When will the international Galaxy S4 Exynos variant receive the Android 4.3 update?— the question had been echoing at the back of our minds since the update rolled out for the LTE version of the device just a day ago. Well, we all knew that it was scheduled to arrive sometime in October and now it is finally here! The users of Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 can now feel the excitement of using the latest version of Android that was long awaited.
Samsung has finally started pushing the official Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update to our Galaxy S4. while the users of this device in Russia might feel flattered to get the new update before other regions of the world, those who have Galaxy S4 with model number GT-I9500 and are not from Russia can still enjoy the new firmware.
You can start checking for the update to arrive in your country by going to Settings> More> About Device> Software update> Update on your phone itself. If yo do not find any update notification, you don’t need to get disappointed because you can download the firmware file from the link below and install it manually using Odin.
New Features
The official Android 4.3 Jelly Bean firmware with build number I9500XXUEMJ5 for the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 is a major update that brings a lot of new features, improvements, graphics and performance related tweaks. Here are some of the new things that you’ll notice in your device after updating it:
- New Reading Mode in Display settings and Notification toggles
- Driving Mode now becomes Hands-free Mode
- Improvement in Camera performance and imaging
- TouchWiz launcher now has less lag and feels much faster
- Samsung Wallet
- New improved Keyboard
- Improvements in display color. The screen now looks more vivid and sharper.
- Samsung Browser is now fullscreen by default
- New firmware adds Galaxy Gear support
- OpenGL 3.0 Support
- ANT+ Support
- Various UI optimizations and tweaks to improve performance
I’ll be adding more new features to the list as they pop up.
Remember, though the available firmware is meant for the users of Galaxy S4 in Russia, it can also be installed on GT-I9500 in other countries. The only thing that you should keep in mind that your phone must not be locked to a network provider. The firmware contains English and most other major European and Asian languages. The firmware list will be updated as new ones are available.
How to Install
If you do not know how to install official firmwares on Samsung Devices, head over to this tutorial and follow the instruction given under this head “Install Galaxy S4 Firmware Using Odin”.
How to Root Galaxy S4 I9505 on Android 4.3:
To root your Samsung Galaxy S4, please use this rooting tutorial.
Good eve Sir Rakesh, am an avid reader of this tech blog, and I just wanna ask you a question. my friend gifted me an S4 but she told me its a Korean Clone, with the AnTuTu Benchmark screenshots attached herewith, can I install the 4.3 Update on my unit. so afraid to make it brick. Thanks in advance and more power. 🙂
I do not think your cloned S4 will take official Samsung update.
Sir, last question, is that impossible even if im running JDQ39.I9500XXUAMDL and my baseband version is UNIVERSAL5410
There is nothing impossible. I said so because I have never used or seen a clone device.
Try installing with Odin, at your own risk.
Any success Android??
Well, I am unable to figure out that it’ll help you in getting the official update. I am not quite sure (never used that trick as I don’t care about warranty) but I think that when you install Philz recovery after installing (unrooting) the stock firmware, you device still remains on a custom Kernel.
At the same time, Triangle Away does the same job so there are chances that it might work. After all, the trick is all about making the device think that it is on official status.
Ya. That make sense. Thank you very much for clarifying my doubts. Finally, do you think that Triangle Away will be available for GT-I9500, i read that there are some technical hurdles regarding boot logs etc
Good eve, an avid reader of the blog. Just wanna
Hi Rakesh,
My GT-I9500 is rooted, could you please help to install stock firmware with warranty. I came to know that Triangle Away is not compatible for my device. Do u know any method by which at lease we would receive next official upgrade (4.3) via Kies
Unfortunately, Triangle Away is currently the only app that can reset the flash counter. What is wrong in updating your phone manually?
hello sir i am from india can i update my galaxy s4 with Russia firmware? help me please
Yes, you can.
Thanku very much sir