How to Update ASUS Transformer TF300T to Official Jelly Bean Firmware [Android 4.1]

So ASUS has beaten everyone else at the game yet again, and become the first manufacturer to push out the official Jelly Bean Android 4.1.1 update to one of their devices, as the Transformer Pad TF300T is now receiving the official Jelly Bean update in the US.

However, the update is yet to roll out in other parts of the world, so those who don’t wish to wait for the official update to start rolling out in their country/region can manually update to the Jelly Bean firmware that is rolling out in the US using the guide below.

Keep in mind that the manual method of updating requires you to flash a firmware of another region (i.e the US) and it also requires you to have a root access and an unlocked bootloader, so those who are not comfortable with manual flashing should wait for the official update to hit their device.

So, read on to find out how you can manually update to the official Jelly Bean firmware on your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T.

Compatibility

This guide is applicable only for Asus Transformer TF300T. DO NOT try this on any other device.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Update to Official Jelly Bean Firmware on Transformer Pad TF300T

Part I: Preparing the Tablet

First, we need to flash the stock US Ice Cream Sandwich firmware on the tablet. Follow the instructions below to do so.

  1. This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
    NOTE: Don’t forget to at least note down your network’s APN settings, which are required to make mobile data work. Go into Settings » More » Mobile Networks, click on the APN that is in use, then note down the setting for each field. While APN settings should be automatically restored from network, you can enter them manually if needed to make mobile data work.
  2. Make sure the bootloader on your TF300T is unlocked. Go to the Asus Support Page → here, select Android in the OS drop down menu, then select Utilities, then download the Unlock Device App, copy it to the tablet, install it and use it to unlock the bootloader. This will void your warranty, so make sure you are comfortable with that and be sure to take a backup (see step 1).
  3. Install ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery using the guide → here. You can also use TWRP recovery, though this guide will assume you are using CWM recovery. Skip this step if you already have CWM/TWRP recovery installed.
  4. Download the US 9.4.4.3.30 update, which is the US Ice Cream Sandwich firmware we need to install before we can update to Jelly Bean.
    Download Link  |  Alternate Link  |  Filename: US_epaduser9_4_3_30UpdateLauncher.zip
  5. Copy the US_epaduser9_4_3_30UpdateLauncher.zip file to the internal SD card on the tablet.
  6. Shut down the tablet. Then boot into CWM recovery. To do that, press and hold Volume Down + Power, until a message appears on-screen saying “Press Vol. Up to enter RCK (5s)”. Here, in less than 5 seconds, press the Volume Up button to enter CWM recovery.
    In recovery, use the volume buttons to navigate/scroll and the power button to select.
  7. Perform a Nandroid Backup of your existing ROM, so that you can always restore it from recovery if something does not work out with this ROM. To perform a backup, select Backup and Restore –> On the next screen, select Backup again. Go back to main recovery menu after backup is complete.
  8. Select wipe data/factory reset, then select Yes on next screen to confirm. Wait a while till the data wipe is complete (this will not erase your personal files).
  9. Then, select advanced, then select wipe dalvik cache. After the wipe is complete, return to the main recovery menu.
  10. Now select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the US_epaduser9_4_3_30UpdateLauncher.zip file on the sdcard and select it. Confirm installation by selecting Yes on the next screen. The 9.4.4.3.30 Android 4.0 firmware will start installing.
  11. After the installation is complete, go back to the main recovery menu and select reboot system now to reboot the tablet which will now boot up into the stock Android 4.0 firmware we just installed.

Part II: Rooting the Android 4.0 Firmware

Now, we need to root the Android 4.0 firmware we installed in Part I of the guide, follow the steps below for that.

  1. Download the Automated Rooting Toolkit.
    Download Link  |  Filename: DebugfsRoot_Generic_v2.3.zip
  2. Extract the contents of the DebugfsRoot_Generic_v2.3.zip file to a convenient location on your computer.
  3. On the tablet, do the following:
    1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings » Developer options.
    2. Enable Unknown sources in Settings » Security.
  4. Then, connect the tablet to your computer.
  5. Open the folder where you extracted the contents of the DebugfsRoot_Generic_v2.3.zip file, then double-click on the RootDebugfs file to start rooting the tablet. The tablet might reboot a few times during the procedure and also once it’s rooted, which is normal.
  6. Once your tablet has been rooted, proceed to the next step to flash the Jelly Bean update.

Part III: Installing the Jelly Bean Update

  1. Download the following files:
    1. dlpkgfile
    2. command.zip
  2. Extract the command.zip file to get a file named command.
  3. Now, you need to use a file manager that has root access. You can use an app like Solid Explorer for that (install it from the Play Store).
  4. Copy both the dlpkgfile and command files to the tablet.
  5. Now, using Solid Explorer (or any other file manager with root access, be sure to grant root access when asked), copy the dlpkgfile to the /cache folder on the device and the command file to the /cache/recovery folder on the tablet. You will have to browse to the outermost directory in Solid Explorer by pressing the back button a couple of times to see the /cache folder.
  6. Now, turn off the tablet. Then boot into recovery. Press and hold Volume Down + Power, until the message appears on-screen saying “Press Vol. Up to enter RCK (5s)”. Then, press Volume Up, after which the Jelly Bean update will start installing.
  7. Wait for the update to finish installing, after which the tablet will reboot and boot up into the official Jelly Bean firmware.

The official Jelly Bean Android 4.1.1 firmware is now installed on your ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T. Enjoy!

If you want, you can also try out some custom Jelly Bean ROMs on your tablet → here.

6 Comments

  1. I’ve tried this twice and each time I choose the ICS zip file to install after doing the wipes, it goes “Finding update package”, “Opening update package”, “Installing package” and then “Installation aborted”. Do I have the wrong zip file? It was from the link that you posted.

    1. Redownload the zip file, it might have got corrupted during download.

  2. I’ve tried this twice and each time I choose the ICS zip file to install after doing the wipes, it goes “Finding update package”, “Opening update package”, “Installing package” and then “Installation aborted”. Do I have the wrong zip file? It was from the link that you posted.

    1. Redownload the zip file, it might have got corrupted during download.

  3. You need to unzip the file you downloaded first – there’s a second zip file inside. Install that one

  4. You need to unzip the file you downloaded first – there’s a second zip file inside. Install that one

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