How to Fix Bricked / Unbrick HTC One M8

Any Android smartphone can get bricked and this includes your recently bought HTC One M8 (2014 edition). So, before screaming “what did I do wrong?”, you should understand that soft bricks generally occur right after you attempt applying an unofficial operation and the list includes a variety of procedures such as flashing custom kernel, gaining root access, installing custom ROMs, overclocking the CPU, unlocking the bootloader and more, but don’t forget that you still have a chance to unbrick your HTC One M8.

Anyway, before proceeding, you should know that there are two types of bricked devices: the first soft brick that we have told you about (this is the case that has a chance to be solved), as well as the hardware brick which practically means that you cannot use your HTC One M8 at all. In such case, we must tell you from the start that we cannot give you any tip for your bricked smartphone; you just have to return it to service for technical inspection as soon as possible.

We know that all the operations previously mentioned aren’t official and the warranty of your phone might be voided, but technical assistance is necessary and you have to try. We know that the idea of technical service (which is quite expensive) cannot sound good in any context, so when performing unofficial operations, don’t forget to restore the warranty and save yourself for any unpleasant surprise.

And if we are talking about a software brick, then you can unbrick your 2014 HTC One M8 by yourself, but only after following these steps.

Preparatory steps:

• Make a full backup of your HTC One M8 and by that we mean saving al the market apps, call logs, contacts list, personal data, text messages, accounts and other info that might be important to you;
• A computer will be required and don’t forget to temporarily disable the antivirus and any other security protection;
• You’ll need the original USB cable for establishing the connection between your HTC One M8 and the PC at some point, so prepare it now;
• Install the phone’s USB drivers on your computer, as well as Android SDK and don’t hesitate to set up ADB;
• Charge your THC One M8 especially if there is less than 70% power left; it is better to prevent bad things happening than regretting when it is already too late and your device bricked beyond repair.

How to Unbrick (Fix Bricked) your HTC One M8:

Make a Hard Reset
Various issues can be easily resolved by making a hard reset. So, if your HTC One M8 seems to run with bugs, if you are experiencing battery drain problems and repeated screen freezes situations or if the device simply doesn’t work as good as before, the hard reset operation might be just what you need.

Here we have a step by step tutorial on How to Hard Reset your HTC One M8, so don’t hesitate to use the link.

Enter recovery mode
Are the problems still there? We have another possible solution for you: enter recovery mode on your HTC One M8 by using the hardware keys, the Android Debug Bridge utility, or the Quick Boot (Reboot) app.

Here you can find all the steps for this procedure.

Restore HTC One M8 to stock Android OS
If the first two methods were both unsuccessful, then restoring HTC One to stock Android OS with the help of ROM Update Utility might be your chance:

1. Download ROM Update Utility (RUU) on your computer (choose the version which is suitable for your device model);
2. Install it and then follow the on screen prompts;
3. Connect the HTC One M8 phone with your computer via the original USB cable and reinstall the Android OS;
4. Your device will reboot into Android OS.

Use the combination of Volume up / down and Power buttons
Press on Volume up and down buttons and the Power key and keep them for at least 90 seconds. Your phone should eventually vibrate or respond in one manner or another. Repeat this operation several times if you want a response from your bricked device;

HTC One M8 and the USB cable
If your phone gets damaged while the USB cord was plugged in, wait a few minutes and unplug the USB cable; then, your HTC One M8 should reboot.

And if we have told you about prevention before, why not talking about some precautions that can help you prevent turning your HTC One M8 into a bricked one?

• As you have probably imagined, we want to start by telling you that you don’t have to flash anything that is not meant for your device. As strange as it might sound, just check the model number of your HTC one handset on the original box before doing any mistake. There are indeed tutorials that can work good on all devices, but if this is not explicitly mentioned, don’t risk trying them or you can brick your phone;
• The fear of bricking your HTC One M8 should not keep you away from the advantages offered by unofficial procedure such as gaining root access, installing custom ROMs, unlocking the bootloader and so on; where would be the fun on using your phone? But if you are not sure that you know what you are supposed to do, then we have only one advice for you: ask for help and wait! Don’t do anything or ou risk damaging your device!
• Keeping USB Debugging enabled on your handset could help you unbrick it. You just have to go to Settings > About Phone, tap on Build number seven times to unlock Developer Options and tick the USB Debugging Checkbox to enable it;
• Take a nandroid backup of your HTC One M8 as long as it can be restored at any point of time to bring the device back to the same state when it was backed up.

Was this guide helpful? Got better information on how to fix bricked / unbrick HTC One M8? Share your opinions with us and other readers! Let’s hope that there’s still a chance to make your bricked smartphone work as new.