How to Update Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean via Leaked Custom ROM [Tutorial]

Google announced the Google Play Edition for Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505G) and HTC One smartphones at its recently concluded I/O conference in May. The company is reportedly poised to release its latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean official firmware for Samsung's flagship device in July.

However, the leaked version of Android 4.3 custom firmware is now available for download and installation, with due credit to HazAnwar at XDA Developers who reportedly leaked the firmware to SAMMobile.

SAMMobile has reportedly managed to port the latest leaked Android 4.3 Jelly Bean custom ROM from Galaxy S4 GT-I9505G to the regular LTE model, Galaxy S4 I9505 (Snapdragon 600). In other words, it is now possible to manually download and install the leaked Android 4.3 custom firmware on your Galaxy S4 I9505 via ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery, using our step-by-step guide (courtesy of Android Geeks).

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Leaked Custom ROM Details:

Country: United States of America
Version: Android 4.3
Build ID: JWR66N
Changelist: 968842
Build date: Wed, 26 June 2013 21:21:05 +0000
Product Code: XAR
PDA: I9505GUEUBMFP
CSC: I9505GXARBMFP
MODEM: I9505GUEUBMFP

Key Points to Note

• Leaked Android 4.3 custom ROM and instructions provided in this guide are limited to the Snapdragon 600 variant of Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) only. Do not attempt to instal this firmware on any other device, as it may damage or brick your device.
• Installation of this ROM requires the device to be factory unlocked and rooted with CWM recovery installed.
• Make sure to take a NANDROID backup of your existing ROM so that it can be restored if the new ROM fails to work, or you want to return to your original ROM.
• Ensure that you perform Wipe Data/Factory Reset before you continue installing the firmware. This process will wipe the phone's system partition including installed apps, SMS, call logs and other user data.
• Verify that the correct USB drivers are installed for the phone on your computer (download Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 USB drivers)
• Enable USB Debugging mode on the phone by navigating to Settings > Developer Options (if phone is running on Android 4.0 or later) or go to Settings > Applications > Development (if device is running on Android 2.3 or earlier).
• Ensure the phone has at least 85% battery charge to prevent unexpected device shutdown (due to battery drain) during firmware installation.
• 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.

How to Install Stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean via Leaked Custom ROM for Galaxy S4 GT-I9505

Step 1: Download Android 4.3 Jelly Bean leaked ROM with Odexed port zip or Deodexed port zip to the computer desktop.

Step 2: Connect and mount the phone's SD card on computer via USB cable.

Step 3: Without extracting, copy downloaded ROM zip files to the root folder of your phone's SD card.

Step 4: Once the file transfer process completes, Power off the phone and disconnect its USB cable from computer.

Step 5: Boot the phone into ClockworkMod recovery (CWM) by pressing and holding Volume Up, Home and Power buttons together until the screen flashes, and then release all three buttons. NOTE: Use Volume keys to navigate between options and Power key to select an option in recovery.

Step 6: Perform a Nandroid backup of your existing ROM so that it can be restored later if the new ROM fails to work or you want to return to original ROM. To take a backup, choose Backup and Restore and then hit Backup on next screen. Return to main recovery menu once backup is complete.

Step 7: Do a full data wiping task to eliminate conflicts between newly installed ROM and previous ROM. To do so, first click Wipe Data/Factory Reset, then choose Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait for a few minutes until the data wipe process completes. Then return to CWM recovery main menu and choose Wipe Cache Partition. Wait until the process completes and then select Wipe Dalvik Cache under advance option. Once the entire data wiping task completes, proceed to the next step.

Step 8: Choose Install Zip from SD card and then click Choose Zip from SD card. Now, browse to the Android 4.3 I9505GUEUBMFP zip file that you copied earlier in Step 3 and select it by tapping Power button. Confirm the ROM installation on next screen and soon the installation process will begin.

Step 9: After the ROM is installed, return to the main recovery menu and hit Reboot System Now. The phone will now boot into the newly installed ROM. But, the first boot may take about 5 minutes to complete. So, please be patient and do not interrupt the process.

Returning to Previous ROM: To return to your previous ROM: boot into recovery, choose Backup and Restore then restore your previous ROM by choosing it from the list.

Your Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 is now running on the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean leaked custom ROM. Go to Settings > About Phone to verify the firmware installed.