T-Mobile Cell Phones: How Do I Update The Software On My T-Mobile SGH-t959 (Vibrant) Phone To Android 2.2 Froyo (KB5) Through Kies Mini For A Mac?

How Do I Update The Software On My T-Mobile SGH-t959 (Vibrant) Phone To Android 2.2 Froyo (KB5) Through Kies Mini For A Mac?

An Operating System upgrade from Eclair to Froyo is now available for the SGH-t959 (Vibrant). Please read the FAQ below for information on how to update, to see what is new in Froyo, and much more.

Notice: Please back up all data such as your contacts, pictures, music, videos etc... prior to performing the update as data could be lost.

In addition, the KB5 software supercedes the previous KA6 software thus it will no longer be available.

COMPUTER

• Mac OSX version 10.5 or later
• To update your Mac, click on the Apple icon, and Software Updates
• All Firewall & Anti-Virus Programs Should Be Disabled
• Administrative Privileges Required To Download & Install Software
• An Available USB Port On The Mac (2.0 preferred)

PHONE

• Fully Charged Battery

OTHER

• Any previous software before KA2 will not be compatible with Kies Mini for Mac. To check what software is loaded on your phone, click here.
• USB Data Cable (Included In Retail Box)

To obtain the a copy of Kies Mini for Mac, click on the download button below.

Save the file to a specified location, recommend desktop for easy access. 

 

1. Locate the Kies Mini Zip file. Click on to extract the PKG and click on the file to launch the installer.

2. Click Continue

3. Read over the requirements and then click Continue

4. Read over the EULA and click Continue

5. Click Agree

6. Click Continue

7. If prompted, enter your password and click Ok

8. Kies Mini will install. No action is required

9. Click Close

10. Click on Go and then click on Applications

11. Search through the Applications listing and click on Kies Mini

 

The will need to be configured the so that Kies Mini can talk to it. Follow the steps below:

1. Press the Home Key 
2. Press the Menu Key 
3. Tap on Settings



4. Tap on Applications



5. Tap on USB settings



6. Tap on "Ask on connection" and press the Home  key
7. Insert the USB data cable into the phone and then into an available port on the computer. Select Samsung Kies from the phone. The computer should recognize the device.

Notice: Please verify your data is backed up to the medium of your choice. Data loss may occur after upgrading.

1. Open Kies Mini and plug the USB cable into the phone. Select Samsung Kies from the phone when prompted.

2. Click on Upgrade Available

3. Read over the Caution statements and check "I have read and understood..." and then click the Upgrade button.

4. Kies Mini will contact the server and download the binary. Downloading time varies on network conditions. It may take a few minutes.

5. Kies Mini will start upgrading the device.

6. Click the Ok button to finish.

 

Please see below for a list of changes found on the Android 2.2 Froyo Upgrade for the SGH-t959 Vibrant. Also, you may click here to additional information

• Home Screen:
• New Home screen tips widget assists new users on how to configure the home screen with shortcuts and widgets and how to make use of multiple home screens.
• If you zoom in with two fingers in the home screen, all panels are shown in one screen and the user can remove the panel and add. The max panel number is 7.
• The Phone, applications launcher, contacts and messaging now have dedicated shortcuts on the Home screen, making it easy to access them from any home screen.

• Exchange Support
• Improved security with the addition of numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options to unlock device. Exchange administrators can enforce password policy across devices.
• Remote wipe: Exchange administrators can remotely reset the device to factory defaults to secure data in case device is lost or stolen.
• Auto-discovery: you just need to know your user-name and password to easily set up and sync an Exchange account (available for Exchange 2007 and higher).
• Global Address Lists look-up is now available in the Email application, enabling users to auto-complete recipient names from the directory.

• Improved Performance
• Performance of the browser has been enhanced using the V8 engine, which enables faster loading of java-script-heavy pages.
• Dalvik Performance Boost: 2x-5x performance speedup for CPU-heavy code over Android 2.1 with Dalvik JIT.
• The performance has speedup from Android 2.1 to Android 2.2 using various benchmark tests. For example, LinPack is now more than 5 times faster.
• Kernel Memory Management Boost: Improved memory reclaim by up to 20x, which results in faster app switching and smoother performance on memory-constrained devices.

• Device Policy Manager
• New device policy management APIs allow developers to write "device administrator" applications that can control security features on the device, such as the minimum password strength, data wipe, and so on. Users can select the administrators that are enabled on their devices.

• GMS Updates
• GoogleQuickSearchBox, GenieWidget (News and Weather ) are newly added.

• Data Backup
• Apps can participate in data backup and restore, to ensure that users maintain their data after performing a factory reset or when switching devices.

• Flash Player
• Device supports Flash Player 10.1

• Lock Screen
• New lock screen mode for entering a numeric pin or alphanumeric password

• Application On External Storage
• Ability to store and run non-forward locked apps on the SD card

• Media Framework
• New media framework (Stagefright) that supports local file playback and HTTP progressive streaming

• Kernel Upgrade
• SDIO scheduling and BT improvements

 

Please see below for a list of changes found in KB5 outside of what is listed of Froyo information

• Improvements:
• GMS: Gmail & Youtube have been updated from R8 to R9
• Fixes:
• Email: In some situations using Exchange, using the Reply All would add the sender's email address.
• Email: An exception problem has been addressed when using the combined inbox.
• Email: Disabled autosync if setting was set to Never
• Framework: LCD did not turn off after receiving SMS or missed call when Puzzle Lock was off
• Swype: Wrong character was selected when trying to use the same letter twice
• MMS: On occasion, MMS would fail to be sent due to phone number format
• DRM: After upgrading from 2.1 to 2.2, DRM contents could not play.

General Questions:

• Does the KB5 update contain an operating system upgrade to Android 2.2 (Froyo)?
• Yes. KB5 is fourth in a series maintenance release and it contains Froyo.

• Can I upgrade directly from JFD, JI5, JI6, KA2, KA6 to KB5?
• Yes, Kies Mini will automatically update the Vibrant to the KB5 Froyo software.

• Can I take my phone to a T-Mobile store for the update?
• No, generally stores do not have the proper tools to perform software upgrade.

• Can I use Kies to perform the update?
• Only Kies Mini is supported within the United States. Kies is not recommended nor officially supported on Galaxy S phones in the US. If you have a version of Kies, it is recommended to remove it entirely before installing Kies Mini.

• Will the Kies Mini for Mac work on other models of phone?
• No, this will only work on the SGH-t959 (Vibrant) running on KA2 software.

• What are the capabilities of Kies Mini?
• Kies Mini is a simple tool which performs firmware updates for a phone. Other options that may accompany the tool are unsupported for this product.

• What are risks for performing the upgrade?
• This upgrade has been thoroughly tested by Samsung and T-Mobile to be compatible with Vibrant devices running previous versions of the released software. Customers who are running unsupported operating systems (e.g. those that are rooted or have not been received from T-Mobile and Samsung) should move forward at their own risk.

• What were the previous releases notes for KA6 and have those changes been applied to KB5?
• The KB5 software does contain improvements and changes applied to the KA6 software load. Please see the below for those notes.
• Improvements:
• Start-up Wizard: A helpful wizard that assists in setting up the device
• Mono Bluetooth: Can now be used with VMM
• Auto Rotation: Can now be enabled/disabled from the notification panel
• Picture Gallery:  Has options for slideshow edit & view
• TTI: 2ms transport patch for network upgrade
• Modifications:
• MobiTV: Renamed to T-Mobile TV
• Application Additions:
• LogmeIn
• New Visual VoiceMail Client

Kies Mini Does Not Detect The Phone:

• I am having problems with Kies Mini detecting the phone. What can I do?
• First, if receiving a "Connection is unstable message", simply unplug the cable from the phone and plug it back it and continue going through the steps.
   
• Depending on the amount of data stored on the memory, this could impair Kies Mini ability to detect device if phone is set to Samsung Kies mode. It may be necessary to remove the microSD card if inserted. Should problems persist, the internal memory may need to be purged. Backup up all desired data and then goto Menu>Settings>Privacy >Factory Data Reset. Follow the onscreen instructions and after reboot, attempt to connect to Kies Mini.
   

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For more information on the SGH-t959 Vibrant, a Galaxy S phone, please click the banner below.

 

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