Install CM 12.1 Stable ROM on HTC One S

If you own the HTC One S, then you’ll be happy to know that the latest CM 12.1 Stable ROM can be installed on your device right away. The CM12.1 software that I am talking about is based on the AOSP Android 5.1.1 builds, but there are also so many goodies designed by the CyanogenMod developers just waiting to be discovered; so what are you waiting for?

However, getting CM 12.1 on your HTC One S comes with a few risks – the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update can be applied only in certain situations: you have to root your phone, install a custom recovery on it and wipe its system before doing anything else.

I want you to understand from the start the fact that the ‘factory reset’ process doesn’t wipe any data from internal storage, but it removes the files on the system partition. In such a case, I recommend backing up your HTC One S data in order to avoid any unpleasant situation. Do not start the CM 12.1 update procedure either before checking the battery charge level of your phone; if it is not over 60%, charge it now as this will prevent the phone from powering off during the installation process.

Do not forget to prepare your PC and the original USB cable of your HTC One S. Deactivate your security programs such as Firewall and antivirus (this is a temporary solution) as they might slow down or completely stop the operation and install the handset’s drivers on the computer. Otherwise, establishing a connection between them will become an impossible task.

Make sure that this is just a third-party custom ROM developed by third-party developers and not officially released by HTC, so you’ll need a custom recovery such as CWM or TWRP in order to be successful. Even more, the HTC One S should be rooted and make no mistake when it comes to the version of your device. This tutorial containing the CyanogenMod 12 Nightly custom ROM is working with HTC One S only, so do not try to install this firmware on any other device or incorrect variant.

That was all! Go ahead and follow these instructions to get started.

How to Install CM 12.1 Stable ROM on your HTC One S:

1. Download the CM 12.1 SNAPSHOT zip file from here;
2. Here you can also find Gapps for Android 5.1.1 ROMs;
3. Move the downloaded files to your phone’s internal storage by using the USB cord that I’ve previously told you about;
4. Disconnect the phone from your PC;
5. Power off the handset;
6. It’s time boot it in Custom Recovery Mode; by pressing and holding the Volume Down and Power keys; then, follow the on screen instructions and select Bootloader > go to Recovery.
7. Now you can factory reset the device, so select ‘wipe data/ factory reset’;
8. Now, for CWM, you have to select ‘install zip from sdcard’, then ‘choose zip from sdcard’, while for TWRP you are supposed to open the Install options menu;
9. Find the CM 12.1 SNAPSHOT zip file;
10. After the ROM is flashed, also install the Gapps zip;
11. Reboot the HTC One S in normal mode and enjoy the changes! The first boot could take even more than 5 minutes, so please be patient.

Do tell me how things worked for you and stay close for further step by step Android guides.