HTC Sensation Gets Paranoid Android Based Jelly Bean Update [How to Install]

HTC's first ever dual-core Android device, HTC Sensation, gets some Jelly Bean goodness, thanks to XDA senior member - DragunKorr - for releasing Paranoid Android based hybrid ROM. The ROM ports a phablet (hybrid phone and tablet) interface to bring the taste of both worlds to the smartphone user.

The hybrid interface ported into this ROM enables the effective use of screen space to display more information without forcing the UI to scale down. Users may switch between either phone, tablet or phablet mode based on their needs. Besides, it allows you the privilege to scale and size apps and interface components to your preference.

The ROM based on the latest Android version, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, includes all the regular features such as fluid and responsive butter-smooth-interface and highly enhanced notifications with redesigned status bar. The ROM is an unofficial release, and may harbour a few untested bugs or broken features. Besides, the ROM is based on the stock Android and hence HTC-specific native features will be unavailable, while some apps may function differently from their original counterparts.

Key Points to Note

• As the developer notes, only the front facing camera seems to have a broken feature and is currently not supported on this ROM.
• The ROM and the instructions provided in this guide are only compatible with the HTC Sensation and will not work on any other device. Verify your device's model number by navigating to Settings > About phone.
• IBTimes UK advises users to backup apps, important personal data and settings (bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs and other internet settings) to avoid data loss while performing the Jelly Bean update on your HTC Sensation.
• Make sure that your phone has S-Off and its bootloader is unlocked. Also, verify that ClockworkMod recovery is installed on your device before you proceed to the ROM installation steps.
• The instructions provided in this guide are meant for reference purpose only and do not cover any warranty claims involving device damage or issues arising out of using this firmware update. Users are advised to proceed at their own risk.

How to Install Paranoid Android Based Jelly Bean Update on HTC Sensation

Step 1: Download the latest version of Paranoid Android ROM from XDA Developers official thread (Download here).

Step 2: Download the Google Apps package here: Download Gapps

Step 3: Without extracting, copy the downloaded zip files from step 1 and step 2 to the SD card.

Step 4: Power off the phone and boot into ClockworkMod recovery. To do so, press and hold the Volume down button and Power button together. On the resulting HBOOT menu, press Volume down to choose the Recovery option and hit the Power button to activate it. In recovery, use Volume buttons to navigate and Power button to choose items.

Step 5: Take a Nandroid Backup of your current ROM, so that you can always restore it from recovery if something fails to work with the new ROM. Choose Backup and Restore and on the next screen, hit Backup again. Return to main recovery menu once backup is done.

Step 6: Tap wipe data/factory reset, then click Yes to confirm on next screen. Wait until the data wipe process completes.

Step 7: Choose install zip from sdcard and then tap choose zip from sdcard. Browse and select the ROM file on the SD card. Then confirm its installation by clicking Yes on the next screen and the ROM will begin installing.

Step 8: Once ROM is installed, hit choose zip from sdcard again, then choose the gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip file to install the Google apps (GApps) package.

Step 9: After GApps is installed, hit go back then tap reboot system now to reboot the phone into Paranoid Android ROM. The first boot is usually time consuming and may take about 5 minutes, so leave it alone.

NOTE: If you want to return to your previous ROM, boot into recovery (as given in step 4), choose backup and restore, then restore your previous ROM by selecting it from the list.

Paranoid Android ROM based Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now successfully installed on your HTC Sensation.

[Source: The Android Soul]