Update HTC One (M7) with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Custom ROM via PixelDroid [How to Install]

HTC One (M7) owners must be knowing that the company has permanently discontinued software service support to the 2013 flagship smartphone.

They need not get disheartened, because there is a slew of custom ROMs available on the Internet.

PixelDroid is one such firmware which can bring the latest features to the HTC One (M7). According to Team Android, PixelDroid custom ROM is stable with no hint of bugs and is based on the latest AOSP (Android Open Source Project) v5.1.1 Lollipop. It also boasts of Dirty Unicorn firmware features.

Prerequisites (Things to remember before installing the CyanogenMod CM12 Nightly):

1. The new PixelDroid Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom firmware has to be installed on the HTC One M7 model only ; if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number].
2. Make sure the device is rooted before going forward for custom ROM installation.
3. 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.
4. Make sure you have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else your smartphone (HTC One M7) will not be recognized by the computer.
5. Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery, or else there is a chance of the smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted mid-way.

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation guide for PixelDroid Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Custom ROM on HTC One M7 (GSM) model:

Step 1: Download PixelDroid Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM (HERE) and Google Apps (HERE) on to your PC.

Step 2: Connect HTC One M7 to PC via USB cord.

[Before connecting your phone to the computer, be sure that you have installed USB driver software, if not, click HERE to download the firmware].

Step 3: Place Android 5.1.1 Lollipop zip file and Google Apps files into the phone's SD card memory. [Users are advised to paste the .zip file in SD card root, not in any other folder.]

[Before installing the custom software, the user should make sure that the device has been rooted and ClockworkMod Recovery tool installed.]

Step 4: Place boot.img file in to the android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools directory.

Step 5: Turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 6: 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 directory (on the PC), open Command prompt, type 'fastboot flash boot boot.img' and press 'enter'. (to enter Command prompt: Shift + right-click >> open Command Prompt)

Step 8: Type 'fastboot reboot' and press 'enter'. Now follow the instructions displayed on the screen. Select BOOTLOADER option to enter Recovery Mode.

Step 9: Clear the phone memory by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset'

[Use Volume keys to navigate and power button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]

Step 10: Clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.

Step 11: Go back to ClockworkMod recovery, select 'advanced' and tap 'wipe dalvik cache'

[This step is optional, but many recommend it so that the user doesn't face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation].

Step 12: Come 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 5.1.1 Lollipop ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the same procedure for Google Apps

[Use Volume keys to navigate and power button to select options]

Step 14: Once the installation is done, navigate to '+++++Go Back+++++' and re-start the device by opting for 'reboot system now' seen in the recovery menu.

Your device (HTC One M7) will now take a few minutes (only for the first time) to complete the booting process.

Head to Settings >> select 'About phone' to confirm the installation of PixelDroid Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM.

[Credits: Team Android]

By: Abhishek On 04:07

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Update LG G2 with Official CM12 (Snapshot) Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Custom ROM via CyanogenMod [How to Install]

After months of delay, CyanogenMod team has finally released CM12 custom ROM snapshots to LG G2 and other select devices.

These snapshots are based on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. It is likely to be the last firmware in the CM12 series. The developer community has confirmed that they will now focus on building the new firmware based on the latest AOSP (Android Open Source Project) v5.1.1_r5 Lollipop that was released on Wednesday, 24 June.

"Nightlies and weeklies for 11 and 12.0 branches will be slowly phased out, most likely shut off come M's entry to nightlies. CM12.1 nightlies will continue as we prepare a release build for 5.1.1 as well (no ETA, sorry)," said CyanogenMod on the official blog.

CM12.0 brings new 'Material Design', colourful graphics, animation and it also boosts the device's performance.

Prerequisites (Things to remember before installing the CyanogenMod CM12 snapshot):

1. Users are advised not to flash CM12 snapshot, if the device is already running on the CM12.1 Nightly version.
2. Make sure the device is rooted before going forward for custom ROM installation
3. This new CyanogenMod CM12 Android 5.0.2 Lollipop firmware has to be installed on the LG G2 (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and International) models only ; if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
4. 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.
5. Users make sure you have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else your smartphone (LG G2) will not be recognized by the computer.
6. Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery, or else there is a chance of smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted mid-way.

[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. Itech2geeks.co.in 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.]

Downloadable files:

CM12 (Snapshot) Custom ROM for LG G2 (D800/AT&T): HERE

CM12 (Snapshot) Custom ROM for LG G2 (D801/T-Mobile): HERE

CM12 (Snapshot) Custom ROM for LG G3 (D802/International): HERE

CM12 (Nightly) Custom ROM for LG G3 (ls980/Sprint): HERE [Once, Snapshot is made available, we will update it]

Google Apps: HERE

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure of CyanogenMod [official] Android 5.0.2 Lollipop CM12 custom ROM Snapshot on LG G2 devices-

Step 1: After downloading the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop CM12.1 custom ROM and Google Apps files in to your PC; connect LG G2 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 2: Then, place Android 5.0.2 Lollipop zip file and Google Apps .zip 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: Now, turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 4: Then perform the regular Recovery Mode sortie by press holding 'Volume (Down)' and 'Power' buttons.

Step 5: After entering the RECOVERY mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset' option.

[Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]

Step 6: Now, clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'

Step 7: 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 8: Again come back to main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'

Step 9: Then tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the same procedure to install Google Apps [Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options]

Step 10: 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 (LG G2) will take a few minutes to complete the booting process.

Users then head to Settings >> select 'About phone' to confirm the installation of CyanogenMod [official] Android v5.0.2 Lollipop CM12 custom ROM snapshot.

[Credits: CyanogenMod.org]

By: Abhishek On 03:54

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Nexus 5, Nexus 7: Root for Lollipop Update Android 5.0

If you’re a Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 owner, there’s a chance you’ve already installed the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop developer preview on your device. The next step now would be to root your device since most owners are quite used to having their device rooted, especially as Nexus devices are one of the easiest devices to root and mod, and come with unlocked bootloaders.

Before Android 5.0 Lollipop came out, there were strong rumors that Google would be blocking system-write access with the version, making root almost impossible to achieve. But that doesn’t look to be the case as senior-recognized XDA contributor and one of the most famous developers out there, Chainfire, managed to get root working on Nexus 5 and Nexus 7.

How to root Lollipop update on Google Nexus 5 and Nexus 7

To achieve root on Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, or pretty much all other devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop, the SuperSU app that’s used to gain root access needs some minor changes in order to work as expected. To fix the SuperSU manually, it’s required that you copy /system/etc/install-recovery.sh to /system/bin/install-recovery.sh from recovery.

Before starting the rooting process, make sure you have at least 50% charge left on your battery. Also have a backup of all your data ready as there’s a chance you might lose all your data if anything goes wrong. If you’re an advanced user, we recommend you take a Nandroid backup of your device.

1. The first step involves installing the latest CWM or TWRP recovery available for your device. As the SuperSU root manager app is required to be flashed to your device using a custom recovery, either of these two recoveries will need to be installed to proceed. You can download the CWM or TWRP recovery for the Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 from the links below. Nexus 5 CWM, Nexus 5 TWRP, Nexus 7 CWM, Nexus 7 TWRP. Once you’ve installed a custom recovery, you can move to the next step of the installation process.
2. In the next step, you will need to connect your Nexus device to your computer. Once the device is connected, download the SuperSU file and the Boot file for Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 to your computer, then transfer it to the root of your device’s internal memory. You could also choose any other location you might prefer, but be sure to remember exactly where you transfer the file to as you need to choose these two files in the next step.
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3. The next step involves flashing the files you downloaded in the above step to the device to gain root access. Since some of you might be using CWM recovery and others might be using TWRP, we will describe the process for CWM and TWRP separately.

For CWM users

• The first step is to boot into recovery by pressing the volume down + power button of your device together. You will then need to press volume down twice to get to the recovery option. Then press the volume up key to enter recovery mode.

• The second step involves creating a Nandroid backup from recovery. You might skip this step if you already have a backup.

• Now choose the SuperSU file you transferred to your device’s internal memory and install it. Once done, browse the Boot file and install it the same way.

• Go back to the main menu under CWM recovery and choose reboot system now. Once your device reboots, it will be rooted.

For TWRP users

The installation process is almost the same as CWM, except you don’t have to navigate using the volume and power buttons, but simply tap on the option you need to use as TWRP is a touch-based recovery solution. As with CWM, browse the SuperSU and Boot files from the location you stored them in and flash them. After you’re done flashing, simply reboot your device and enjoy your root access on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

As you can see, the entire process of rooting on 5.0 is as easy as on previous Android versions and doesn’t really take much time at all. There aren’t any issues either except that some apps like the Titanium backup and Helium backup app aren’t working reportedly. The issue should be fixed soon, so if you use these apps and simply can’t manage without them, it’s probably not a good idea to root Lollipop just yet.

By: Abhishek On 02:41

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Bring Android L to Your Android Smartphone Without Rooting Now: Simple 6 Step Guide

While there are several methods to bring Android L onto your Android smartphone, most of them require you to root your device. As the current versions of Android L available across the Internet are filled with bugs, they cannot be recommended for daily usage.

Instead TechGEEks recommends that you try out this guide, which allows you to bring an Android L-styled look onto your smartphones. The guide comes via Redditor bradmeyerlive.

Disclaimer:TechGEEks  cannot be held responsible for any damage caused to your device or data.

Step 1: Upgrade and Tweak Nova Launchers

Users should first get/upgrade to the latest version of Nova Launcher. After doing so, they should follow these instructions.

"L" style folder preview (Settings > Folders > Folder Preview > Line)

"L" style app animation (Settings > Look and Feel > App Animation > Slide Up)

"L" style search bar (Settings > Desktop > Persistent Search Bar > L, or long-press on the quick search bar widget and select Edit)

"L" style app drawer icon (Long-press on the app drawer icon and select Edit. Then tap the icon and select the opaque white icon under Built-in)

Step 2: Icon Pack

The Moonshine Icon Pack works well with Nova Launcher. Once you've added it onto your phone, navigate to the Nova Launcher Settings. From there, go to Look and feel > Icon Theme > Moonshine.

Also, within Moonshine, users can apply several wallpapers by opening the app and choosing "Wallpapers."

Step 3: Getting Ex-Dialer

Get Ex-Dialer and the theme. After this, tweak them accordingly.

Within Ex-Dialer, (Menu > Preferences > Theme > Android L).

It is worth noting that Ex-Dialer is on a seven-day trial and that users will have to pay for the Pro version of the app.

Step 4: Heads Up Notification

Heads Up! notifications. This app gives you notifications similar to "L" that float.

Step 5: Calculator

While this app does replicate the Android L calculator very well, it happens to be a little laggy, according to its developer.

Step 6: Android L Keyboard

This app had been on the Play Store and was taken down. Click the link to go to XDA, then the first link in the forum.

Here are some installation instructions from XDA:

Uninstall Google keyboard (Play Store one not AOSP), install this apk and change theme

Go to Android L Google Keyboard settings

Open "Advanced settings"

Select Colour scheme "Material"

Now your Android smartphone should flaunt a gorgeous Android L style look. Let us know if this guide worked for you in the comments section below.

By: Abhishek On 02:48

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