Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II GT-I9100 Getting Android 4.0 ICS 3/10

It looks like it's Android Ice Cream Sandwich time for those who own the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II GT-I9100. Samsung announced, today, that the update will be available on Saturday, March 10 and also published update instructions.

This is a  good sign for those with a carrier branded model because it means that the core kernel is working on the base model.

Update 3/9/2012: Yesterday, we checked and found that the Samsung website was live with the update announcement you see at the left.  Now it appears the posters were wrong and are being corrected by the official Korean Samsung Twitter account that states when there is an official ICS release there will be an official Tweet.

The directions will most likely be the same.

You'll need the latest version of KIES and it is reccomended that you download the large upgrade file(60MB Kies 350MD FOTA) with a strong Wi-Fi connection.  You my also lose some of your data so be sure to back up before the update.

If  you have rooted or customized the firmware, your Samsung Galaxy S II GT-I9100 may cause unexpected problems during the update.

You also have to be sure you have enough storage on the Samsung Galaxy S II to hold the update, if not you'll have to delete some emails, photos or apps.

Some of your Android apps may not work after the update of the GT-I9100. Because of ICS OS features, Adobe Flash and Bluetooth 3.0 HS will not be supported  while Bluetooth 3.0 is supported still.

Samsung gave the caution: "To prevent unexpected data loss, please back-up your data thru Kies before upgrading."

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich adds some features such as Android Beam, Face Unlock, a new UI and improved camera (see all features and video).  It combines Android 3.2 Honeycomb features and updates other features.

Not everyone will get the update immeidately, it will be dependent upon carrier and country.

Americans should not get too excited, especially if you are an AT&T customer.   It took  almost a year for AT&T release the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the Samsung Captivate and most carriers add time to the update process for testing and skinning the operating system for their network and partners.

An update on a popular smartphone can clog networks significantly.

The Samsung Galaxy S II was the best-seller after the iPhone for AT&T and Sprint in the fall as well as the top seller at T-Mobile.