We have some good news and some bad news. Lets start with the good shall we? Apparently Samsung and AT&T are sort of ready to start updating the AT&T Galaxy S II Skyrocket because users are getting an over the air update as we speak. Now for the bad news. This same update seems to be failing for most users that have tried to install it — rooted or stock.

According to multiple owners over at XDA Developers the update is small and quick and shouldn’t take but a minute. Only problem is the persistent failing of the update. Many fail before the download completes, and for others they manage to download the entire file but failure is still the end result. A few were lucky and one member was able to update after a few tries and posted a quick screenshot showing the new build.

The update is around 21MB in size and from looking at the screenshot above we can clearly see Android 2.3.6 on board instead of 2.3.5 and UCLA3 for the build. Sadly we don’t have Ice Cream Sandwich just yet but they are getting the latest Gingerbread build complete with all the security patches and performance improvements from Google. Samsung has probably fixed a few bugs too but at the moment we don’t have a change log and since the update is failing we can’t report much on what’s new.

Check for updates now manually as usual by going to settings > about phone > check for updates. Let us know how it goes and if it works for you. If so, report any changes in the comments below.

[device id=1987]

[via AT&T Forum]

128 COMMENTS

  1. Mine downloaded the whole file (20k KB)failed at 75% through “preparation”.

    Now it says my software is up to date and I can’t check again for 24 hours….

      •  There is a better way to do that. Go to Settings-Applications-All-Device Management- Then clear all data. Go back to software update and it should work. Don’t worry it wont harm your device because Device management involves only the update process and nothing else. It should work smoothly and better than changing the clock back.

      • HeyI have an issue, I am using 8.9 Tab, all i did is cleared the device management data, tried accessing my “software update” but it didnt open, restarted my tab, again it didnt work , please help me, i am unable to access “software update” section

  4. Isn’t 2.3.6 what they pushed in late November? I’ve had it for a while. If you want to try manually, go to settings, scroll to the bottom, and select software update.

  6. FAIL.  downloaded entire thing, phone had to reboot then after reboot: “Install Interrupted.  The software update could not be installed at this time.”

    And now I can wait 23hrs 53mins.  lol

    • My update worked perfectly first time too. very impressed . though it did appear to get stuck for what seemed like minutes at certain points of installation. but i just didn’t touch it and it kept on going to 100%

  9. I got some sort of update, but my version of Android and Build haven’t changed.  My text keyboard is now huge and creates a line that goes up and down as I type.  And my phone is 3 minutes faster than everyone else’s so when I text and they reply it looks like they texted me before I texted them.  It’s very annoying and I dont know why I bought this crappy phone.

  10. I just got my update done in few minutes wityhout any failure.It was actually pretty smooth. I am in NY/NJ area just FYI if that has anything to do with any geographic distribution. But Iam not sure what are new features or any enhancements that have been incorporated in this update.

  12. Updated a few hours ago while at work, no issues, no failures.  Was hoping to know what all the changes were.  So far I’m only noticing a few things.  Las Vegas – Stock Skyrocket

    • Just receive the update…. Totally fail every time. Now its telling me my phone is up to date and i have to wait another 24hr. Bull shit!!! Kiss my ass att and make sure it works.

  15. My update failed 3 times after it fully downloaded and was rebooting and now it says to wait 24 hours before trying again. Sacramento, Ca  AT&T Skyrocket

  23. had to reset my phone to factory then i was able to download the update after speaking with samsung and att both of which are blaming each other for the mishap. But after factory restore update was successful!

  24. everytime it fails it says up to date check again in 24hrs….. i just changed to date to the next day and it lets me download it again but it fails over and over

  27. Im also having issues with the update.Sold my iPhone 4 and picked up the Skyrocket . Android needs to get their shit together. You can’t group text, updates are all f-up, among other things. I will be going back to apple at least I never had any issues when I had it, it just sucks that they don’t have flash.

  29. I’ve had the Samsung Galaxy S Skyrocket for two months.  Yesterday the notice of the update came through. It took about an hour to download the update.
    Today I started the install.  Two hours later it’s still on the white, Software Update Loading screen with 0 progress. Restarting the phone and pulling the battery has not affected the status.  Not very pleased with ATT right now…

    • This is exactly what happened to my Samsung Galaxy S Skyrocket.  I’m on the phone with Business Data Support as I type because Tech Support couldn’t help due to the white screen locked on my phone. to be continued…..

      • Marines don’t cry! And it is quite possible that MY world could end. I use my phone for business.  Like many people who posted here I depend on the device to run my life.  It’s important to me that I can provide for my family. I could care less about the update.
        For those that care, AT&T wanted me to wait five – six days for replacement. I paid for 2 business day shipping. Thankfully it arrived today! 

  30. I just received the update and had no problem at all downloading it, but I see no real changes except for the lock screen and the phone icon at the bottom of my home screen. I am guessing it had to do more with bug fixes and Google talk! Question is, when the hell is the ICS coming? That is what I want, not no new way to unlock my screen! But whatever, I guess were going to take it one step at a time!

  32. my skyrocket is stuck on software update loading.. Called ATT they had me call samsung. samsung told me the phone is fried and that I needed to either take the phone to an ATT store to have it re-imaged or fedex the phone to samsung to have re-imaged

  33. my skyrocket is stuck on “software update loading…”  I have been on the phone with ATT for the last 25 minutes…on hold….try turning it off…on hold….try removing the battery….on hold….good grief this is CRAZY!!!  Can’t use my phone!   Help just came back on the phone and asked….”You haven’t done a master restart?”  Hell NO, I don’t even know how to do that!  Geez!

  34. GREAT….now being transfered to Samsung!  From the posts on here I think I’m SOL…..I hope not.  I would hate to be the salesperson at ATT when i visit.

  37. After two fails, I did a factory reset (your phone will be brought back to the factory settings, please back up data before doing this..) and the update went through perfectly….

    settings: privacy: factory data reset.I didn’t select to format USB storage.

    •  I just got off the phone with AT&T warranty support.  They said they will send a “new” device to me so long as I agree to return my current phone.  When I questioned whether the phone was brand new they changed their definition to say that the phone was new in the sense that someone either purchased the phone originally and didn’t like it so they returned it or the purchaser returned it within their warranty period.  I hesitantly agreed as I felt my options are few and far between.  I also learned a lesson to back up my phone more often the hard way 🙁

      • I called Samsung because I didn’t want to receive a used phone from AT&T and they said I could send it in and they could reset it and send it back, no extra charges.  So it looks like there are two options, one through AT&T where they can send you a replacement phone and another through Samsung where they can reset your current phone.  I prefer the latter.

  44. Same deal as everyone else.  Stuck on the loading software screen.  Taking out battery and doing hard reset doesn’t help.  They want it sent in for a 6 day turnaround.

  46. Never did get the update AT&T has pulled it for now, states my phone has the current software now which is 2.3.5. Hopefully they will re-release it soon.

  48. Got in touch with Samsung and they said the update has been pulled due to the issues and will be re-released. Didn’t tell me when though just that my phone would notify me.

  51. I saw there was an update for my S2 skyrocket, and thought yay ICS, not. However the first update downloaded & failed stressing a server overload. I tried back a few minutes later, and am running 2.3.6
    and everything else reported. While I have an AT&T unrooted, Skyrocket, I’m still looking for
    Differences other then patches, which is what it seems to me.

  52. BTW, this happened yesterday afternoon, and as soon as I saw update, I plugged it into the charger…hello, most devices freeze without full
    AC power. Just like notebook PC, tablet, etc won’t allow a BIOS update without a plug-in. Tho the person who bricked theirs…try charger first next time

    • Sorry hit liked by mistake. Have you tried a reset. I always keep a old 2GB sdcard for this, and backup your apps to micro SD, so you can reinstall without market,(yet) knowing they are clean!

  54. I was a victim of the update this morning. I’ve been stuck at the software update screen since this morning. I contacted AT&T to see what was going on and quickly got referred to Samsung. I contacted Samsung via chat and they had me do some troubleshooting. Had me power the phone off, remove the battery, etc. My phone won’t even power off, I have to remove the battery. Nothing worked, so they had me call their service dept for further assistance. I have to ship my phone back to Samsung (at no cost to me) to have them re-flash the device. It will be at least 6 business days before I get my phone back. Once I had that info, I contacted AT&T to see if I could get my bill pro-rated for loss of service. No deal. They claim that it’s a device issue, not an AT&T issue. I’m really not happy right now.

    • At&t sais this is a warranty replacement issue.

      The number they gave me is 800-801-1101

      You’ll need your phone with you when you call.

    •  I just shipped the phone off to Samsung for repair. I guess it depends on who you speak to at AT&T. Seems that half the people here are getting AT&T to do the fix and the other half are shipping them to Samsung.

    • Hey!  They did the SAME exact thing to them.  This is what you have to say:  Tell them Samsung (This is the truth) did not authorize the update and ATT did it anyway, so you want to be compensated for your loss of service.  Ask for 10 days (11 if you do it tomorrow) of reimbursement.  They gave me a $24 credit on my account.  However, I plan on calling back again tomorrow and asking for a refund on my phone from the original price to what they are selling it for now because of this huge inconvenience AND for lying to me about it multiple times.  Once I told them about the unauthorized update they changed their tune really quickly.

  55. I just got off the phone with AT&T and they told me the install hastily basically destroyed my son’s phone. They are promising a warranty replacement. I wonder how many phones they destroyed with this load?

  56. This is Crazy….It has been stuck on “loading” since this morning..is there really no fix? I cant get the phone in recovery mode…

  57. I got updated yesterday. Now I am haveing problems. I cannot hear anybody and they cannot hear me. Phone rings, I can dial out I have internet but no audio or mic. Hope I do not have to do a hard reset again. Takes forever to get back to how I want my phone.

  58. Got the 2.3.6. update.  No problems.  I was just wondering whats now.  There is a new lock screern and also there is a new facebook system that is easier to use.

  61. My local AT&T Store was very helpful in getting me a mail out replacement phone under warranty instead of the longer return to Samsung RMA I had received yesterday morning. I got the white screen forever waiting to download the Software. I sure learned a lesson about hitting the OK icon. I’m like the rest of you, very unhappy, but what can we domexcept to learn from this. I hope I can recover my contact list from my iPad. I backup my computers, now I will find a solution to backing up my phone. I hope my replacement phone arrives quickly and comes with the 2.3.6 factory installed. I put my SIM card in an old phone and as long as the battery holds up, I at least have a phone to use for a bit. A good reason to keep your previous phone as a back up.

  63. ATT sent me replacement overnight, after bitching about it over the phone and refusing to go to Samsung and waiting 6 days.  Replacement came in this morning with free expedited shipping..

  64. After reading all this I feel better that I tried to update twice and turned phone on and said update failed. Not trying on next update until I hear it works. Flood luck every one and art u sick.

  66. So I tried to update twice when the update came out, both times it resulted in a failure at the 75% completion of preparing the update after the download. I checked after the second failure and my phone says it’s running 2.3.6. Not sure how it happened our even if it really happened because I haven’t noticed any if the differences…

  67. SAMSUNG RELEASED A FAULTY UPDATE! I used Odin to recover my phone. I downloaded the SkyrocketCWMrecovery.tar file. Put it under CSC. Once ODIN reads phone click start. Done. Phone rebooted and I no data was lost!!! Save your self the hassle of a warranty exchange. ***DO NOT HAVE “RE-PARTITION” CHECKED IN ODIN!!!!*** Hope this helps you all.

  68. ATT says this issue is causing my daa usage to “skyrocket”.  They claim I have used over 3 gig in the last 5 days since my billing cycle started.  They did offer to credit $30 for the data usage that I didn’t do, and they blamed it all on the new software update.  Doing a factory reset and hoping for the best.

  69. Funny thing is I deferred the update a few days until I had the time.  Once the white “Software Update” screen started (Loading…) – that was the last thing the phone ever did.  Could not recover. My less than 2 month old Galaxy S II Skyrocket is not recoverable according to AT&T Device Support Center.  I now have the joy of waiting several days to RMA/replace the phone – thanks Samsung and AT&T.  Don’t you test these updates?  Loss of service, loss of phone, loss of personal info, loss of personal time stinks.  Not to mention I have to setup the a new phone all over again – yea!   >.<

  70. This looks like a scam to get rid of the skyrocket so they don’t have tho push any major update promised they only want tho focus on the galaxy note case note its to have ice.cream sandwich. Lol wow they really.messed up customer loyalty now Lol I’m going to Verizon at least ill be carrier virus free

  72. I just received this update and it completed don’t see much of a difference other than the way notifications look on the lock screen other than that I’m not sure what this update is suppose to do ..

  75. I got the update, but though there are some changes (icon and lockscreen changes that I’ve noticed), one that I also noticed is that the sliding wallpaper no longer “slides”. Some say it’s a bug, others say it (and the lockscreen changes) is intentional due to the fight with Apple on patent infringement. If the latter is true, that’s disappointing as it was one of the features I liked on the SR and any recent Android-powered phone.

    • Im going to be really pissed if the sliding wallpaper is taken away permanently. That was one of the most asthetically pleasing features of the skyrocket and really impressed people when i showed them.  Im very angry about this.

    • Im going to be really pissed if the sliding wallpaper is taken away permanently. That was one of the most asthetically pleasing features of the skyrocket and really impressed people when i showed them.  Im very angry about this.

    • would anyone know if its possible to go back to or downgrade from the update or is it impossible to reverse? if yes then how would i do that?i really liked the sliding wallpaper too.

  77. I have had my S,G S II for over 3 months now and it has not done one update automatically and when I try to do it manualy it says its up to date.  Any thoughts?? – Thanks

  81. After I updated my phone, I noticed some differences: some good and some bad. The good ones are good but the bad one that I notice the most and I want the remove the update due to this, is my accelorometer is now uncalibrated. When I play certain games, I have to tilt the phone just to have it register that it is straight. Before I installed the update, I could calibrated it manually but now there is no option for it (and I’m not talking about the gyroscope). Does anyone know how I can remove the update so that I can calibrated it myself?

  84. So far it seems to be working fine. Besides the cosmetic changes, i’ve noticed that my battery life has increased monumentally. I went 12 hours significant usage and i’m still at 50%

  85. Since the update, my camera blinks out after a few seconds, and then forces my phone to reboot. I am getting very sick of this retroactive bullshit. Change management isn’t that difficult to implement.

  86. you need to do an update asap im not really liking it. 1. it dosnt save my sync i literaly have to keep going back and hit sync. 2. it dosnt save when i want to have my phone vibrate when i touch home key or any other keys. not really sure what els i found on this new update but i jst dont like it for some reason and on top of that im not the only one who is not liking it ether i trust in the developers of this new softwear so please for the love of god come out with something inspiering so the galaxy can top any other softwear out there

  87. I successfully updated my phone, but after the update I noticed my camera does not always work. It does not always save the picture after it has been taken and sometimes it will not let me record a video at all.

  88. i cant update my S2 SKYROCKET I777, i have the 2.3.6 zombie art version and when i try to update appears a message saying ” your recent software is updated you can confirm again in 24hours”… someone help me

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