How To Update Samsung Galaxy Ace CM9 Android 4.0.3 ICS Nightly Firmware

Our friends over at GalaxyICS Project just released the CyanogenMod 9 (CM9) Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) nightly build firmware for Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830. Considering millions of people own Galaxy Ace, many are waiting for the ICS firmware update of this device. We are lucky that someone took the burden of developing the CM9 ICS custom firmware. And just to explain what’s a nightly firmware is, it’s actually just like any other custom ROMs or firmware only that literally many developers write codes for it at night or after their daytime job. Nevertheless, it’s the same as the other and would function without any problems. One of the most common differences between the nightly build and the normal custom ROMs is that the developers may not be able to provide proper documentation of change logs of what have been done. For this case however, we are lucky as change log is provided.

According to the change log, CM9 ICS nightly build’s sources have been updated. So the firmware is now better and more stable than the previous ones. Problems in the Settings have also been addressed and you don’t need to reboot your phone every after you change the settings. Support for themes was also added and there were added custom icons on the lock screen now. Maclaw’s lib audio receive a generous update, too.

Pre-Requisites

Before you do anything on your Galaxy Ace, there are just a few things you need to do to ensure the safety of your data as well as the safety of your phone. These things might be basic for you but it wouldn’t hurt us to remind you that these are very important.
A. All your data should be backed up so that you can always restore them any time you want. Also, if things go bad during the update process, at least your data are safe.
B. Recharge your phone and make sure you have at least 60% of your battery. If you can fully recharge it, that would be better to make sure there will be no power-related disruptions while on the process.
C. Enable USB Debugging on your device since you will be connecting it to your computer. Go to Settings => Applications => Development => USB Debugging.
D. If possible, disable or turn off all your security suites and apps. Sometimes they will also cause disruptions especially that we are not dealing with the official ICS firmware.
E. If you are using any custom ROMs, then you need to wipe all of your phone’s data and clear cache from the recovery mode. Additionally, you also need clear the Dalvik cache.

Updating Galaxy Ace

Step 1: Download CM9 ICS Nightly Firmware here and save it to your computer in a directory you can easily remember or access. Please note that the link provide here points to the download page where other firmware are placed. So be sure to choose the one labeled as ‘Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830‘ to be able to continue the update process without problems.
Step 2: Now, connect your phone to your computer and copy the package to the root directory. Do not put it into sub-directories as you will not be able to access it during the update process. Once the package is copied, disconnect your phone from your computer and turn it off.
Step 3: Put your device into Recovery Mode by holding down both the Menu and Power On buttons together. If it fails to boot into Recovery Mode, you should try this step over again.
Step 4: If you are in Recovery Mode already, select “install zip from sd card” followed with “choose zip from sd card” and then browse through the root directory of your phone and locate the zip file you just copied.
Step 5: Let your phone do the updating. All you have to do is wait until you are brought to Recovery Mode screen where you need to select “++++ Go Back ++++” then “reboot system now.”
The reboot may take longer than the normal so you just have to wait and never interrupt the process. However, if Galaxy Ace refuses to start and show the Home Screen after 5 minutes, you have to take the battery out and re-insert it. This time it would boot normally, so check if it’s now using the nightly build CM9 ICS. If not, then do this tutorial again.