Galaxy S 4G Gets Ice Cream Sandwich Update with Slim ICS [How to Install]
Galaxy S 4G gets lightweight custom ROM for Ice Cream Sandwich, thanks to XDA senior member erikmm Photo: Samsung

At a time when manufacturers are busy fitting their smartphone and tablets with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and older devices are content with upgrading to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS)), the Galaxy S 4G, strangely, has a Jelly Bean ROM update, besides porting the older ICS ROM.

Thanks to developer erikmm, the ICS ROM - Slim ICS - a trimmed down version of the original file with only select features and customisation options - turns out to be something users looking for an old-school ICS experience will actually enjoy.

Key Points

The ICS ROM update has a couple of issues - the ClockWorkMod (CWM) recovery tool can't backup/restore and UMS or USB Mass Storage mode is unsupported on this ROM

The ROM and the instructions in the guide are applicable to Samsung Galaxy S 4G - T959V model only and will not work with any other devices. You can verify your phone's model number in Settings > About phone.

IBTimes UK advises readers to back-up important personal data (bookmarks, contacts, SMS and APN settings). This procedure will the device clean

Here is a step-by-step guide to installing the Slim Ice Cream Sandwich ROM on the Galaxy S 4G

[Courtesy of The Android Soul]:

How to Install Slim Ice Cream Sandwich ROM on Galaxy S 4G

  • Ensure CWM Recovery is installed on smartphone
  • Download ROM from here. The download consists of two files:
    • Slim_Common.zip
    • GalaxyS_4G_x.x.zip (where x.x is the latest version of the ROM)
  • Copy downloaded files to internal SD card (do not extract)
  • Restart device and boot into CWM Recovery (simultaneously press and hold Volume Up and Volume Down buttons, when turning phone on. After phone is powered on, keep holding the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons until device boots into recovery). Note that when in the recovery menu, you can use Volume Up and Down keys to navigate menus and the Power button to select options
  • Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and confirm deletion on next screen. Wait till data wipe is complete
  • Select install.zip from SD card and tap Choose Zip from SD card. Locate GalaxyS_4G_x.x.zip on SD card and select. Click Yes to confirm installation
  • Once ROM is installed, select Slim_Common.zip from SD card and confirm installation on next screen
  • After installation, reboot system and boot into Slim ICS ROM

This complete installation of the Slim ICS ROM. For further information and latest ROM updates, visit the official development page.