Upgrading the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500 to official Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread build DDLB1

The Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500 is an awesome mid-level smartphone complete with a 1 GHz processor and 3.65-inch touchscreen.  Out of the box, the device runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread but can later be upgraded to higher versions of Gingerbread.

The latest update for the Samsung Galaxy Ace comes in the form of build DDLB1 for Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread.  This update promises a new set of features and fixes for issues such as the one involving Wi-Fi, in which many users have a hard time connecting to their home networks.

For those of you who are having a hard time updating your device through OTA (over-the-air) updates, there’s another way: manually flashing the update through Odin3.  Continue reading the rest of this guide as we teach you how you can install the official Gingerbread update on your Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500.

Requirements

• Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500
• A Windows PC
• Fully charged phone or at least 70% battery left.
• Enable USB Debugging on your phone. You can do this by heading to Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging. Make sure that there is a check mark beside that option.
• Install the USB drivers for your phone on your computer.  (The easiest way is to install Samsung KIES.)
• Temporarily disable any antivirus software, firewalls, and Samsung KIES on your PC as they may interrupt the installation process.

Instructions

Use these instructions at your own risk.  Do not hold us responsible for whatever damage occurs on your phone arising from your use of these instructions.

1. Download the DDLB1 firmware package for the Galaxy Ace Plus from here (GalaxyACE_PLUS_S7500DDLB1_S7500ODDLB1_INU.rar, 206.4 MB) and save it to your PC.
2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file using any extracting software such as WinRAR or 7-Zip and place the files in a single folder. You should have 3 files namely:
   • Odin3 v1.83.exe
   • S7500DDLB1_S7500ODDLB1_S7500DDLB1_HOME.tar.md5
   • SS_DL.dll
3. On your PC, launch the Odin3 application by double-clicking on Odin3 v1.83.exe.
4. Switch off your phone completely.
5. Boot the phone into Download Mode. You can do this by pressing and holding down the Volume Down and Home buttons while pressing the Power button until you are welcomed by a green robot indicating you are in Download Mode.
6. Once the phone is in Download mode, connect your phone to your PC while keeping the Odin3 application running.
7. Within a few moments, the ID:COM section in the Odin3 application will turn yellow. This indicates that the necessary drivers for your device have been successfully installed on your computer.
8. In Odin3, click the PDA button. Browse for S7500DDLB1_S7500ODDLB1_S7500DDLB1_HOME.tar.md5 and select it.
9. In the Option section in Odin3, make sure only Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time are checked.
10. Hit the “Start” button in Odin3 to begin flashing the Gingerbread firmware to your phone. It may take 5-10 minutes for the installation process to finish.  Your phone should automatically reboot itself.
11. As soon as you see the Samsung splash screen, disconnect your phone from your PC.
12. Switch off your phone completely.
13. Reboot the phone into Recovery Mode. You can do this by holding down the Volume Up and Home buttons, then pressing down the Power button.
14. Once inside recovery, perform a wipe:
    1. Select “wipe data/factory reset”, then select “Yes” on the screen that follows to confirm data wipe.
    2. Select “wipe cache partition”, then select “Yes” on the screen that follows to confirm wiping your phone’s cache partition.
15. Head back to the main menu, then select “Reboot system now” to reboot your device.

Congratulations! You have successfully applied the official Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update for firmware DDLB1 on your Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500.