Nexus S by Samsung – Android 4.1 Update

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, has begun rolling out to Nexus S devices around the world, and we’re pleased to announce that it’s now available for Vodafone Australia customers as an over-the-air update (OTA).

Where to now?

Learn more

Click here to visit our Support Knowledgebase for full instructions on what’s included in this update and how to install it to your device.

Join the conversation

The Vodafone Community is a great place to get help from other customers and our Help & Support Team, or just share your favourite thing about the update.

Book in for a service

If you don’t feel comfortable installing the update yourself, our Service Centre can help. Find out how to book your device in for a service.

Give us a call

If you’d prefer to speak to us over the phone, our Technical Support Team is here to assist. View our contact details and current wait times.

Important note: Please read before commenting.

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While most comments have been inline with our user terms, we’ve noticed several nasty comments that our moderators have had to delete.

Please note that any comments breaching our user terms will be deleted and repeat offenders will be blocked, as this is an all ages blog.

Recent Comments

53 Responses to “ Nexus S by Samsung – Android 4.1 Update ”

Tristen says:

Will the OTA update on 3G count towards my data allowance??
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 2:42 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Tristen, the answer to your question and much more is outlined in the support article linked in the blog post.
  Reply
  Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 2:54 pm
  - Dufrense says:
    
    Why couldn’t you just answer the question?
    Reply
    Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Matt says:

Fantastic! working great. Thanks!
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Bob says:

Still no news on Galaxy Nexus update?
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Tom says:

Hi Kieran,

I know you can’t officially announce anything unless it is well….. official. However, is it ‘likely’ now that the Nexus S update has been released that the Galaxy Nexus update becomes the next priority for testing or is there something else holding it back?

Thanks again,
Tom
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:30 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Tom and Bob, at this stage we don’t even have the GALAXY Nexus update to even begin testing. As outlined in the Weekly Wrap, Samsung are still preparing the update for submission. The next news you’ll hear will be that we’ve received it, or that testing has begun. I’m afraid as the ball is currently in Samsung’s court I don’t have any indication of ETAs.
  
  It is however something I raise with them at our regular meetings, so rest assured we’re just as eager as you to get our hands on it.
  Reply
  Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:31 pm
  - Bob says:
    
    Thanks for the reply Kieran. But that’s disappointing. One would expect that should the rolling out of updates is staged, then the latest device (Galaxy Nexus in this case) should receive the update sooner than the older device (Nexus S in this case). I don’t know why Google and Samsung are treating the updates this way !!!
    The reason I ditched my HTC Desire HD and went for a Galaxy Nexus, was to receive the Android updates sooner than any other device, but obviously I was wrong !
    Reply
    Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:42 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Bob, I’d say even with the slight delay you’ll be receiving the Jelly Bean update for your GALAXY Nexus quite a significant amount of time sooner than other devices. Regarding the order in which they’re received, one could say that the other side of the coin would be that older devices have been on older software for the longest and therefore more deserving?
      Reply
      Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:48 pm
adam says:

still haven’t recieved the update!
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:39 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi adam, the nature of a roll out means that not everybody can update at the same time.
  Reply
  Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Ramin says:

Hi Kieran,

Thanks for the great news. But my Vodafone Nexus S is already running on 4.1.1 and the update was done while I was in abroad using the phone with non-Vodafone sim-card. Is this ROM different from what I’m currently running or I will also get OTA update.
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 3:51 pm
- Daelen says:
  
  My Nexus S also got the 4.1.1 update last weekend when I was checking if I had any credit left on my UK sim card.
  
  Will the Vodafone ROM overwrite the one that is currently installed? Either way I haven’t had any issues with the phone since the update.
  
  I am surprised how smooth the phone runs with JB considering it is only single core
  Reply
  Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 4:01 pm
- Robbie says:
  
  The SIM card has nothing to do with the ROM or update. It depends only on what carrier you bought the phone from.
  Reply
  Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 4:23 pm
  - mintSlice says:
    
    Kieran,
    
    Two questions come to mind
    
    1. How long before JB is rolled out to all the handsets?
    
    2. If I had issue with my handset and Samsung had to replace the mainboard, will this affect my getting the update.
    
    My wife has got her update, but I’m still waiting for mine and I’m very jealous.
    
    mintSlice
    Reply
    Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 7:20 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi mintSlice, the update generally takes about a week to be made available to all devices. A mainboard swap will not affect your update eligibility, as the IMEI is transferred from the old board to the replacement. Don’t worry, your turn will be soon enough!
      Reply
      Friday, August 10, 2012 at 9:36 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Ramin, I understand you will still receive an OTA to this latest build.
  Reply
  Friday, August 10, 2012 at 9:36 am
Michael B QLD says:

Running Jelly Bean / Android 4.1.1 on the Nexus S. Only Issue it breaks the Play Store. Have to Power cycle “Turn it off and on again” and will solve the Issue. Biggest Change is the Notifications drop down bar.
Reply
Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 7:55 pm
Sarah says:

Hi
My daughter has a Nexus S which currently uses android 2. Something…the phone keeps getting notifications to upgrade to 4.04 can she safely upgrade to that on the Vodafone network?
Reply
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 7:25 am
- Pete says:
  
  Yes, then once upgraded to 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), it should try to upgrade again to 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean).
  Reply
  Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8:37 am
  - mintSlice says:
    
    Oh my goodness. Sarah’s daughter is in for a very pleasant surprise indeed, moving from Gingerbread to Jelly Bean.
    Reply
    Friday, August 10, 2012 at 11:41 am
    - Sarah says:
      
      The problem we are having is that she has accepted the up-grade previously. She then had problems with the phone not holding charge and the technicians at Vodafone reloaded the version 2. something and told us not to accept the upgrade as the upgrade was unauthorized software for Vodafone. I find it very strange. This blog page from Vodafone suggests something different. Any thoughts Kieran?
      Reply
      Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 8:02 am
      - Kieran McIlwain says:
        
        Hi Sarah, the update has undergone significant testing and we believe that it should provide an enhanced experience over what she has now. The previous upgrade was fully authorised, as is this one so my apologies for the mixed messages your daughter received in the past.
        
        Monday, August 13, 2012 at 9:26 am
Terry says:

I got it by disabling the Google Service Framework and re-enable it. Cool, looks like Vodafone has fixed whatever was broken in the official OTA. Good job.
Reply
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 10:18 am
- Mark says:
  
  +1
  Worked for me too, but instead i cleared the data and checked for update. Although you will need to retry the technique couple of times.
  Reply
  Friday, August 10, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Nick F says:

Hi Kieran, I just did the update and noticed a couple of bugs. Both in the browser. The first being when selecting the bookmarks screen, the saved bookmarks flicker twice and then are good and secondly if you are in the bookmarks screen and press the back key to exit the browser reverts back to the homepage and not on the page I am currently on. Can you help?
Reply
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 8:50 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Nick, as the firmware is delivered direct from Google we don’t have any input into the software development. I’d recommend starting a discussion in the Vodafone Community where your peers or our Help & Support Team may be able to assist, or if you feel up to it, logging a bug directly into the Android Issues Tracker.
  Reply
  Monday, August 13, 2012 at 9:24 am
Philipp says:

Hi Kieran

I got the update yesterday and everthing was fine for one day. Suddenly today it stopped working. It will always go into that jelly bean boot animation you can see when you start the mobile.

http://androidheadlines.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jelly-bean-boot-animation-ready-to-be-flashed-for-all-phones_edolh_0-300×300.jpg

I switched it off and on again, same story. It will start and you can see the starting screen for a couple of seconds and then it goes back into boot animation. After a while the start screen appears again and straight back into boot animation. Basically I can’t use the phone at all anymore! Any ideas?
Reply
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Philipp says:

Hi Kieran

I found this article and apparently I am not the only one experiencing this rebooting problem.

http://geekfanatics.com/jelly-bean-compatibility-problem/
Reply
Friday, August 10, 2012 at 11:16 pm
- Philipp says:
  
  Here is a discussion about the issue seems to be pretty widespread! The mobile phone is basically unusable since it keeps rebooting. Would be great if you could look into that! Thanks
  
  http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/mobile/FaiptkgrbsM%5B1-25%5D
  Reply
  Friday, August 10, 2012 at 11:35 pm
  - Kieran McIlwain says:
    
    Hi Philipp, sounds like the upgrade hasn’t gone as smoothly as we would’ve hoped. I can see from the comments that a lot of people here are enjoying the benefits of Jelly Bean (myself included) so in order to get you back up and running again as soon as possible I’d recommend visiting your local store to have your phone sent for assessment and/or repair.
    Reply
    Monday, August 13, 2012 at 9:25 am
Rob says:

I still haven’t got it…is this normal?
Reply
Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:48 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Rob, sounds completely normal to me! The roll out can take up to a week to be delivered to all devices so you may not be among the lucky few to get it so early.
  Reply
  Monday, August 13, 2012 at 9:27 am
Jeremy says:

I’m on the $29 plan and I understand that the OTA does not count towards my data allowance. However after the phone downloaded the update via 3G whilst I was sleeping, my data went over the 200mb limit! Is this just a temporary mistake or do I need to ring Vodafone up when I receive my bill? Thanks
Reply
Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 2:01 pm
- Vodafone Australia says:
  
  Hi Jeremy,
  
  The OTA update definitely should not count towards your data allowance. Are you seeing the 200MBs on MyVodafone, or on your handset? Your handset will still record the data usage, as your phone has downloaded the data, but you won’t be charged.
  
  If you’re seeing charges for the download on MyVodafone, our Help and Support Team can assist. You’re able to join in the discussion in the Nexus S JellyBean update thread on our Community here: http://community.vodafone.com.au/t5/Android-Phones-and-Tablets/Has-anyone-got-Jelly-Bean-on-a-Nexus-S-yet/td-p/128040 and the Help and Support Team will be along to… help and support!
  
  Thanks,
  Kirsty.
  Reply
  Monday, August 13, 2012 at 8:59 am
  - Tristen says:
    
    I am having the same issue as Jeremy and the data has definately been charged to my account:
    
    09/08/2012 12:10:19 PKT Internet 28288Kb 00:00:00 All Day $6.28 $0.00
    09/08/2012 06:59:16 PKT Internet 103014Kb 00:00:00 All Day $22.86 $0.00
    
    So I am now almost officially over my 200MB limit and will be charged. I asked right at the start of this article if I would be charged, Keiren directed me to the fineprint without answering the question. I read in Black and White that it would not be charged to my Data Allowance.
    And what do you know … it has.
    
    Now I can’t even register to post in the forums because of some bug not allowing me to enter my birthdate because it says it is in the wrong format even though it is not.
    
    Can someone sort this out before I am forced to pay extra on my bill.
    
    Cheers
    Reply
    Monday, August 13, 2012 at 9:38 am
    - Vodafone Australia says:
      
      Hi Tristen,
      
      I can help sort this out with you. You definitely shouldn’t be charged for downloading the OTA update, so I’d like to take a closer look at your account and work out what’s happened.
      
      We can’t discuss your personal details here on our Blog, so I’d like you to email me through this info http://community.vodafone.com.au/t5/Welcome-guidelines-and-FAQ/Have-you-been-asked-to-email-us-Here-s-what-we-need-to-know/m-p/33355/highlight/true#M57 to online.help@vodafone.com.au using subject field 431BKJBE, and I’ll be able to assist further.
      
      Thanks!
      Kirsty.
      Reply
      Monday, August 13, 2012 at 12:12 pm
  - Jeremy says:
    
    Hi Kirsty, thanks for your reply. I realised I was over the data allowance when I called 1512 to check my credit so I’m definitely seeing the 200MBs on MyVodafone.
    I called the Help and Support Team but they informed me that the information provided on this blog is wrong and that the OTA does count towards my data allowance. However they were kind enough to waive it this time and warned me that 3G will be counted to any internet activities.
    Reply
    Monday, August 13, 2012 at 3:04 pm
    - Vodafone Australia says:
      
      Hi Jeremy,
      
      I’m glad we were able to help when you called. I’d like to take a closer look at your account to see what’s happened in your situation. As we’re not able to share you information here on our Blog, would you please email this information: http://community.vodafone.com.au/t5/Welcome-guidelines-and-FAQ/Have-you-been-asked-to-email-us-Here-s-what-we-need-to-know/m-p/33355/highlight/true#M57 to online.help@vodafone.com.au using 345BKJHI as the subject field?
      
      Thanks,
      Kirsty
      Reply
      Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 8:46 am
matt says:

when will the samsung Galaxy s3 get jelly bean?
Reply
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 5:22 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi matt, that’s a great question! Unfortunately Samsung haven’t confirmed their plans regarding Jelly Bean for existing devices. However, you’re in the right spot to find out once they do.
  Reply
  Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 8:52 am
Candice says:

I just downloaded this update and nothing on my phone is working. I can’t make calls or read messages. I can’t access any menus and my phone won’t even do a factory reboot. Not very happy Vodafone.
Reply
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 7:35 pm
- Vodafone Australia says:
  
  Hi Candice,
  
  This is definitely not the experience I’d like you to have after installing the update. A factory reset will normally fix the problem, however if you’re unable to do this, we need to look in to it for you.
  
  Our help and support team will be able to help you get everything working again, so please post on our Vodafone Community.
  
  Thanks,
  Sarah.
  Reply
  Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 8:35 am
James says:

Just for a bit of interest. There is a rumor going around that the galaxy s3 has a jelly bean update Coming around August 29th. This is just a rumor but you never know. That would mean that you galaxy s3 people out there might get some beans in about a month or so.
Reply
Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 3:33 am
Philipp says:

Hi Kieran

If I do a full factory reset (back Android 2.3), will I still be able to update to Jelly Bean again or do I have to do various incremental updates first? Willl I still get them OTA? Thanks
Reply
Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 4:27 am
kamal says:

I updated my phone to jelly bean 4.11. immediately after the update, phone rebooted, a small changes in the boot animation, looked pretty much same. As soon as i touched an icon to discover the Settings, phone rebooted, rebooted and rebooted again and again. did not stop at all untill i removed battery. my head was mucked up cuz i stuffed up my phone.

Idea clicked and worked as well.

Those who are facing similar problem. please follow on your discretion.

1. turn on the phone.

2. press Power and Vol Up button simultaneously.

Boot menu will apear showing a few options.

3. find the option called Erase/Factory Reset. Scroll up and down using vol keys

use Power button to execute the operation.

As i rebooted my phone, it worked like a charm.

P.S. It could be an application which is not supported by jelly bean. Once erased everything was fine.
Bad luck if you cant back up your data which is in the phone memory.
you SD storage will be un-affected.

Enjoy

Google Nexus S – Jelly Bean 4.11
Reply
Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Philipp says:

Hi kamal

If you do a factory reset don’t you go back to Android 2.3 which was initially on the phone?
Reply
Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Shinoy Jacob says:

My Nexus S is still stuck on ICS, but for different reasons. For some reason, my phone keeps “trolling” me: updating it halfway and pulling the plug (A red hazard sign.). Any ideas on why I’m getting this kind of error, cos I’m kinda worried.
Reply
Friday, August 17, 2012 at 5:13 pm
- Shinoy Jacob says:
  
  It looks like the problem lies in the cache folder: /cache/gR7DDnLp.zip. That’s what it’s telling me when I pull up the debug console.
  Reply
  Friday, August 17, 2012 at 6:40 pm
- Shinoy Jacob says:
  
  Formatting the cache and bringing the data back to factory reset is not working. I’m running out of options.
  Reply
  Friday, August 17, 2012 at 7:08 pm
- Shinoy Jacob says:
  
  Okay. Even a Vanilla system?! (With no apps, only stock Google) Still no update. Looks like it’s a trip to my Vodafone retailer soon.
  Reply
  Friday, August 17, 2012 at 7:24 pm
  - Shinoy Jacob says:
    
    I meant, update initialised, starting to install and stops abruptly with the Android on the Hazard sign (Red triangle.). So, yeah…
    Reply
    Friday, August 17, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Pete says:

Is there any info available as to what the differences are between the Nexus S Jelly Bean build JRO03L approved by Vodafone and the original unapproved build of JRO03E which was released internationally?
Reply
Friday, August 24, 2012 at 12:52 pm

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