Update Galaxy S4 I9505 to official XenonHD Android 4.2.2 custom firmware

Galaxy S4 I9505 has many official or unofficial firmware helping it get updated to the new Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean version. For this tutorial we chose one that goes by the name of XenonHD custom firmware (and it’s an official tool in case you wanted to know).

The XenonHD we are using for this smartphone is, needless to mention, choke-full of interesting features worth a try. The ones we found the most appealing were these: tweaks to improve battery life, BusyBox, SuperSU app (in case you want to root the device), tweaks to improve overall performance and so on.

Requirements

The entire guide on this page will go without hiccups only if you follow some essential steps. Before we spill the beans on them, you should first indulge us by checking the following pre-requisites out:

How to flash XenonHD firmware on I9505

  1. For the beginning of our guide you will need to download Google Apps from this page and after that the ; save them on your notebook and then plug the S4 GT-I9505 to the PC (the USB cord of the handset will work best for this action).
  2. Then transfer the zip files from the PC to the SD card root of the smartphone. Switch the handset off after you see the transfer is over.
  3. Unplug the devices from each other. This is going to make way for the next action, which is this one: enter the device in Recovery Mode by powering it on while pressing and simultaneously holding Volume Up, Home and Power; look for “!” and hold Volume Up and Power when that appears.
  4. For the next actions, you will be asked to perform the following: opt for Factory Reset/Wipe Data and after you are done with that, choose Wipe Cache Partition.
  5. While we are at it, you should also opt for Wipe Dalvik Cache (which is the Recovery Menu under an option called “Advanced“).
  6. Now that you performed the required wiping tasks, you need to turn to the Recovery Screen; while you are in it, it is recommended to choose Install zip from SD card.
  7. The next option you should select is called Choose zip from SD card. Then concentrate on this: go to the Official XenonHD file, opt for it via Power and confirm its flashing.
  8. [sc name=”banner-jos”]After this file is part of the handset, you need to go to +++++Go Back+++++; then be sure to restart your smartphone.
  9. After the Galaxy S4 I9505 is rebooted, you have to install the Gapps archive by applying the same steps you performed for the flashing of the Official XenonHD file. Wait a bit, then the smartphone is going to boot on its on.

The XenonHD Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is now part of your GT-I9505. The firmware for this tutorial is now in its “About phone” section, so go and explore it as soon as possible!

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