HTC One M8 GPe gets Android 5.1 OTA update: How to install manually

Owners of HTC One M8 Google Play Edition (GPe) are in for some great news, as the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop over-the-air (OTA) update has been recently captured by a Redditor and uploaded by XDA senior member Dadud.

Dadud has confirmed in his recent post on XDA forum that the captured OTA update works fine with ADB sideload method. However, you might also try installing the same via stock recovery as outlined in the tutorial below.

Meanwhile, the folks at Android Central have confirmed that the update weighs just over 244MB in size and brings a bunch of new Android 5.1 features such as tweaks to the way notification interruptions are handled along with numerous bug fixes and animations.

In addition, the update reportedly features a few cosmetic changes such as HD voice support and the ability to control paired Bluetooth devices from quick settings.

The OTA update is expected to be rolled out in phases over the next few weeks. However, curious HTC One users who cannot wait for the official Lollipop release can install the same manually, using the step-by-step guide provided below.

IBTimes UK reminds its readers that it will not be held liable for any damage to device during or after Android 5.1 firmware installation. Users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

Pre-requisites

• The instructions provided in this guide are limited to HTC One M8 Google Play Edition (GPe) devices and will not work with any other model. Verify your device model from Settings > About Phone.
• Ensure your phone has at least 60% battery charge to avoid inadvertent shutdown during the installation process.
• Verify that the phone is in S-OFF mode.
• Make sure the correct USB drivers (download here or click here for Windows 8 drivers) are installed for the phone on computer.
• Enable USB debugging on your phone from Settings > Developer Options.

Downloads Required

Android 5.1 OTA update for HTC One M8

Steps to update HTC One M8 Google Play Edition to stock Android 5.1 Lollipop manually

Step 1: Download Android 5.1 OTA update for your HTC One M8 GPe using the download link given above and then rename it to lollipop.zip.

Step 2: Copy the lollipop.zip file to the desired location on your phone's internal storage.

Step 3: Reboot your phone into stock recovery as follows: Turn off the phone and then press and hold Volume Down key along with the Power button until the Fastboot menu appears on screen.

Step 4: Now use volume keys to navigate and highlight Recovery option, and then hit Power key to confirm selection.

Step 5: Your device should now reboot and you will see a red Android logo with an exclamation mark on the screen.

Step 6: At this moment, hit the Volume Up key followed by the Power button to progress into the stock recovery.

Step 7: Use Volume keys to choose 'Apply from phone storage' option and then select the Lollipop OTA file which you copied earlier in Step 2. Then hit the Power button to confirm selection and wait until the installation completes.

Step 8: Once the update completes, choose Reboot System Now option to boot into the newly installed Android 5.1 firmware on your HTC One M8.

Note: The first boot may take some time (up to 10 minutes). So, leave the system as is and do not interrupt the reboot process.