands too fast. It think ICS require a lot more processing power then Gingerbread did and that may be why. But hey, I am very happy with the extra battery life. At least I am not limited to the length of my phone charger cable anymore. LOL

Is there any way to reduce the size of the Application Monitor? It is huge in ICS.

motownwill · May 30, 2013

I have to disagree with Loaf, I downloaded 4.0.4/UCLL6 to my phone over the air. It's better than the first 4.0 I had before, but I'd much rather have Jelly Bean at this late, late stage.

LoafPincher · May 30, 2013

The incremental upgrade from 4.0.3 to 4.0.4 is available OTA. However, i777's running Gingerbread firmware, like jungleexplorer's, require Kies to upgrade to ICS.

Help Should I, Can I, update?

jungleexplorer

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Frisco

=Luceat Lux Vestra=

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