Galaxy Note Tips & Tricks

Top 10 questions on ICS update for your Galaxy Note

By 328 Comments · ·

galaxy-note-ics-update-girl-with-phonesYes, ICS update is available for about one third Galaxy Note users. To get the most current    status on the availability of ICS update in different regions, you may check this post (I will update it once new info is available).

I received some inquiries on ICS update for Galaxy Note: some are through comment of the post mentioned above; others are through Google+.  For all these questions, I tried my best to answer them, and will continue to answer them.

I noticed there are some repeated questions, so I decided to put some frequently asked ones in this post to save reader’s time. It will not be just 10, as I will always update it if it is necessary.

Table of Contents hide
1) Question #1. Why did some users get the ICS update earlier than me?
2) Question #2. Why should I update to ICS?
3) Question #3. Will all my apps works after the update?
4) Question #4. Where is the Premium Suite? I cannot find it after the upgrade.
5) Question #5. How to get My Story app? It is supposed to be included in the Premium Suite.
6) Question #6. Are there battery issues with the ICS update? I heard some complaints on poorer battery life and performance after the update.
7) Question #7. Can I easily root my Galaxy Note after the ICS update?
8) Question #8. Does face unlock work well on this ICS update?
9) Question #9. Why did I get the update only from Kies, not through OTA?
10) Question #10. Will I get Jelly Bean (Android 5.0 4.1) update for my Galaxy Note?

Question #1. Why did some users get the ICS update earlier than me? 

Normally, firmware update must go through local testing. For regions with more users (and so Samsung collected more money there), the testing usually is faster. And Samsung also may put some sorts of priority for such regions.

The second reason is that the local carrier may want to bundle more bloatware (in addition to that bundled by Samsung). This may slightly delay the update availability. If your handset is subsidized, the carrier always tries very hard to give you more bloatware.

Another possible reason is marketing scheduling. For example, if Samsung is planning to launch Galaxy S3 in your region, usually it is not a good idea to release ICS update for Galaxy Note (another flagship product) just a few days before the launching event. In this case, the update will be normally scheduled after the event.

Question #2. Why should I update to ICS?

ICS update for your Galaxy Note is just a software update. Software generally is getting better and better: more stable, more functions, more compatible apps. Android 4.0 (ICS) is a major update merging software stacks for phone (Ginger Bread) and tablet (Android 3.0, Honeycomb). So, it is almost perfect for Galaxy Note, which is somewhere between phone and tablet.

Specifically, with ICS update for your Galaxy Note, you get

  • Latest Android OS optimized for the form factor of your phone
  • Premium Suite makes your Note really outstanding from other phones and tablets
  • Some cool features included in ICS: face unlock, new default font

Question #3. Will all my apps works after the update?

Theoretically, all of them should work. But some apps may actually not. So, it is a good idea to check the individual app page in the Google Play to find out whether it works on ICS  or not, or whether there are some known problems.

Normally, for apps under active development (e.g., updated at least once in last 6 months), the developer very likely has tweaked the app for ICS.

Question #4. Where is the Premium Suite? I cannot find it after the upgrade.

Premium Suite is a collection of new apps (S Note, My Story) and  enhancements to S Memo and S Pen.

After the ICS update, you can find a new app, S Note, among your apps. You can start to use it immediately.

In some regions, the My Story app must be installed manually from Samsung Apps. You can go to Samsung Apps (an app installed by default), then search “My Story”. You can then install it. When you try to open it the fist time, you need register your mobile number (an SMS with a 4-digit pin code will be sent to your mobile for verification, so make sure the country code you select is correct).

If you cannot find the app through Samsung Apps, you can also try to use Kies.

Question #5. How to get My Story app? It is supposed to be included in the Premium Suite.

See Question #4.

Question #6. Are there battery issues with the ICS update? I heard some complaints on poorer battery life and performance after the update.

Based on my personal experience, there are no noticeable difference in battery life after the ICS update. I actually had expected some improvements. For most users, it is sufficient for full day use, and you probably need charge it every night, just like me.

Actually, you may hear complaints on battery life for almost all smartphones regardless of the OS, firmware, model and the brand. Most of the time, the only solution is a replacement. I guess this is very likely hardware defects.

Of course, sometimes, some poor written apps may drain battery quite fast. But this can easily found out.

On the performance, most of the time, it is just user’s “feeling” or the slowness experienced may be just related to specific apps.

It seems after the ICS update, most apps are started automatically when you reboot your phone. So, you may try to use force stop for most of the apps or kill them with some task managers. This may make your Note more responsive. (If you can use force stop for an app, it means the app has been started. Some task managers may miss most of them, it is better to do it manually to save your battery life significantly.)

Anyway, I feel the battery life is as bad (but acceptable) as that before the update. Performance is as good as that before the update. No major improvements, and no degradation.

Update: yes, even before the update, some users already have battery issues. Please check the post How to solve battery issues after ICS update in your Galaxy Note.

Question #7. Can I easily root my Galaxy Note after the ICS update?

Please note, in most regions, rooting your Galaxy Note may void your warranty. And, no rooting method is perfect.

Yes, Samsung phones are always easy to root. After the ICS update, you can root it with CWM  (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1647148 ) or PC Odin (a bit more difficult if you never use Odin before, so I do not give your reference).

Anyway, unless you are very familiar with Android, you should not root your phone within warranty period (usually one year only) to avoid any possible issues. For most users, you don’t need root/superuser access.

Question #8. Does face unlock work well on this ICS update?

Yes, face unlock works very well on Galaxy Note. But please note, this is not a good option if security is your big concern. Password is still the safest unlock method, followed by pin code. Face unlock can be easily cheated by a photo as reported before.

Anyway, face unlock is very cool and fun.

Question #9. Why did I get the update only from Kies, not through OTA?

In most regions, the update can be obtained both through OTA and Kies. But it seems in some regions some users cannot get the update from the OTA.

The reason you cannot get the update through  OTA is mainly caused by your local vendor/carrier. Some carriers simply do not want to enable the OTA update. Another possible reason is the update server is overloaded. I also heard (unofficially) if your connection speed is regarded as too slow, you probably will not get the OTA update popup at all.

Anyway, Kies is more reliable, although sometimes is a bit slow. Familiarize yourself with Kies if you want to use Samsung phones effectively.

Question #10. Will I get Jelly Bean (Android 5.0 4.1) update for my Galaxy Note?

I contacted several Samsung offices with this question, and nobody could give any useful info. The common answer is it will be announced after Jelly Bean is officially available.

So, let me guess.

If there is no Galaxy Note 2 or some models to upgrade Galaxy Note, we will very likely get the  Jelly Bean maybe next year. The only problem is whether the 1GB RAM is sufficient or not for Android 5.0.  It seems 1GB is very likely the minimum requirement for Jelly Bean.

Updating Galaxy Note to Android 5.0 does make business sense. As the note was just release in Q4 last year, most users’ 2-year contract will only end by Q4 of 2013.The lifespan of ICS is not so long.

However, if there are something like Galaxy Note 2, then, we will definitely NOT get the official Jelly Bean update because Samsung then wants to sell more of  the new model. Just like the fate of Galaxy S. Very likely, Samsung will give you some consolations like new premium packages.

I guess Samsung was not very confident about the popularity of Galaxy Note even after the  initial release. So, they probably did not have a  plan for Galaxy Note 2.  But as the sales of Galaxy Note become far better than expected, it is very likely they started to think about a new Galaxy Note (not the Galaxy Note 10.1, which is targeted for different users.)

Anyway, there will be at least some unofficial Jelly Beans for Galaxy Note.

Do you have any other questions on Galaxy Note? Post them in comments (it won’t show up immediately, but I will receive it immediately and try to answer it ASAP).

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jerry burpo says

    Why does the equalizer on my note 2 and tab 2 not work any more Have installed ten or so different apps, none if which work. Notes stopped after recent ota update.

    Reply

  3. Andrea Nicole Caicedo says

    Hi there I have the galaxy note 1 and I was wondering why overtime I text somebody the number appears on my dial pad like if I got a call from that person or I called him. I don’t get it it’s like is linked but I didn’t do anything. And it bothers me. Thanks

    Reply

  4. jllybn says

    i took a video and pictures using my note,
    it was saved in phone memory,
    apparently, the video i took, was corrupted “unable to play video”
    and also the pictures i took, displays only a black frame with a broken icon in the middle.
    any chance you know this issue?

    Reply

  5. Carmen says

    I am currently located in Canada, however, I got my Galaxy Note 1 in Hong Kong as a gift.

    Wondering is the Note able to upgrade up ICS, currently my phone has the old android version of 2.3.6.

    Please let me know can I upgrade through Kies?

    Actually I have tried to upgrade, but once I reached to the _”tFirmware upgrade progress” the screen freezes.

    Thanks for your help.

    Reply

  6. jllybn says

    My device info is:
    N7000
    Android 4.0.4
    baseband version is: N7000XXLRB
    CSC: AUT

    and im about to flash this with the new leaked 4.1.2 for N7000 found in this site (http://www.sammobile.com/2012/11/28/n7000xxlsa-%E2%80%93-galaxy-note-android-4-1-2-jelly-bean-test-firmware/)

    is my Baseband compatible with this new official leaked update
    Firmware Details:
    Android Version: 4.1.2 – JZO54K (Jelly Bean)
    PDA: N7000XXLSA
    CSC: N7000OXALSA
    MODEM: N7000XXLSA
    Changelist: 549786
    Build Date: 20th November 2012
    Region: Europe
    Country: Germany

    Reply

  7. jllybn says

    I have quick question, i turned off the animation and transition scale under developer options, works pretty fine BUT i noticed in my messaging app, it still has the transition effect and i cant turn it off, it was not like that before cant relly figure out how i got this and how to turn this off.. pretty annoying seeing the transition when im about to type my messages. :/

    Reply

  8. heian says

    do you really think note wouldnt be able to handle android 5.0. due to short ram? if so, is there no solution?

    also having bought note in march 2012,when would you say i am due for a new phone? (not based on new phones,they just keep on coming, but wrt my note’s expiry)

    just for gk: does samsung upgrade note to note II for under $100?

    please mail me reply if possible.

    Reply

  9. heian says

    is the 4.1 android available for note?
    you wrote that if note II came out note users wont get updates, well it is out now. so will note not get full android updates now?
    in that case is it possible to update some other, like rooting?

    Reply

  12. Pilla says

    Hi there, I want to downgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.6 by myself. When I bought the phone, it had German Version. Now I have U.S. Android 4.0.4. I have no time to go the store and I can’t wait for weeks. I need the German Android version back, though I live in the U.S. Could you please give me the detailed information on how to do it by myself? I want to know the original parameters (PDA/Phone/CSC) for German version. Please let me know how to do it. Thanks for your help.

    Reply

  13. Pilla says

    Hi there, I am a U.S. user, bought Galaxy Note (International Version GT N-7000, Unlocked) via Amazon.com about a year ago. Updated to Android 4.0.4 on Oct 12, 2012 via Kies. After the ICS update, I found Poor video quality, no copy and paste functions, poor brightness. I want to revert to the original Gingerbread. I will buy Galaxy Note 2 sooner or later. So I want to use Gingerbread on my Note. Please help. Thank you.

    Reply

  14. Pikul says

    Thanks for the answer. Have one more question…do you have any idea about LINE application? Till now,it causes the note to have problem in battery drain and heat because of some bug against ICS. I don’t know if it will be okay for Jelly bean…then I can wait ^^

    Reply

  15. Pikul says

    Hi! my note came with ICS 4.0.4 and just found that Line was my big problem. With updated line to version 3.5.x, I won’t be able to charge my note..then I removed line app. and reinstalled version 2.5.1 apk…everything went fine for me. Now, got one more problem, after I use my note to watch video or even surf the internet for only 30 mins. My note becomes hot at the back ( near the camera ), the temperature is about 48 c. Is it normal for all notes?

    Reply

  16. Krishna Prasad r says

    Hi, I am from India. Just now I updated my Galaxy Note to ICS using the default update option available in the phone. But after the download & installation the phone is not at all getting switched-on. What should I do!? There has never been a problem in my phone till now & I was happy with it overall. My friend suggested to upgrade the OS & now the phone just come till the screen where it says “samsung” & gets stuck there forever. Kindly help!!!!!

    Reply

  18. wael says

    I’m trying to update my note but I can not its giveing me a message registration failed please tell me what I have to do

    Reply

  19. jllybn says

    i have a quick question:

    months ago i updated my ICS 4.0.3 to ICS 4.0.4, im using galaxy note 1,
    but unfortunately the POP-UP Play feature for the default video player isnt working and that there is no pop up play button in my video player, my CSC is AUT.. My friends n7000 has this feature and im the only one who doesnt have it. Any same cases bout this and any solutions??

    details:
    baseband n7000XXLRB
    kernel 3.0.15-N7000XXLRI-CL811902
    build IMM76D.XXLRI

    Reply

  20. Jan says

    I have update my GNote to ICS 4.04 thorugh Kies, everything works well but unfortunately when i put shortcut to my homescreen menu for the application stored in my sdcard, after it reboot the shortcutit will miss out. But for the shorcut stored in phone will remain. Can u advise me? Before i update everythings work well.. Help me thank you

    Reply

  21. Chaitanya Mella says

    How does the Quick access to camera work. I tried tapping the screen and rotating it (on the Home Screen) but that just opens the menu (for creating folder and apps and widgets). Running ICS 4.0.4. The tutorial in the note’s help section doesn’t “help”…

    Reply

  22. gaurav says

    Is there any application. To send free mms on any mobile in india for android!….
    (2) my inbuilt video player not working on my galaxy note when I strt video player. It automatically off….? Any solution????

    Reply

  23. gaurav says

    Samsung started update of jellybean on galaxy s2 and other device oz it true!!
    Yes den wen will I get jellybean on my galaxy note??
    & sometime in my gallery and music all files are copied and shows doubled 1is d corrupt. File nothing on it so I should delete all by selecting them……it’s irritating me……….
    Why should it happen???any solution!!!

    Reply

  24. gaurav says

    I m using galaxy note n7000. …..my prblm iz When i m using s note and take image 4 edit the error shows dat “document restored after application closed” tell me how 2 overcome dis???…..reply me fast
    (2)
    …by mistake i deleted my some photo how can i get them back???…plz reply quick
    …..i m waiting

    Reply

  25. abhishek says

    I have updated my note 7000 to the updates available under SETTINGS>ABOUT PHONE>UPDATES.

    After the successful completion of the same, and my note upgraded and showed the new android version 4.0.1

    But, from then ownwards, my note started getting the hang up problem. And, now after 3 days. The note is hanging in every 5 seconds. saying “Unfortunately, Exchange Service has stopped”.

    Please provide me a solution.

    Reply

  26. S.A. Khader says

    “the tutorials for quick camera access and direct call don’t work.”– these aren’t working on my friend’s phone too, may be firmware bugs…

    Ya, i will try the factory reset later. have many apps installed, don’t wanna loose my settings and data. Back up generally doesn’t work for me.

    Reply

  27. S.A. Khader says

    Do you think i will get the upgrade pop up when i connect my phone to the PC? I’ll give it try later in the morning when i go back home.

    Anyway of reinstalling the same upgrade without having to visit service center?

    Reply

  28. S.A. Khader says

    I updated my phone to ICS(OTA) 4.0.3, then I received an 8MB(OTA) stability update. My phone was having many issues. I went to service center and they informed me that OTA is not recommended. They updated my phone with some other update(official). My phone was still have issues(Battery draining in 8 hours even without using it at all, freezing and slow response).

    Later when i updated to 4.0.4(via Kies) all was well.

    Now i got the s3/note 2 features update around 83MB. It didn’t show up in Kies when connected to PC. Having no choice, i updated OTA. Again, i think i have battery issues and shutter issues.

    So, my conclusion is OTA is REALLY NOT GOOD for updates.

    Your thoughts!!??

    –Khader

    Reply

  29. Temo says

    I have samsung note gt n7000 and I have update to4.0.4 was easy for my phone but as for my wife’s phone it is impossible. Please advise what to do. Thank you in advance

    Reply

  30. Small Talk says

    Thanks to this website as it helped me to have a smooth upgrade path. Kudos to “Galaxy Notes” and others to patiently answer all questions. Hoeever I faced few problem in the way not mentioned in this forum but at the end everything worked out well. Model GT-7000. I had to download two packages one around 327 MB and other around 100MB. For first package , after the download was completed , installation did not start. I had to click on “Software Upgrade” few times after removing battery for a minute etc (not sure if this had any impact) when finally phone said that download is already there and started installing. For second package at about 75% installation the android showing the upgrade process with some lattice structure rotating in front of its belly, the lattice suddenly started rotating very fast and the progress of installtion slowed down. The area just under the camera got hot (as this continued for over 15 minutes) and I was thinking of a due trip to Samsung center (I guess the CPUs must be located in this area). However it fianlly got installed. I will see how battery behaves for today in case I need to resort to battery remove and recharge overnite solution.

    Reply

  31. Kapil says

    Hi, I’m running Android 4.0 and wish to update to 4.4 but have some games like asphalt and nova 3 that i bought from Google play that are together arnd 4gb. if i update my software will i have to re-install my games and applications. Is there a way, I can save myself the trouble. I’m based in India and both 3g plans and wifi are not at their best when it comes to the per month download limits.
    (My phone is not rooted).

    P.s. This is a super site, very simple explanation to all the questions above. Thanxs for the brilliant work, keep it up)

    Regards,
    Kapil.

    Reply

  32. wendy says

    hi, my phone model is GALAXY NOTE GT-N7000, and i just update my phone to N7000DXLRI android 4.04.. i want to know is that the only version i can get? and i realized that my note more hang when i open certain app and camera capture …. any idea to soft my problem?

    Reply

  33. avinesh rathore says

    i have not any firmware in my phone, so how can i update 2.1 ECLAIR TO 2.2 FROYO my samsung galaxy s vibrant SGH-T959, BASEBAND VERSION T959UVJFD….
    PLZ TELL ME HOW CAN I DO UPDATE IN 2.2 FROYO

    Reply

  34. Karan Mehta says

    Hi, post an upgrade to 4.0.4, my Play Store is not working. Due to this, the phone hangs up and post the forceful closure, the phone works terribly slow for a while. This issue is also prominent when immediately post reboot. Please assist.

    Also, wanted to know how to downgrade an Android OS, for example, from ICS to GB?

    Reply

  35. King John Kunta says

    Thank you for all the replies you post. Sometimes just reading through the comments helps solve a lot of issues to many Galaxy Note users.
    I am pleased to say that I upgraded my Note to Ice-cream 4.0.4. I am in SA and this is what I have experienced. I have seen a lot of people complaining about the battery and I was keen to see for myself. After upgrading I got all my applications back and battery was draining faster than before, so I did a factory reset to remove all applications in case they were not compatible with ice-cream. Re-installed the applications and monitored it for some days, yes the battery was draining faster than before. I then decided to read your forum again to see the replies and problems others are facing, I tried what was recommended on the forum, that is, to remove the battery for a minute, then recharged the battery overnight until it was 100% full. The battery percentage indicator is misleading, its better to disable it. The battery drain has improved a lot. Ice-cream is really better than Gingerbread ……there is smooth transition between screens, the S-Pen response is amazing, restarting the device is faster. I love the Galaxy Note and having a SUPPORT FORUM like this has made my life easier. Thank you. You have saved Samsung a lot of customers.

    Reply

  36. mike says

    Hey ya there !FIRSTLY I WANT TO TELL : WOOW i am so happy with this website !THIS IS AWESOME !ive read all the comments in 2 hours lol.learn 2 very good tricks ! now after staying with galaxy s for years , i bought the note.this phone came from God !i didnt use it yet but im very confused if i should or not put the ics update.there is a forum some where where lots and lots of ppl complaining(http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/06/14/samsung-galaxy-note-review-one-week-later/).of course many ppl have no idea about androids and they can face the same problems with the same old ginger bread software,; but there are to many of them complaining .as about my galaxy i used , i rooted , delete everything and put go launcher aplications and is awesome. i live in uk(sorry for my lang is not perfect) and i still dont know what to do .also i want to ask about that magnetic case protection is okay to use it?i wont use any gps on the phone or navigation.Thank you very much ! again very very good website and topic.Blessings !

    Reply

  37. nikhil says

    hi,

    i m using note and in that i was using perviously soft ware gb it was working 5n after installing ics 4.0.3 my phone getting stuckd i tried switching off phone no off tyms it shows same hope you i can upload jb 4.1 that time only it ll sort my prob??? can you suggest me any alternative till than

    Reply

  38. Kirtan Shah says

    Hi…i have updated by n7000 via ota. Even with the 4.0.4 upgrade, im unable to find S Note app? how do i get it??

    Reply

  39. Note User 08 says

    After an auto update to 4.0.4, the usbStorage has disappeared. This is the internal USB storage with 10.84GB and I can no longer access any of the files that were stored in it. I can see the usbStorage folder when I plug the phone into my PC and browse through it as a portable device, but there are no files inside the folder anymore. The phone has been restarted and shut down many times and the only option I have in Setting-Storage is Format USB storage. It says i have 284mb in pictures and vids, 326mb in audio, 736kb in downloads, 1.12gb in misc and 480kb available. What happened to the other 9.1gb of my files? Any solutions besides formating the USB storage or doing a factory reset? I googled this problem and there are tons of others having the exact same problem after the update with no solution. Thanks.

    Reply

  40. annoyed says

    hi. following the firmware update, when i have the music player going, and i turn the phone face down, the music stops. how can i disable this function?

    Reply

  41. Petersam says

    After my ICS update, I had to downgrade back to gingerbread because of battery issues. Won’t be upgrading again until this issue is fixed

    Reply

  42. ruby says

    i bought a galaxy note which already have ics a month ago. after 1 week using it, i noticed some area in the screen doesnt respond to s-pen (when i used s memo to draw), but it respond well with finger. i send this gnote to the center, and after get it back, i only enjoy it for a few minutes before it become unresponsive again (same like before). i already send it to the center twice, and the same happen after get it back. i asked the person there,’ what they did to my phone?’ and they told me that they only formatted my gnote. they also told me that the problem is only with the software, not with the pen and screen. do u have any idea what to do? im tired to send it to the center again, cause it takes me 2 weeks to get the phone back and the problem doesnt resolve at all. help me please!!

    Reply

  43. King John Kunta says

    am in SA, is ICS now available, normally kies gives some code, PDA:LRI/PHONE:LRB/CSC:LR3 (XFM). I have wasted a lot of data trying to update my phone, after downloading through kies, my phone is not updated, the connection to my phone times out. So where can I find Samsung dealer that can upgrade it for me, its still under warranty. Is it a free service. Thank you.

    Reply

  44. Deepak says

    Hi I am from India.I too have a galaxy note since 2 months.Recently before 2 weeks i dropped it down :(.Since then the lock button was not working and mobile’s display shakes sometimes with colors and lines and freezes.I took it to the service centre,told them about both problems and now the lock button issue is cleared but the display issue is still there.What shall i do now?

    Reply

  45. Pradeep says

    Hi I am Pradeep from India using Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 with a leather pouch which covers whole mobile having two small magnets to lock. This magnets will come in contact to front side at top left & right corner of my note that is close to front camera.There will be a magnetic effect which will come in contact to my phone by evenafter pouch having a layer of leather moulded with some iron material in between magnet & mobile. Will this magnetic effect cause any damage to my mobile ?

    Reply

  46. jllybn says

    I heard there is another update on august 8 for n7000 users, update for android 4.0.3 to 4.0.4, what exactly is the changes on this update?

    anyway, i was using viber the other day and decided to switch to speaker mode, placed my n7000 on a dock and tried to cover the proximity sensor so the screen wont display anything, im in my room with lights out then noticeably there are black spots on my screen, dont know if this normal, or its just the way it is. 😐

    Reply

  47. Kishore says

    I’m from UAE, 3 days ago i updated my Galaxy Note to ICS 4.0.3.
    Since i updated, many applications not working properly (automatically closing, no sound when talking in voip), ex: MobileVoip, Skype.. etc.. These applications were working properly in Gingerbread 2.3.6.
    Now i want to downgrade my mobile to GB 2.3.6.. Could you please help me.

    Reply

  48. King John Kunta says

    I am in SA, I used kies to try and update my phone, the phone was connected as shown kies top right corner, with the usb cable connected to the phone and download in progress the usb connection was lost (as shown on the top right corner in kies) but the download continued until 590MB and the progress bar was on 70%, the download was complete but the phone could not be updated. Later kies prompted that ‘the connection timed out’. I think it was referring to the connection to the phone. What cuold be the problem.

    Reply

  49. swaminath ak says

    ..jus updated my galaxy note to icecream n m very much happy but whn i tried to send some image using wii fi direct to my galaxy tab plus (android 3.2) it ways fail n keep on searching n device is undetected…. But vice versa works i.e. file from my galaxy tab plus
    Can b send succesfully 2 my galaxy note ice cream using wi fi direct. Da same case sometime happens whn i use bluetooth. My frens wit galaxy note ice cream r also facin da same problem. Guess somethg is wrong wit da ice cream update.plzzzz help..

    Reply

  51. Sami says

    it’s the hateful update that i seen in my life,i want to upgrade it to old version gingerbread,,please when you’re not sure about the update don’t take our time,we’re not free to search everywhere for this errors and problems,,damn

    Reply

  53. Juhan Kari says

    Okay – I called to samsung customer care and local vendors customer care – they both suggessted for me to do a factory reset – did it and it had no effect.

    Reply

  54. XITIJ says

    After updating to ICS on Galaxy Note my phone started giving slow response. And the major issue I found is with my Email App/Widget. in Gingerbeard I was having a full screen Email Widget with 5 pages whereas in ICS it is only showing 5 entries on the screen and only 15 entries while using app. Even the search is difficult and after entering search criteria it returns back to Inbox without searching mails most of the time.

    By any chance can anyone help with above issues.

    Reply

  55. Jen Tan says

    I need help…my Samsung Galaxy Note was installing the firmware but suddenly, the battery has died and now, for almost 24 hours already, it is still on the installation process…what to do?

    Thanks for the help!

    Reply

  56. Sharonho says

    I am still unable to download attachments (pictures or anything) after updating to ICS. I also cannot forward emails with attachments they say in outbox. I saw postings on this in early June but none lately. I am in the US and use gmail.

    Reply

  57. Knut Nyhagen says

    July 26 we received update invitation from Samsunf for our Note’s. Great, and all worked well.
    But I had a wallpaper that I thought was from Accuweather – as this came with the phone. Anyway it was integrated with accuweather as when it was rain, the rain was on the screen (wallpaper), sun, sun on the screen, etc… and it had some marvelous waves towards the beach at the bottom of the screen. After the last update, it’s gone. According to Accuweather who replyed quickly, it is not their app. So it must be Samsung. But where is it possible to recover it? I loved my wallpaper!!! 🙁
    Does anyone know?

    Reply

  59. saryph says

    iam using samsung galaxy note in maldives
    I have being used it for nearly 6 months
    But still iam not able to receive update on my mobile
    Phone information
    Base band version N7000XXLA4
    Model no GT-N7000
    Android versoin 2.3.6
    Build no Gingerbread.XXLA6
    Pls help me to update my phone

    Reply

  60. Peter says

    Sorry but the nexus s has only 512mb of ram yet it is compatible with jellybean so 4.1 is not a minimum of 1 gig of ram.

    Reply

  61. ssmith says

    Issue with email client since update to ICS on note, with ATT.
    The “Starred” folder in the email client no longer appears. only combined , and the email accounts i have.
    On GB, the starred worked for gmail account, and flagging worked for exchange account.
    Any ideas?

    Reply

  62. Subhrajyoti says

    Hi,

    I bought my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 weeks back. Once, I switched on to my WIFI home network, I received a firmware upgrade notification (approx 30 MB) over FOTA. I downloaded it and the system installed it. I was not comfortable going directly with the ICS upgrade, so delayed the update to some time later. I have now noticed that the response of my phone is slow and it lags once in a day. I have to restart the phone to get it corrected. I wanted to know, whether not upgarding the total firmware has caused this issue or I need to look into my phone’s application memory usage. Also, please throw some light on why the alarm (My events) in S planner is not giving notifications unless I check it myself.

    PS : I am currently using GB on my phone and planning for a ICS upgrade, however reviewing the comments in forums, I am now giving it a double thought.

    Thanks

    Reply

  63. Abdulrahman Hussein says

    Dear Sir,
    I have 3 GALAXY NOTE and I upgrade it to ICS 4.0.3 but I face a lot of problems with it ‘freeze and most of the time the application force close & when I plug it in the car dock also freeze in the drive mode & the Bluetooth is not stable’.
    I don’t know why it’s coming like that and by the way the upgrade I did it in the Samsung Service Center under the warranty
    Please tell me what is the problem is it normal? Is there another ICS update to fix this? Is this happened to other customers or only me? And is there any solution for that.

    Reply

  64. Willy says

    { Samsung clarified its rollout plans in an email to The Verge, stating it will “soon announce which additional devices are eligible for the Jelly Bean update.” Samsung hinted that both the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note are in line for the upgrade.}
    The above was published recently. With a little luck, we will have JB update to Galaxy Note.

    Reply

      • Pradeep says

        Hi Thanks for giving such great guidance & knowledge.
        I am Pradeep from India using Samsung galaxy Note N700o with ICS 4.0.3 updated via kies
        Today when I checked software update in my phone by turning on wifi it showed me a new update android 4.0.4 is available & I tried to update but at middle of update due to some reason I got canceled while downloading the update but again when I checked it showed no update . !!!!! so I checked via kies it show me new update available .
        I have few doubt
        1. why it is not available in phone eventhough having a high speen wifi connection ?
        2.Which kind of Software update is best kies or OTA or manual & what difference will this make? what is baseband ?
        3. What is flash count, how & why they get count increased , is there any way to reset flash count ?
        4. Should we have to recalibrate the battery if we update software when the charge is not full may be 80% or 20%. If so how to recalibrate battery.
        5.why some times without reason My phone gets heated near camera & my charge gets drained like anything. ( not frequently but some time like once in a month )
        6. I feel my camera is not as much as clarity like my friends galaxy note.I tried reseting camera settings. we both are using default camera apps, my phone is missing the sharpness in camera pictures. Is there any way to increase camera clarity by changing settings.
        7.My spen button colour is different from my friends note?
        8. The most important is I heared that few make/assembly handset,battery of samsung galaxy note n7000 have defects is it true if so how to identify pls guide me.
        I know I had launched many questions at a single post but I own note from december 2011 but I feel you are & this is the best form to clarify my doubts.
        This will help many friends using SGN.
        Thanks a lot in advance.

        Reply

        • Galaxy Note says

          1. it is probably due to caching. Anyway, Kies is more reliable.
          2. Kies is more reliable. Updating through Kies is called side loading, i.e., the update is first downloaded into your PC, then transfer (upload) to your phone. OTA is that you get the update directly. OTA is supposed to be safer and has less trouble. But in the reality, if your connection to OTA server is not good, you may have more troubles. Normally for large update, you use Kies; for minor update, OTA is sufficient.

          Eventually, the update will be identical.

          3. When you flash your phone with unofficial ROMs, some Android systems, e.g., Samsung’s galaxy series, will mark it. Usually, there are no way to reset it as the counter can only increase (through proprietary implementations). Of course, Samsung service center has ways to reset it. If you are using stock/official ROM, you should not worry about it.

          4. No. Seldom you need re-calibrate the battery. Li ion battery does not have memory, and you just need fully charge your battery at least once in a month, and drain your battery up to 5% at least once each month.

          5. Some background processes are using CPU.

          6. Did you choose correct shooting mode and scene mode? Also, you need clean the lens cover if it gets dirty (with LCD cleaner spray).

          7. Not sure. Usually if the Pen is dark (e.g., black), the button is light (e.g. grey). Anyway, it should not be an issue as long as it works.

          8. No, I don’t know this. Although Samsung’s manufacturing quality is not so good, but there should be no such issues. A recall will have been announced if there had been such issues.

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          Reply

          • Pradeep says

            Thanks a lot for giving these valuable informations dude.
            6. In both the mobiles I tried same shooting mode and also I cleaned my mobile & lens cover before this trail. But no use I find difference in clarity ( My friends note has better in sharpness than my note) 🙁

  65. Willy says

    As per Samsung recent declaration about which phones or tablets will receive JB, they left the door open for a s3 and gnote update. They said they will inform later but indicated that s3 and gnote are their most successful phones. It looks that only s2 will not receive JB due to harware restrictions.

    Reply

  66. Willy says

    This is very funny. Only 10% of phones had been updated to ICS. Why bother with ICS? My new question to Samsung is when my galaxy note will be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean?.Still no answer from Samsung. 67% of android phones are still usin GB 2.3.6 like my phone. This is laughable.

    Reply

  67. Willy says

    Sorry my baseband is GT-N7000XXLA4, and Gizmodo Australia reported that Samsung Australia promised the update by June. So far I have no news about it.

    Reply

  68. Willy says

    I bought my Galaxy Note GT-N7000 international which has already been updated in different countries but Australia. My baseband is GT-N7000XXL4. The other Galaxy Note GT-N7000B is only for Vodafone customers. That is why I am surprise Samsung Australia has not informed customer when they will update GT-N7000 international unlocked version in Australia. I bought my phone in Sydney Allphones store.

    Reply

  69. Willy says

    Does anybody know if Samsung will release ICS for an unlocked Galaxy Note GT-N700 in Australia?..this is unbelievable!!..we are already in July and there are no news about it.

    Reply

  70. flee says

    Hi i have a samsung galaxy s3. Recently, I edited one of the picture templates in the S Memo and accidentally saved it. Is there any way for me to get back the default image? Hope you all could help me out here. Thanks.

    Reply

  71. Emmanuel I. says

    Hello, I live in Nigeria and I use the Galaxy Note GT-N7000. I have the Kies installed on my Laptop. I don’t see any Premium suite update and I’m beginning to wonder if the update will ever come to Nigeria.
    would be glad if I can get reassuring information.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  72. Tweed says

    Thanks for the article. Since the update, S Memo appears to have lost an important feature. The ability to re-edit imported images. For example, if I take a screenshot of a webpage and import into an S Memo, it no longer allows me to see the URL. Is it hidden somewhere, or just plain gone? Thank you in advance.

    Reply

  74. idg says

    I up dated yesterday to ICS via wifi. Since then, lots of apps crashes, the native email doesn’t work and the device is really sluggish. How I come back to GB?

    Reply

  75. Henri Parianos says

    Hi,

    I’m from Belgium and did also the upgrade to Ics.

    I have 2 problems.

    First the Battery drain. (Within the night sleep) almost 80% drop, very strange no wify nothin but os almost 80 busy. I follow the tips above mention perhaps is this already solved but secondly and for me inportant is the fact that with the priviews version you had the Widget buddys this is now I think contact but by heading on the phone you cannot dial the standard number on the phoen. Is this a know issues ?, if no is it possible to check this out and see what can be done on this mater.

    Reply

  76. jss says

    after my update the ram is stuck ast 650 mb after pressing clear ram too does not get down and i have seen galaxy nexus ics ui i expected note will have the same but it looks alike gb 2.3.6 why is my phones ram stuck or should i flash a custom ics rom

    Reply

  77. jnosl says

    Here are my questions:

    1.) When will the ICS update be available for Galaxy Note (AUT) version. I am not detecting any ICS update on either phone or Kies.

    2.) If i will change my CSC (which is AUT) to other country that had already been rolled out with ICS update, will i get update through the phone or kies? Are there any negative results if I change my CSC?

    Reply

  78. Lord Vader says

    How to do a samsung note factory reset after ICS update

    cos after ICS update it doesnt show option
    if we want to clean just phone or 16gb card also

    Cos I want to sell my Phone & want to Full Clean & sell
    is there any option to do that ?

    Please

    Reply

  79. MokkaNote says

    it would be great if you can start a thread about great apps and useful tips of note etc etc so we can use our note to the fullest.
    thanks

    Reply

  80. manasa says

    Hey… My note is stuck at the Samsung logo screen at the start up. I updated to ICS about a few weeks back. Today, the phone downloaded and updated the firmware automatically. The update was installed and then the phone rebooted but has not moved beyond the Samsung logo screen. I tried turning off the phone and back on. Doesn’t help.

    Reply

  81. ulf says

    I updated my sgn w leaked ICS ROM, will I automatically get future updates via ota or Kies? If not, how do I get back to official ROM? Love the ICS, it was worth it…

    Reply

  82. Munaff says

    Hey i’m from India and got the update notification about a month back. Tried installing through phone but after download it restarts the phone and then says “Failed to update”.

    Then i tried KIES….it shows ICE CREAM SANDWICH update available and all…but when i try updating…it gets stuck at around 50% and then says “connection timed out” .Also the 50% download consumes about 600-700mb when the entire update is just 319 mb …plz help

    Reply

  83. mobile phones says

    the ICS update has been out for a couple of months and the update for my unit is not yet showing whenever I plug my phone into my desktop. I just keep seeing an update for the kies itself. after i updated the kies I still couldnt find any updates for the note itself. is there something wrong with my unit?

    Reply

  84. Deepthi says

    Hi,
    I just updated my GT n7000 to ics 4.0.3 last week and ever since the phone is behaving very sluggishly… it takes around 5seconds for both the contacts and phone log to open. i did as you had suggested and force closed all unessential apps. still the prob persists.plus the camera is taking ages….. which is extremely annoying and i’m worried coz there is a ghost image (a flicker of the just clicked image) before it returns to the present screen…. no screen burn outs or anything,my phone is less than a month old… so is the image persistence thing an issue someone else is having too???

    Reply

  85. deep says

    Hey, the only thing is that, my touchWIZ seems to be laggy after the ICS update.
    when i pinch the homescreen to show all the different miniature homescreens on a single page, then it seems that it is not fluid.
    Further if i select any one homescreen from the miniature ones, then also the opening up of that very homescreen is not at all fluid.. 🙁

    Reply

  87. Scott says

    Does the FM Radio app stay if I update my Note to ICS via Kies? I had a Galaxy S, and when I modded that to ICS I lost the FM radio.

    As I use that a lot, I’m not going to upgrade my Note if I’m going to lose it.

    I’m in the UK if that makes a difference?

    Reply

  88. thatSimbaGuy says

    I am in Zimbabwe and we do not suppport carriers here, so i just want to find out if updating a note to ICS will be possible over wiFi in my country or will i need to go to Southh Africa to do that, if I do go to south Africa should i use the so called OTA or Kies update?

    Reply

  89. Joseph Mampilly says

    Yesterday I recvd. a pop message informing me that the firmware upgrade was available for Galaxy Note ( in Bahrain) , today morning I find that update shows no update available. what has happened.?

    Reply

  90. Steve says

    Hi
    I just updated my Note to ICS today. I have exactly the same problem as Anand, the phone app crashes, and the screen blanks, when if the phone is used in the Samsung dock. This seems t be a problem with using it Landscape, which I do because I use the navigation maps. Do I have to go back to GB?

    Reply

  91. BW says

    Hi, I have upgraded My Note to ICS . But I could not find the S Beam which was the coolest apps in S3. Does Samsung Galaxy note has NFC so that S beam can work here?

    Reply

  92. thatSimbaGuy says

    if i get an unlocked version of this phone can i update Gingerbread to ICS via wifi and will it be easy?

    Reply

  93. kingnabalu says

    I had several attempt to update my Note via wifi but most time it failed. But recently i succeed in updating it to ICS 4.0 but i noticed i have problem of i have minimal space in my internal memory. If i recall back, there are still plenty of space in my internal storage before.

    Is there any possibilities due to my previous attempt to update my Note to ICS causes my internal memory to be reduce rapidly?

    Reply

  94. mayank rastogi says

    Hello, I have updated “Samsung Note” with ICS recently. After update, I’d reset my phone. Later, installed each apps again. Some of the issues which I am facing are:
    1)Charging (via wall charger itself) becomes very slow.
    2)Used RAM has increased from 400MB to 550 MB
    3)”Dialer” and “Contacts” takes about 2-3 seconds to open (checked immediately after phone reset)
    4)Wifi is an issue from beginning. Weak signal as well as connection gets drop often.

    please Help !!

    Reply

  96. Denny says

    hi i’m from cambodia. i just buy Note so i want to update os from 2.3.6 to 4.0.3 but it still shown “No Update Available” how can i do?what i check before update?pls help me step by step.
    Thanks!!!!!

    Reply

  97. marey says

    couldnt find my story in samsung apps. Says its not working in my country. (maldives). How to install it via kies..

    Reply

  98. suvasish says

    hello there……..i dont find my story in ics.no apps in google play.how can find whats in premium suite?any guide to use s pen? how i find my s pen updated r nt?
    Thanks in advance

    Reply

  99. anonymous says

    hello, my friend bought a galaxy note in australia, and she was wondering if she could update it to ICS via Kies? (even thought ICS is not in australia yet.. when will ICS be available in australia?)
    thx.

    Reply

  100. marey says

    today i got ICS update,. but same theme and home button. it does not chnge the look of phone like advertisements..

    Reply

  101. Jon Macapagal says

    hi I am from Ireland, i have a friend who has a note, she got the update last thursday, i still haven’t. everytime I check it says “No Update Available” would you be able to tell me whats wrong?

    Reply

  102. Lyn says

    Hello! I was just wondering, after installing the ICS update, will my previously installed and purchased apps from Google Play be deleted? So does that mean I have to install them again or will it still be available after the update?

    Reply

  104. Where is the glaxay note service station in Israel says

    I bought my galaxy in England from Clove and live in israel. The list of languages does not include Hebrew so I can’t translate Hebrew on Facebook. What to do?
    Fredy Ross

    Reply

  105. Anand Raghavan says

    After upgrading my note to ICS 4.0.3, the phone behaves strangely with the samsung car-dock. When the phone is in the dock, i get a com.android.phone process error and i am not able to receive / call. Bluetooth also stops working. Any suggestions on how to get this fixed?

    Reply

  106. bhushan says

    After ICS update via Kies my note’s performance increased drastically. But in samsung’s Email app attachments are not opening at all. Each and everytime i have to go to Gmail app to see or download attachments. Why this is happening?

    Reply

  107. Sayan Mitra says

    + Sometimes,it also hangs/freezes,
    and a notification pops up :
    TouchWiz is not responding
    Wait / Cancel

    On pressing wait : The same message pops up again after 2-3mins,while the phone still hangs,

    and on pressing “Cancel”,the screen goes black and no buttons work at all.

    Reply

  108. Sayan Mitra says

    NEW PROBLEM :
    I updated my GT-N7000,to ICS via Kies 2.0 yesterday,
    today morning I was listening when suddenly one side of the ear phone stopped after about 2mins of audio playback,
    I thought the earphone might have got corrupted,so I plugged in the Senheiser,but the same thing happened.
    Whenever I take the phone out of full charge,the audio comes for 2mins,then goes away on one side.

    Do you have any idea on this?

    Should I go to a service center,or should I downgrade to GB,by root,etc…. 🙁

    I cant understand if this problem has arrived from ics or not,since my phone is just 17days old,and no noticeable physical damage has ever occured.

    Sent from my GT-N7000[/QUOTE]

    Reply

  109. Sathish says

    What are the UI changes done in ICS for Galaxy Note? I do not see much changes. I heard a lot about apps available in Lock screen itself. Are they available?

    Reply

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