The international variant of the Samsung Galaxy S2 with the model number GT-I9100 started receiving the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9) official firmware update from Thursday.

Being a branded firmware, the new Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9) can be installed on the Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) easily, except for China/ Taiwan regions, a Team Android report said.

The new Jelly Bean firmware brings a number of new features to the Samsung Galaxy S2 that include smooth performance and stability using Project Butter, full user interface revamp, TouchWiz Nature UX, S Cloud services, new lock screen with multiple customization option, new widgets from the Galaxy S3, free 50 GB Dropbox storage, two home screen modes, new notification bar with more notification toggles, Google Now and other features like Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play.

The Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9) official firmware is currently available at Samsung Kies. In case you face any difficulty while updating your Galaxy S2 through Kies, you can try out the manual update explained here.

For those who have already updated their Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) to the new Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9) official firmware, below is a tutorial showing how to root the firmware on their devices. The method will work on the Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) running on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9), updated from Samsung Kies or through a manual process.

The rooting process, explained here, will install the latest ClockWorkMod (CWM) recovery on the Samsung Galaxy S2, allowing the user to install custom ROMs and other mods. However, users must keep in mind that rooting the I9100UHMS9 Jelly Bean firmware on the Galaxy S2 will void the device’s warranty. However, users can reclaim the warranty by applying the official firmware update.

The rooting process explained below will use Siyah Kernel, which will be flashed on the Samsung Galaxy S2 with Odin. But before you proceed, there are some more aspects to be aware of:

- Having proper backups for personal data, apps and settings is must

- The process is meant only for Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT- I9100) running on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (I9100UHMS9) official firmware. The users must check their device's model number in: Settings > About Phone

- The device should be fully charged

- USB Driver must be installed for Galaxy Note in your computer with USB Debugging enabled

- IBTimes cannot be held responsible for anything that goes wrong. Users should proceed at their own risk

Procedure

Step 1: Download Root Kernel I9100UHMS9 for Samsung Galaxy S2.

Step 2: Download Odin v3.07 and extract the file.

Step 3: Switch off your phone and go to Download Mode on your phone. To do this, press and hold the Volume Down + Home buttons together and then press the Power button. After you see a warning screen, press Power button to confirm to enter Download Mode.

Step 4: Run Odin as Administrator and connect the phone to your computer via USB cable while in Download Mode.

Step 5: If the phone is connected properly, you will see “Added” message in Odin. You will also see COM port with a number in Yellow.

Step 6: Click the PDA button in Odin and select the file “Siyah-s2-v6.0b4.tar” that you have downloaded in Step 1.

Step 7: In Odin, check the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options.

Step 8: Click on the START button in Odin to start flashing.

Step 9: After the flashing is done, you will see a PASS message with green background in the left-most box at the top of the Odin. The Galaxy S2 will restart automatically. Once you see the home screen, you can unplug the phone from the computer.

[Source: Team Android]

MUST READ: How To Install And Root Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (VXAMB1) On Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE (SCH-R950) [Tutorial]