Update Galaxy W I8150 to Android 2.3.6 XXLMI Official Firmware

If there’s something your Galaxy W I8150 is lacking in terms of specs, it’s the operating system. Which should be updated to the newest version. That is what we plan on doing for today and we have XXLMI to help us.

The novelties

Your device’s official release date is October 2011, whereas the new Android 2.3.6 stock firmware came out last year in December for Germany, the Nordic countries and the UK/Ireland.

When the new firmware will have been installed on your smartphone, the latter will display these goodies: better stability while moving between home screen panels, mobile hotspot bug fixes and better security overall, the ability to see how much longer you have to wait while performing an OTA update.

The firmware also comes with a much-needed update to VZ Navigator with all the latest 3D map enhancements, Visual Voice Mail updates, better battery life whenever you want to use Phone Book Access Profile Bluetooth headsets, enhanced data throughput performance in environments that register low 4G signals, Vcast apps, an updated Favorite Contacts widget, CMAS (short for Commercial Mobile Alert Service) and better stability for data connectivity after you turn Airplane Mode off.

To fully enjoy these features, your phone doesn’t have to run an official ROM if you use our guide. But if you choose to use OTA or Samsung’s KIES (especially since the KIES logo for the Germany and the UK/Ireland version is activated), your handset will have to run an official ROM. The Nordic countries version doesn’t have an activated KIES logo, so you won’t be able to upgrade it with the KIES software.

Be sure to follow our steps only if your phone is the Galaxy W GT-8150 is what you’re using right now. If you own another model, this tutorial won’t work on it and the device will end up bricked.

For those of you whose Galaxy W GT-I8150 is rooted, the XXLMI will damage the phone, in the sense that it will revoke the root access and delete the system partition. If there’s a lot of important and sensitive data on your device, the update won’t erase it; and the internal as well as external SD cards will not be damaged.galaxy-w-gt-I8150

Requirements

Below are the requirements that pave the way for a successful update:

  • turn off all of the security software that is running on the device and the laptop alike;
  • download USB drivers which work best with your phone on your laptop;
  • the USB cord that belongs to the smartphone should be taken out of the box and kept somewhere close;
  • charge the battery of your handset;
  • a regular backup and a full NANDroid one are very much needed (the complete guide is here);
  • your laptop’s OS must be Windows;
  • on your phone, there’s an option called USB Debugging that you should turn on.

How to flash XXLMI on your smartphone

  1. When all of these crucial pre-requisites are carefully followed, you have to download these packages on your laptop and then extract each one on the same device: the Gingerbread 2.3.6 I8150XXLMI (the Germany version from , the Nordic countries from , the UK/Ireland version ) and Odin tool (available here).
  2. Now press and hold, at the same time, Volume Down + OK + Power. The Odin that’s downloaded on the notebook should be launched as Admin on the latter, then be sure to plug the Galaxy W I8150 to the laptop and, when there’s no connection established, you have to either install the USB drivers again or use another USB port. The signs that will say if the plugging went well are these: “Added!!” and a yellow ID:COM box.
  3. If the previous step went without issues, you should do the following: tap PDA, opt for a file with a CODE in its name, tap Phone, opt for a file with MODEM in the name, click on CSC, opt for that file which has CSC in the name, tap PIT and after that opt for a file that comes with .pit as its extension.
  4. The next stage of our guide has these instructions for you to follow: activate the boxes labelled Auto Reboot, Re-partition and F. Reset Time, tap “Start” and have patience while the XXLMI settles itself on your Galaxy W I8150 (a process which won’t take more than 5-10 minutes at the most).
  5. [sc name=”banner-jos”]If the flashing is completed, you should let your device reboot and, when its touchscreen comes with “Pass”, you will know that you have to do this: disconnect the smartphone from your laptop.

You can now begin your enjoyment of the new firmware. If you somehow don’t end up liking it, the old custom ROM is very easy to restore. Simply go to the NANDroid backup file and use it to have the update procedure revoked.

In case of issues with the upgrade, you can leave a comment in the section below!

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