HTC released the official Android Marshmallow OS update to One (M8) early in the year. It came with company's own Sense UI.
To differentiate their products, smartphone makers incorporate their own custom interface and add applications, which are sometimes unnecessary and also affect performance of the device. HTC too has done the same. Those device owners who are bored of using HTC's Sense UI can try installing GPE (Google Play Edition) OS ROM on One (M8), which offers pure Android experience like we see in the Google's Nexus series. It also void of all the bloat-wares seen in the Sense UI and offer better performance and extend battery life as well.
Prerequisites (things to remember before installing Custom ROM)
- This new Android Marshmallow GPE ROM series has to be installed on HTC One (M8) GSM models only, if tried on other devices, it might brick them [to check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number].
- Though installing custom ROM improves the device's performance and UI experiences, it makes the company warranty void; the company will no longer be liable to provide updates in future [users can restore warranty by flashing the device with stock-ROM].
- Make sure the device is rooted before going ahead with custom ROM installation.
- Installation of custom ROM requires clearing memory in the phone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone.
- Make sure USB driver is installed in the PC or else your device (HTC One M8) will not be recognised by the computer.
- Make sure your device has more than 80% battery, or else there is a chance of the tablet getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted midway.
[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. IBTimes India 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 Android Marshmallow GPE ROM on HTC One M8:
Step 1: After downloading Android Marshmallow GPE ROM and Google Apps in to the PC, connect HTC One M8 to the Computer via USB cord.
[Scroll down to find the Blues's downloadable firmware files]
Step 2: Place Android 6.0 Marshmallow 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 3: Place boot.img file in the android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools directory
Step 4: Turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.
Step 5: Perform the regular Bootloader mode sortie, by press holding 'Volume (down)', and 'Power' buttons.
Step 6: 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 7: Type: 'fastboot reboot' and follow instructions displayed on the screen. Select BOOTLOADER option to enter Recovery Mode
Step 8: 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 9: Clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.
Step 10: Return to the 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 11: Navigate back to the main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'
Step 13: Tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android 6.0 Marshmallow 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 Android Marshmallow GPE ROM.
Downloadable files:
HTC One (M8) GPE Android Marshmallow ROM: HERE
Google Apps: HERE
USB Driver: HERE
[Credits: Team Android]
