Firmware Update help

[bellamyepl]

I have had the UK version of the Galaxy S2 since it came out and have been using it on AT&T.. i have tried to update the firmware for months and it always says there is an update and it updates and installs successfully but then I check my firmware and its still on 2.3.3 the same one it came with.. Then i go into software update again and it shows that I have another update available.. So i go in and download and install it again and nothing changes.. Keeps saying I have an update available every time.. is there something else I have to do? Do I have to deal with kies or something? please help.. thank you

 

[bellamyepl]

alright.. I went home and did it over 3g and for some reason it actually updated to 2.3.4.. I guess about time.. only took months but whos complaining? lol..

 

[mredfern79]

alright.. I went home and did it over 3g and for some reason it actually updated to 2.3.4.. I guess about time.. only took months but whos complaining? lol..

Go to xda and find a thread by intratech in the Galaxy S2 forums, then original android development. I suggest trying the XWKK5 firmware it's by far the best I've tried for battery and smoothness.
Using odin will keep you stock without root if that's what you prefer and it wikll give you the best firmware Samsung have released to date.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[bellamyepl]

I want to root my phone but I have a mac and odin doesn't work with a mac and I know there is heimdall or something like that but from what I have read it's buggy and doesn't always work right and causes the phone to be laggy sometimes.. so I have been waiting.. have any other methods that you know of or have come across?

 

[mredfern79]

I want to root my phone but I have a mac and odin doesn't work with a mac and I know there is heimdall or something like that but from what I have read it's buggy and doesn't always work right and causes the phone to be laggy sometimes.. so I have been waiting.. have any other methods that you know of or have come across?

I've been using Odin through bootcamp on my mac. It's a pain having to reboot into Windows to use it but it works.
I've not used Heimdall so cannot comment really. From what I have read though the problem with Heimdall is generally windows related due to drivers. reports for Mac use seem to be stable and problem free. With regard to the laggy phone that wouldn't be caused by heimdall. A bad flash = phone not booting. LAggy phone = bad firmware. The trouble here is ot all firmware versions are good/better. It's the same with modems and kernels. XWKK5 is smooth as silk for me with XXKL1 modem.

There is a new rooting method, this is detailed on Intratech's thread over on XDA. It doesn't seem as straight forward as flashing a cf root kernel but should work if you don;t want to try heimdall.