Install Jelly Bean 4.3 on Galaxy S4 SGH-M919 via Carbon AOSP custom ROM

Samsung’s trademark Galaxy S4 SGH-M919 smartphone (the T-Mobile variant) is on its way to get an update: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean! To be more precise: with Carbon AOSP custom ROM, your device shall receive this OS in no time at all. And without pulling your hair because you don’t know how an upgrade should happen.

The fact that you seek an update out means that you must comply with our guide’s steps.

Requirements

All of them play a very important role in today’s procedure. But actually, the first thing on your agenda should be to pay tribute to these requirements:

learn how to root your handset (we have a dedicated tutorial for this action);
do a search for either TWRP or CWM and install one of them on your handset;
use the Galaxy S4 which is factory unlocked already;
turn on USB Debugging on the phone by going to Developer Options and selecting this option from there;
make several backups using this guide;
add a full NANDroid backup to the list;
charge the battery of your device;
download the on the PC or your laptop.

Then, as it is the norm with such a guide, prepare your device for the update it shall soon receive by following some simple, yet effective steps down below. Galaxy-S4-SGH-M919

Instructions

After your laptop or your computer has the update firmware downloaded and saved on it, you should download, on it, a second very important file: Gapps archive, available here. Extract every single one of these two packages on your laptop and then plug the M919 to the latter with the USB cable that belongs to the handset.
Once the connection is on, you can transfer the two packages from their place to the SD card root of the phone. Then wait for the copy + paste to end before you unplug the S4 from your laptop.
Now switch the handset off and enter it in Recovery Mode.
For the next instance in our guide, do the following: make that NANDroid backup if you forgot about it. This backup will be made if you follow our instructions.
They will indicate how to save your phone’s data depending on what custom recovery exists on your device. If it’s the TWRP one, then all you need to do is tap “Backup“, choose only those system partition files you want backed up and then confirm. If the CWM is used, then simply choose Backup & Restore, save the backup to the internal/external storage of your handset and then make a confirmation.
What you should do next is as follows: apply Factory Reset. This will also depend on the custom recovery that’s on your Galaxy S4. In case it’s the CWM, you should opt for Factory Reset/Wipe Data and just confirm. Should the TWRP exist on your smartphone, tap “Wipe”, click on “Factory Reset” and confirm.
[sc name=”banner-jos”]Then continue by learning how to flash the update firmware on the phone. If the latter has the TWRP among its features, you have to tap “Install”, choose the new firmware archive and have patience until the latter is on your phone. For those of you who chose the CWM, you need to first opt for Install zip from SD card, select Choose zip from SD card, choose the update tool and confirm its flashing.
The installation of the Gapps package should go like the flashing of the Carbon JB custom ROM.
Once the required files are on your Samsung SGH-M919, you should be back in the Recovery Menu to restart the handset. That is all: your device has just received an update to the Jelly Bean 4.3. Rejoice!