A few days back, I found my first Android phone in a drawer: an S2. I have great memories with it as it is my first Android phone; being an iOS user for years, I always wanted to test the latest Android version, Android 6 Marshmallow. So I have an Android phone now. The next thing was to get the latest operating system to test the Android Marshmallow. So, I installed it and wrote a guide on how to install Android 6 Marshmallow on S2.
The general opinion of people is that installing the latest operating system will decrease performance as it has new and more features. But this concept is wrong. In this case, the latest operating system, Android 6.0.1, is far better than Android 4.1.2, the official operating system of Samsung Galaxy S2. After installing Android 6.0.1 on my S2, I observed a significant performance boost, as Android Marshmallow is far better at optimizing apps, and its time/ space efficiency is far better than Android 4.1.2. In layman’s words, S2 works faster on Android 6 Marshmallow than Android 4.1Jelly Beanean.
Now, let’s move on to the guide; I will use CyanogenMod Custom ROM, AOSP of Android 6.0.1 in this guide. It will give the experience of almost stock Android 6.0.1. Now, let’s move on to how to install Android 6 Marshmallow on S2.
How to Install Android 6 Marshmallow on S2
In the following guide, I will cover every detail for beginners who don’t know how to Flash ROM. And they have no previous experience installing an operating system on any Android device. One thing that you need to take care of is to follow the guide below as it is. If items are not going as explained in the guide below, don’t try to explore new options that might brick your S2. But if you do precisely as briefed in the direction down, you have fewer chances of going wrong.
In the following guide, I will flash ClockWorkMOD Recovery using Odin. Then, make a backup of your current ROM. Then, flash CyanogenMod 13 Android AOSP on your phone, install Gapps, and factory reset your phone.
Pre-requisites:
- Download the CyanogenMod 13 Android 6 Marshmallow firmware file from here.
- Download Samsung Drivers for Windows. (The link to download the file is under the main heading). These drivers are to be installed on your PC; they are essential for your PC to recognize your device correctly.
- Download ODIN from the official ODIN site. Or you can download the ODIN I used from this link. (Go to the link and click on download through the browser.
- Download ClockWorkMod Recovery from here. Use the blue button to download the file.
- Download Gapps (Google Apps) from here. As this guide is for S2 and we are installing Android 6.0, select ARM and Android 6. Then, choose whichever seems suitable to you in the third column. I liked the nano version.
- Download the SuperSU Rooting Zip file.
Now let’s move on to the guide on how to install Android 6 Marshmallow on S2:
- First, download the Samsung drivers for your PC and install them on your PC.
- Now download and copy the CyanogenMod 13 Android 6 Marshmallow firmware file, Gapps, and SuperSu rooting zip file from your phone’s internal storage or SD card. Remember that some recoveries fail to flash from a USB stick / SD card.
- Download and install ODIN on your PC. The next step is to get a custom recovery menu to install a custom ROM. Use this guide on how to install custom recovery on S2 using ODIN. There are other methods from which you can install custom recovery on your phone. One is to install ROM MManager on your phone, select your phone model, and tap on Flash Custom Recovery. That’s it. You can use the guide above to see all the methods to flash custom recovery on your phone.
- Turn off your phone and go to Custom Recovery. Press the Volume up, Home and power buttons simultaneously until you boot into custom recovery. First, you will notice the Samsung logo flash several times and see a yellow sign under it. Don’t worry about it. Keep on holding the buttons till you see the custom recovery menu.
- In the recovery menu. You will have to flash the SuperSu file to root your phone. Using the volume buttons, go to Install from sdcard -> Choose zip from sdcard – > Now Select the CWM SuperSu.zip file. Let it flash. See the screenshot below.
Now, you have to flash CyanogenMod Android 6 Marshmallow on your phone. The steps are the same: Goto Install from Sdcard -> Choose zip from Sdcard -> Select CM 12.1.zip file. It will take some time to flash.- Now you have to install Gapps. The steps are the same as Goto: Install from SDcard -> Choose zip from SDcard -> Select Gapps.
- Now, just a few steps left. Go back to the recovery menu and select wipe data/factory reset.
- After that, select the option “Clear cache partition“.
- Go to Advanced -> Select Wipe Dalvik Cache in the recovery menu.
- Now, go back to the recovery menu and select reboot system. It will take some time to reboot for the first time.
After rebooting your phone, you will have Android 6 Marshmallow on S2.
If you have any queries or issues regarding the guide above, let me know in the comments. Also, please give us feedback regarding your experience with Android Marshmallow on your Samsung Galaxy S2. The CyanogenMod 13 version for S2 has few bugs so you can use it as a daily ROM. Still, if you have any problem with how to install Android 6 Marshmallow on S2, let me know. I will try my best to help you out.
