Galaxy S4 I9500 Gets Official Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA Jelly Bean Firmware [How to Install Manually]

Samsung recently rolled out its latest Jelly Bean firmware, Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA, for Snapdragon 600 variant of Galaxy S4 bearing model number GT-I9505. Now, the same official firmware is available for the Exynos 5 Octa variant of Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) in Southeast Asian countries.

Galaxy S4 users in select countries can now download and install this firmware as an Over-The-Air (OTA) update as well as via Samsung KIES. However, those residing outside Southeast Asia and those who missed the OTA update or unable to access the update over Samsung KIES can still download and install the firmware manually, using this guide.

Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA Firmware Details

PDA: I9500XXUBMEA
CSC: I9500OLBBMEA
MODEM: I9500DXUBMEA
Version: Android 4.2.2
Built date: May 29, 2013
Regions: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.

NOTE: Instructions provided in this guide are meant for reference purpose only. IBTimes UK will not be held liable if device is damaged or bricked during or after firmware installation. Users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

Pre-requisites

• XXUBMEA official firmware and the instructions provided in this guide are applicable for the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 model only. It will not work with any other device. Verify your device's model number by navigating to Settings > About Phone.
• Backup important data and settings on the phone to avoid data loss while performing any data wipe tasks during or after firmware installation.
• Ensure the device is factory unlocked (not locked to a specific carrier) as well as its bootloader unlocked.
• Verify that the correct USB drivers are installed for the phone on computer (download Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 USB drivers).
• Enable USB Debugging mode on the phone by navigating to Settings > Developer Options (if device is running Android 4.0 or later) or go to Settings > Applications > Development (if phone is running Android 2.3 or earlier). Otherwise if the phone is running Android 4.2, then do the following:
• Go to Settings > About Phone
• Scroll down to the bottom and select Build Number
• Tap the Build Number seven times to unlock or reveal the hidden Developer Options under Settings. Then select the checkbox to enable USB Debugging mode under Settings > Developer Options.
• Make sure that the phone has at least 80% battery charge to prevent unexpected device shutdown (due to battery drain) during firmware installation.

Downloads

• Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA Jelly Bean firmware for Galaxy S4 GT-I9500
• Odin v3.07

How to Install Official Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA Jelly Bean OTA on Galaxy S4 GT-I9500

Step 1: Extract the firmware zip file to the desktop to get a .tar.md5 file and some other files (optional).

Step 2: Extract Odin zip file to obtain Odin3 v3.07.exe along with few other files.

Step 3: Power off the phone and wait for vibration (about 5-6 seconds) to confirm complete device shutdown. Now boot the phone into Download Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down, Home and Power button together until a construction Android robot icon with a triangle appears on screen. Then hit Volume Up button to enter Download Mode.

Step 4: Launch Odin3 v3.07.exe that you obtained in Step 2 as an Administrator, as Admin privileges are required to complete the firmware installation process smoothly.

Step 5: Connect your phone to computer via USB cable. When the device connects successfully, the message saying "Added!" appears in ODIN and the ID: COM box will turn yellow with the corresponding COM port number. If the message fails to appear, try reinstalling the phone's USB drivers or changing the port on the computer.

Step 6: Choose the following files from the extracted I9500XXUBMEA folder that you obtained in Step 1 by using respective checkboxes:

• Select the PDA checkbox, and click the .tar.md5 file
• Tap the Phone checkbox, and select the file named 'modem' (ignore if such file is not found)
• Choose the CSC checkbox, and click the file named 'CSC' (ignore if there is no such file)
• Click the PIT checkbox, and choose the '.pit' file (ignore if the file is missing)

Step 7: In Odin, enable Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options by selecting the checkboxes. But the Re-Partition checkbox must be selected only if a .pit file was chosen in the previous step in ODIN.

Step 8: To prevent ROM related errors, verify Step 6 and Step 7 are done correctly. Then hit the START button to begin flashing the firmware.

Step 9: Once the firmware installation is complete, the phone will reboot automatically and soon a PASS message with green background appears in the left-most box at the very top of Odin. Now it is safe to unplug the USB cable to disconnect the device from computer.

The Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 is now running on the latest Android 4.2.2 XXUBMEA Jelly Bean OTA firmware. Go to Settings > About Phone to verify the firmware installed.

Troubleshooting:

If the phone is stuck at boot animation or Samsung logo after Step 9, then go to recovery mode (press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons together) and perform Wipe data/Factory Reset as well as Wipe Cache Partition before choosing reboot system now option. Use Volume keys to navigate between options and Power key to select an option in recovery. Please note that performing data wipe task will only erase your phone's internal memory and not the data on SD card.

[Source: Honai of Android]