Earlier in the week, HTC announced that their 2014 flagship smartphone One (M8) would get the new Android 5.1 Lollipop firmware in August, which means device owners would have to wait for more than two months to savour the new update.
Impatient HTC One (M8) owners who just can't hang around for that long, we have good news for you. World's most popular after-market software maker Cyanogen has released the CM12.1 series custom ROM with all the goodies of Android 5.1 Lollipop to the device.
It also brings tons of new customisation options and new apps including refurbished email app powered by Boxer, which brings multiple account support, exchange support and canned responses for quick replies. Other customisations include sound alerts (bells or whistles), option to select different LED colour display for email notifications and many more.
Prerequisites (things to remember before installing Custom ROM)
- This new CyanogenMod Android 5.1 Lollipop CM12.1 firmware has to be installed on the HTC One M8 only; if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
- Make sure the device is rooted before going forward for custom ROM installation. [Also read: How to Root HTC One M8 with Android 4.4 KitKat via CF-Auto-Root Tool]
- Users make sure they have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else your smartphone (HTC One M8) will not be recognized by the computer.
- Installation of custom ROM requires clearing of memory in the smartphone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone.
- Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery, or else there is chance of smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted in the mid-way.
- Though installing custom ROM improves the device's performance and UI experiences, it makes the company warranty void and they will no longer be liable to provide updates in future [users can restore warranty by flashing the device with stock-ROM].
[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. International Business Times, India Edition cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]
Step-by-step installation procedure of CyanogenMod [official] Android 5.1 Lollipop CM12.1 Custom ROM on HTC One M8:
Step 1: Download CyanogenMod [official] Android 5.1 Lollipop CM12.1 custom ROM, HERE (and extract boot.img from the zip file separately) and Google Apps (HERE/HERE/HERE) in to your PC.
[Note: ROM build date: 03/05/2015]
Step 2: Connect HTC One M8 to PC via USB cord.
[Note: Before plugging the phone to the computer, be sure that you have installed USB driver software, if not, click HERE to download the firmware]
Step 3: Then, place Android 5.1 custom ROM zip file and Google Apps file into the phone's SD card memory. [Note: Users are advised to paste the .zip file in SD card root, not in any other folder.]
[Note: Before installing the custom software, be sure that the device must have been rooted and has installed ClockworkMod Recovery tool.]
Step 4: Later, place boot.img file in the android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools directory
Step 5: Now, turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.
Step 6: Then perform the regular Bootloader mode sortie, by press holding 'Volume (down)', and 'Power' buttons.
Step 7: After entering the Bootloader mode (on the phone), go to android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools (on the PC) and open Command prompt and type in: 'fastboot flash boot boot.img' and press enter.
(To enter Command prompt: Shift + right-click >> open command Prompt)
Step 8: then, type: 'fastboot reboot' and follow instructions displayed on the screen. Select BOOTLOADER option to enter Recovery Mode
Step 9: Once entering the Recovery mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset'
[Note: use Volume keys to navigate and power button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]
Step 10: Now, clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.
Step 11: Then to go back to ClockworkMod recovery, and select 'advanced' and tap 'wipe dalvik cache' [Note: This step is optional, but many recommend this procedure so that user will not face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation]
Step 12: Again come back to main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'
Step 13: Then tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android 5.1 ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the procedure for installing Google Apps [Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options]
Step 14: Once done with the installation process, navigate to '+++++Go Back+++++' and re-start the device by opting 'reboot system now' seen in the recovery menu.
Now, your device (HTC One M8) will take at a few minutes to complete the booting process.
Users then head to Settings >> select About phone to confirm the installation of CyanogenMod [official] Android 5.1 Lollipop CM12.1 custom ROM.
[Credits: CyanogenMod.org]
