Step by step guide for Unlocking and Rooting the HTC One (M8) AT&T Variant

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liquidaluminum

liquidaluminum

Senior Member
Sep 13, 2012
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I created a detailed set of step by step instructions for unlocking and rooting the HTC One (M8). This process will work for other HTC models as well, however, obviously I have not tested every phone, and as I have just upgraded to the M8, this process will apply directly to it. I apologize in advance if this steps on anyone's toes, as I will be including download links for specific tools needed. These steps can be found in different threads and guides, but I had not seen one that detailed the entire process from start to finish. Basically, I wrote it in layman's terms so that I was easily able to understand the process. Hopefully this will help anyone having any sort of issues. If anyone feels that this guide is inappropriate, please feel free to delete it, as this is my first "how to"

- Unlocking your AT&T HTC One (M8)​

The first thing you will need to do is create a folder labeled "Android". Different guides recommend that you place it on your desktop for easy reference, however, it can actually be placed wherever you wish, as long as you feel confident in navigating to the folder via a command prompt or terminal. For my purposes, I host the folder on my D:\ drive. If you are unable to navigate folders using a command prompt or terminal, Windows 7 and Windows 8 will allow you to right click on a folder and open a command prompt that way.

Downloading the necessary drivers - Drivers can be found by following the link found here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2019615

CNexus was nice enough to point out that HTC Sync is a lot of bloatware and not required, but can be downloaded if you wish. I opted to download the drivers only. This is a matter of personal preference for me. If you wish to install HTC Sync, then by all means do so.

You will also need to download the ADB/Fastboot files for Windows which can be found here:

ADB/Fastboot files for Windows: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1360819/adb-windows.zip

01. Determine if your system is 32-bit or 64-bit and follow the installation instructions for the appropriate software/drivers.
(If drivers have already been installed, then skip this installation step and start with the next).

02. Extract the contents of adb-windows.zip to your "Android" folder.

03. Open a command prompt in, or use a command prompt to browse to the "Android" folder you previously created.

04. On your HTC One (M8) go to Settings > Power, and then uncheck the "Fast Boot" option.

05. Once step 4 is completed, switch your device OFF.

06. Now that the device is powered down, Press the Volume Down and the Power buttons simultaneously to boot the HTC One (M8) into "HBOOT" mode.

07. Using the Volume buttons, navigate to the "Fastboot" option and select it using the Power button.

08. Connect your HTC One (M8) to your PC.

09. On the command prompt you previously opened in step 2, type in the following command "fastboot devices" (do not include the quotation marks).

**At this point, if all steps have been followed properly, you should receive a message in the command window similar to the following:

C:\Users\XXX\Desktop\Android>fastboot devices 011aa0a1a01aaaa1 fastboot


10. Now we will need to go to the HTC Developer website to get an "Identifier Token" before the bootloader can be unlocked. The URL to the HTC Developer website is www.htcdev.com. If you do not already have an account, you will need to register and sign in before you're able to proceed.

11. Once your account has been created and you are logged in, click on the "Development Center" link at the top of the screen.

12. Under the "Unlock Bootloader" option in the center of the page, click on "Get Started".

13. Next, under "Supported Devices" click on "Select your Device" and find the HTC One (M8) and then select "Begin Unlock Bootloader". (This process works for several other HTC devices as well).

14. Accept all warnings and agreements and keep proceeding forward by clicking the "Next" button. When you reach step 8 on the site, enter the following command in the command prompt:

"fastboot oem get_identifier_token" (without the quotation marks).

15. Copy the message seen in the command prompt to notepad or your clipboard.

16. ONLY KEEP THE RANDOM SERIES OF ALPHANUMERICS FROM THE OUTPUT YOU JUST COPIED. Remove everything else such as <<<, (bootloader), Info, or any other piece of text. DO NOT EDIT THE IDENTIFIER TOKEN START OR END LINE!!!

Example:

<<<< Identifier Token Start >>>>
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
<<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>>

17. Paste the edited output inside the "My Device Identifier Token" box on the HTC Developer website and press "Submit". Once you have submitted the identifier token, you will receive your unlock code binary file via email.

18. Upon receiving the "unlock_code.bin" file from HTC (this file is specific to your phone), transfer the file to your "Android" folder that was previously created at the start of this document.

19. With your command prompt still open, enter the following command:

"fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin" (without the quotation marks).

20. After entering this command, a message should appear on your HTC One (M8) screen asking if you really want to unlock the bootloader. Use the Volume key to highlight the YES option and press the Power button to select it.

21. At this point your phone's bootloader will be unlocked and it will restart automatically. The first boot could potentially take some time. If this happens, it is normal. Be patient and wait for the reboot.

22. After your device reboots, any previous settings that you may have saved will be lost with the unlocking of the bootloader. Be prepared for this, as you will need to redo them all. If it is your intention to unlock your bootloader, I highly suggest doing it on a fresh ROM install, so you only have to deal with it once. This means that "fastboot" will be re-enabled in the power settings. If you wish to continue to rooting your device, you will need to go to Settings > Power and un-check the "fastboot" option before proceeding.


- ROOTING YOUR DEVICE​


The first thing you will need to do to root your device is to download the following files

TWRP Recovery for the AT&T (M8): http://androidfiles.org/getdownload.php?file=M8/Recoveries/openrecovery-twrp-2.7.0.4-m8_ul_ca.img

SuperSU: download.chainfire.eu/396/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.94.zip?retrieve_file=1

1. Once downloaded it is advised to rename the TWRP Recovery file to either "twrp.img" or "m8recovery.img". (I renamed mine to m8recovery).

2. Once renamed, copy TWRP image file into your previously created "Android" folder.

3. Open a command prompt and browse to the same "Android" folder where you placed the adb/fastboot and TWRP Recovery files.

4. Make sure your HTC One (M8) is powered off. Boot the phone into fastboot mode by pressing the Volume down and Power buttons at the same time. Once booted, select "fastboot" by pressing the Power button.

5. Connect the HTC One (M8) to your PC.

6. Enter "fastboot devices" (without the quotation marks) in the command prompt to verify that the device has been detected by your PC. If the device is connected you should receive a message similar to the following:

C:\Users\XXX\Desktop\Android>fastbootdevices
010AA1A0A10AAAA1 fastboot

7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).

8. After TWRP Recovery has been successfully flashed, the device needs to be restarted manually. To do so, enter the command "fastboot reboot" (without the quotation marks).

9. Upon reboot, transfer the SuperSU zip file to the root directory of your HTC One (M8) via your PC.

10. Turn off your HTC One (M8) and reboot into Bootloader mode by holding the Volume Down and the Power button at the same time.

11. Navigate to the "Recovery" option and select it by pressing the power button. (After following this step, TWRP will load on the device rather than the stock HTC Recovery).

12. Now that TWRP Recovery has loaded, tap the "Install" button and select the UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.94.zip file you previously downloaded.

13. One the SuperSU zip file has been flashed, select the "Reboot System" option to reboot your device.

14. After the device restarts, you have successfully rooted your HTC One (M8). From here, you are now free to install custom Kernels, ROMs, and other mods as you see fit.

I hope this helps everyone out. I am not a developer, nor do I pretend to be. Please give thanks to the people that made all rooting and modding our phones possible

Special thanks to gdnewsevry1 for recognizing a missed step and command.
 
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S

scott500

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2007
211
27
Cape Cod, MA
Very nicely written and well put together. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

Scott


Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
 
Longcat14

Longcat14

Senior Member
Feb 13, 2011
1,588
142
Dallas
This guide is very well made!

I did figure out that you can root the phone without unlocking the boot loader (with Towelroot modstrings), SOff that way, then just follow your instructions to get TWRP on. You might want to add that in to, for people who don't want to use HTCDev.
 
G

gdnewsevry1

New member
Dec 8, 2013
1
3
suggestion

Thanks for your guide. I just used it and it helped a ton. I would suggest the change and addition below based on my experience.

liquidaluminum said:
TWRP Recovery for the AT&T (M8)

[...]

7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse


7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).

liquidaluminum said:
9. Upon reboot, transfer the SuperSU zip file to the root directory of your HTC One (M8) via your PC.

10. Turn off your HTC One (M8) and reboot into Bootloader mode by holding the Volume Down and the Power button at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Insert: 9a. Turn off fastboot in settings.
 
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liquidaluminum

liquidaluminum

Senior Member
Sep 13, 2012
75
75
gdnewsevry1 said:
Thanks for your guide. I just used it and it helped a ton. I would suggest the change and addition below based on my experience.




7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).



Insert: 9a. Turn off fastboot in settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Good observation. Thank you. I added a line item numbered 22 under the unlocking portion in substitution of 9a. I did it this way, because all settings are reset unlocking the bootloader. For those that are going to proceed to the rooting instructions, I thought it might be smart to go on and take care of disabling the fastboot options right off the bat, so it's no longer a concern.

You were 100% correct about adding the recovery line. I must have missed it while typing this up. Good looking out!
 
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liquidaluminum

liquidaluminum

Senior Member
Sep 13, 2012
75
75
redpoint73 said:
This is almost certainly the best guide I have seen on XDA to unlock/root a device.

I've added it to my Index thread under "Unlock Bootloader, ROOT, S-Off": http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=52653939

Also, one suggestion is to add an alternate section/branch to flash straight to a custom ROM (rather than stay stock and root).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'm definitely thinking about doing that very thing. The only thing that prevented me originally is because of the way I have to use my phone. I've never owned an HTC device before, so I'm not sure if the same issue would exist, but in regards to ROM swapping, when I was running Samsung devices, I found a proprietary problem with the devices themselves that prevented me from running custom ROMs.

I have an Appradio 2 in my car that relies on the MHL output to mirror my device to my dash. When using custom ROMs of any kind (that I tried), I MHL never worked. I addressed the issue with a couple of developers, I was told that because MHL isn't used by many people, support for it isn't focused on. Since that has seemed to hold true for any of the ROMs that I've tried, I've always been limited to rooted stock ROMs. Hence my not including the suggested addition.
 
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redpoint73

redpoint73

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Oct 24, 2007
15,254
6,968
I see, it makes sense to write a guide for only what you know about.

I wouldn't necessarily avoid custom ROMs just for the MHL issue. There are a good number of great custom ROMs that are built on the "stock" Sense base, but with varying degrees of optimizations and cool customization options. Its just a gut feel, but with many of these ROMs I would think the MHL function would work fine. In any case, just make a nandroid backup of your current setup (which I highly recommend when flashing just about anything) and if you don't like the current ROM, its easy to revert.
 
T

thinkhope

Senior Member
Jun 24, 2010
483
86
Los Angeles
About to do this when I get home...


just wanted to know if anything has changed since the last time this was updated. Appreciate the time put into this guide!
 
bloodyjuicebox

bloodyjuicebox

New member
Aug 10, 2011
3
0
Lebanon
Thank you so much. Directions and attatchments worked like a charm. I found another image to use as a recovery since your link was dead. :):good:
 
jxcorex28

jxcorex28

Senior Member
Feb 20, 2014
1,233
183
Tuscaloosa, Al.
If you ever have time..perhaps you should write up a detailed thread about RUUs. There are a few good ones, but most of them written are from guys either stuck on HTC devices or have used android for years. It might knock out the traffic from unnecessary comments on Dev threads. Perhaps letting others know that you can flash RUUs without a computer simply by renaming to 0P6BIMG. AFAIK you can not change CID without access to a computer. I've tried finding out how I can, but I haven't found out anything. I wanted to do a straight GPE conversion considering I never use SENSE based Roms. A few weeks ago my computer crashed, and I figured that idea was out the window til wonder_never_cease told me to rename the file to 0P6BIMG, but to receive OTA updates I'd have to change the CID from SUPERcid to the google gpe CID

---------- Post added at 05:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 AM ----------

Isn't philz recovery discontinued ?
 
ksoze11

ksoze11

Senior Member
Nov 30, 2011
149
8
hey, thanks for the detailed guide!

do your steps include s-off?
moreover, what is s-off (I am very new to m8) and is it necessary after rooting? what does it provide?

question #2, will I be able to get OTA updates (if I replace TWRP with stock recovery) ?

thanks in advance!
 
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redpoint73

redpoint73

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Oct 24, 2007
15,254
6,968
ksoze11 said:
do your steps include s-off?
moreover, what is s-off (I am very new to m8) and is it necessary after rooting? what does it provide?

question #2, will I be able to get OTA updates (if I replace TWRP with stock recovery) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

1) Guide doesn't include s-off. Look for threads/guides on firewater or (more likely) sunshine s-off methods.

S-off is a HTC-specific security flag that means "all security off". S-off isn't required for most root functions, flashing ROMs, etc. Its only needed to flash some protected partitions (hboot, radio), SIM unlock, and a few other things.

S-off also means that things like device check and version check are bypassed. This can sometimes give you more recovery options (for instance "downgrade" by RUU which is not possible with S-on). But it also makes it possible for your to flash mods meant for other devices and possibly brick the phone. So care needs to be taken when s-off, and it shouldn't be taken lightly.

2) You need to be on the stock ROM (with no system files modified) and stock recovery to receive and install OTA. If you have that, it will OTA fine. But you will need to root again afterwards.
 
CanuckinPA

CanuckinPA

Senior Member
Nov 28, 2010
281
19
State College, PA
Help -- Phone Keeps Rebooting

I went through the entire procedure to unlock and root and all was fine for a week or so until earlier this week.
I'm not sure what I did prior to the problem, but suddenly the phone started rebooting every minute or so. I shut the phone down for a couple of hours, but when I restarted it the rebooting continued.

I booted into Philz recovery and did a restore to stock, reinstalled all of my apps and all was well until this morning. I have Link2SD and after installing Handcent I opened the Link2SD app. Then the reboot returned. :mad:

Is there a fix for this issue, or do I have to go back to stock again?

BTW - I haven't flashed a custom ROM yet, still running the stock ATT HTC ROM
 
Last edited:
redpoint73

redpoint73

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Oct 24, 2007
15,254
6,968
CanuckinPA said:
I went through the entire procedure to unlock and root and all was fine for a week or so until earlier this week.
I'm not sure what I did prior to the problem, but suddenly the phone started rebooting every minute or so. I shut the phone down for a couple of hours, but when I restarted it the rebooting continued.

I booted into Philz recovery and did a restore to stock, reinstalled all of my apps and all was well until this morning. I have Link2SD and after installing Handcent I opened the Link2SD app. Then the reboot returned. :mad:

Is there a fix for this issue, or do I have to go back to stock again?

BTW - I haven't flashed a custom ROM yet, still running the stock ATT HTC ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If the phone was working fine for a week, then it must be due to some more recent change made to the phone or app your installed. Did you try to uninstall Link2SD?
 
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    liquidaluminum
    liquidaluminum
    I created a detailed set of step by step instructions for unlocking and rooting the HTC One (M8). This process will work for other HTC models as well, however, obviously I have not tested every phone, and as I have just upgraded to the M8, this process will apply directly to it. I apologize in advance if this steps on anyone's toes, as I will be including download links for specific tools needed. These steps can be found in different threads and guides, but I had not seen one that detailed the entire process from start to finish. Basically, I wrote it in layman's terms so that I was easily able to understand the process. Hopefully this will help anyone having any sort of issues. If anyone feels that this guide is inappropriate, please feel free to delete it, as this is my first "how to"

    - Unlocking your AT&T HTC One (M8)​

    The first thing you will need to do is create a folder labeled "Android". Different guides recommend that you place it on your desktop for easy reference, however, it can actually be placed wherever you wish, as long as you feel confident in navigating to the folder via a command prompt or terminal. For my purposes, I host the folder on my D:\ drive. If you are unable to navigate folders using a command prompt or terminal, Windows 7 and Windows 8 will allow you to right click on a folder and open a command prompt that way.

    Downloading the necessary drivers - Drivers can be found by following the link found here:

    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2019615

    CNexus was nice enough to point out that HTC Sync is a lot of bloatware and not required, but can be downloaded if you wish. I opted to download the drivers only. This is a matter of personal preference for me. If you wish to install HTC Sync, then by all means do so.

    You will also need to download the ADB/Fastboot files for Windows which can be found here:

    ADB/Fastboot files for Windows: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1360819/adb-windows.zip

    01. Determine if your system is 32-bit or 64-bit and follow the installation instructions for the appropriate software/drivers.
    (If drivers have already been installed, then skip this installation step and start with the next).

    02. Extract the contents of adb-windows.zip to your "Android" folder.

    03. Open a command prompt in, or use a command prompt to browse to the "Android" folder you previously created.

    04. On your HTC One (M8) go to Settings > Power, and then uncheck the "Fast Boot" option.

    05. Once step 4 is completed, switch your device OFF.

    06. Now that the device is powered down, Press the Volume Down and the Power buttons simultaneously to boot the HTC One (M8) into "HBOOT" mode.

    07. Using the Volume buttons, navigate to the "Fastboot" option and select it using the Power button.

    08. Connect your HTC One (M8) to your PC.

    09. On the command prompt you previously opened in step 2, type in the following command "fastboot devices" (do not include the quotation marks).

    **At this point, if all steps have been followed properly, you should receive a message in the command window similar to the following:

    C:\Users\XXX\Desktop\Android>fastboot devices 011aa0a1a01aaaa1 fastboot


    10. Now we will need to go to the HTC Developer website to get an "Identifier Token" before the bootloader can be unlocked. The URL to the HTC Developer website is www.htcdev.com. If you do not already have an account, you will need to register and sign in before you're able to proceed.

    11. Once your account has been created and you are logged in, click on the "Development Center" link at the top of the screen.

    12. Under the "Unlock Bootloader" option in the center of the page, click on "Get Started".

    13. Next, under "Supported Devices" click on "Select your Device" and find the HTC One (M8) and then select "Begin Unlock Bootloader". (This process works for several other HTC devices as well).

    14. Accept all warnings and agreements and keep proceeding forward by clicking the "Next" button. When you reach step 8 on the site, enter the following command in the command prompt:

    "fastboot oem get_identifier_token" (without the quotation marks).

    15. Copy the message seen in the command prompt to notepad or your clipboard.

    16. ONLY KEEP THE RANDOM SERIES OF ALPHANUMERICS FROM THE OUTPUT YOU JUST COPIED. Remove everything else such as <<<, (bootloader), Info, or any other piece of text. DO NOT EDIT THE IDENTIFIER TOKEN START OR END LINE!!!

    Example:

    <<<< Identifier Token Start >>>>
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A1A
    <<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>>

    17. Paste the edited output inside the "My Device Identifier Token" box on the HTC Developer website and press "Submit". Once you have submitted the identifier token, you will receive your unlock code binary file via email.

    18. Upon receiving the "unlock_code.bin" file from HTC (this file is specific to your phone), transfer the file to your "Android" folder that was previously created at the start of this document.

    19. With your command prompt still open, enter the following command:

    "fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin" (without the quotation marks).

    20. After entering this command, a message should appear on your HTC One (M8) screen asking if you really want to unlock the bootloader. Use the Volume key to highlight the YES option and press the Power button to select it.

    21. At this point your phone's bootloader will be unlocked and it will restart automatically. The first boot could potentially take some time. If this happens, it is normal. Be patient and wait for the reboot.

    22. After your device reboots, any previous settings that you may have saved will be lost with the unlocking of the bootloader. Be prepared for this, as you will need to redo them all. If it is your intention to unlock your bootloader, I highly suggest doing it on a fresh ROM install, so you only have to deal with it once. This means that "fastboot" will be re-enabled in the power settings. If you wish to continue to rooting your device, you will need to go to Settings > Power and un-check the "fastboot" option before proceeding.


    - ROOTING YOUR DEVICE​


    The first thing you will need to do to root your device is to download the following files

    TWRP Recovery for the AT&T (M8): http://androidfiles.org/getdownload.php?file=M8/Recoveries/openrecovery-twrp-2.7.0.4-m8_ul_ca.img

    SuperSU: download.chainfire.eu/396/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.94.zip?retrieve_file=1

    1. Once downloaded it is advised to rename the TWRP Recovery file to either "twrp.img" or "m8recovery.img". (I renamed mine to m8recovery).

    2. Once renamed, copy TWRP image file into your previously created "Android" folder.

    3. Open a command prompt and browse to the same "Android" folder where you placed the adb/fastboot and TWRP Recovery files.

    4. Make sure your HTC One (M8) is powered off. Boot the phone into fastboot mode by pressing the Volume down and Power buttons at the same time. Once booted, select "fastboot" by pressing the Power button.

    5. Connect the HTC One (M8) to your PC.

    6. Enter "fastboot devices" (without the quotation marks) in the command prompt to verify that the device has been detected by your PC. If the device is connected you should receive a message similar to the following:

    C:\Users\XXX\Desktop\Android>fastbootdevices
    010AA1A0A10AAAA1 fastboot

    7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).

    8. After TWRP Recovery has been successfully flashed, the device needs to be restarted manually. To do so, enter the command "fastboot reboot" (without the quotation marks).

    9. Upon reboot, transfer the SuperSU zip file to the root directory of your HTC One (M8) via your PC.

    10. Turn off your HTC One (M8) and reboot into Bootloader mode by holding the Volume Down and the Power button at the same time.

    11. Navigate to the "Recovery" option and select it by pressing the power button. (After following this step, TWRP will load on the device rather than the stock HTC Recovery).

    12. Now that TWRP Recovery has loaded, tap the "Install" button and select the UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.94.zip file you previously downloaded.

    13. One the SuperSU zip file has been flashed, select the "Reboot System" option to reboot your device.

    14. After the device restarts, you have successfully rooted your HTC One (M8). From here, you are now free to install custom Kernels, ROMs, and other mods as you see fit.

    I hope this helps everyone out. I am not a developer, nor do I pretend to be. Please give thanks to the people that made all rooting and modding our phones possible

    Special thanks to gdnewsevry1 for recognizing a missed step and command.
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    5
    redpoint73
    redpoint73
    fox091 said:
    Does this process of unlocking the bootloader and rooting do the same as what S-Off does? I've seen/heard of rooting plenty of times, but this S-Off thing is new to me. I keep reading that if I want to do custom ROMs and S-Off I need to pay $25 for Sunshine.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Nope, those are all completely different things.

    Unlocked bootloader allows you to flash custom recovery, custom ROMs, and some other mods.

    S-off is something specific to HTC devices, so if you are coming from another manufacturer, it will be completely new to you. Its something of a "back door" HTC leaves for themselves, and not normally intended for consumer use. Which is why it always has to be hacked by developers, like the sunshine exploit. S-off allows you to flash "protected" partitions (not normally accessible even with bootloader unlocked) such as radio, hboot, and others. Also allows SIM unlock.

    One confusing thing, is that even though you can flash ROMs with unlocked bootloader and s-on; HTC has complicated matters by peridiocally updating what most folks here call "firmware" which is a separate package from the ROM that contains a variety of modules needed for the ROM to work properly (hboot, radio, WiFi, Bluetooth, and others). Meaning if you aren't on the right "firmware" for the custom ROM you want (4.4.3. versus 4.4.4 versus 5.0, etc.) you are going to suffer some major bugs like long boot times (over 10 min or more), broken WiFi, audio bugs, and more.

    Depending on what ROM you are interested in, and what firmware you need to flash, you may be able to update by OTA and s-on. Or you might need s-off to manually update by "unofficial" means.

    So when technically s-off is not "needed" to flash a custom ROM, you may or may not need s-off to update the firmware and make that custom ROM work properly.

    The biggest obstacle for AT&T users right now (and the most common reason to s-off) is that AT&T has only "officially" rolled out 4.4.4 for the M8. Meaning that if you try to run a Lollipop custom ROM, your firmware (4.4.4) will not be what is needed to run that ROM. So s-off is the only way to manually update to 5.0 firmware, until AT&T rolls it out officially.
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    3
    G
    gdnewsevry1
    suggestion

    Thanks for your guide. I just used it and it helped a ton. I would suggest the change and addition below based on my experience.

    liquidaluminum said:
    TWRP Recovery for the AT&T (M8)

    [...]

    7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse


    7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).

    liquidaluminum said:
    9. Upon reboot, transfer the SuperSU zip file to the root directory of your HTC One (M8) via your PC.

    10. Turn off your HTC One (M8) and reboot into Bootloader mode by holding the Volume Down and the Power button at the same time.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Insert: 9a. Turn off fastboot in settings.
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    2
    liquidaluminum
    liquidaluminum
    gdnewsevry1 said:
    Thanks for your guide. I just used it and it helped a ton. I would suggest the change and addition below based on my experience.




    7. Once verified, type "fastboot flash recovery m8recovery.img" (or whatever you renamed your .img file to and without the quotation marks) in the command prompt and wait for fastboot to flash the TWRP Recovery on your HTC One (M8).



    Insert: 9a. Turn off fastboot in settings.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Good observation. Thank you. I added a line item numbered 22 under the unlocking portion in substitution of 9a. I did it this way, because all settings are reset unlocking the bootloader. For those that are going to proceed to the rooting instructions, I thought it might be smart to go on and take care of disabling the fastboot options right off the bat, so it's no longer a concern.

    You were 100% correct about adding the recovery line. I must have missed it while typing this up. Good looking out!
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    2
    redpoint73
    redpoint73
    fox091 said:
    Ok. I haven't actually bought the phone yet, as I'm waiting to see if the price will drop after the M9 announcement. I'm pretty sure any phone I buy from someone on ebay or Swappa is gonna be on the most recent update, but there may be some that aren't. =
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    You can really get anything. You may even get one that was previously rooted or even s-off. Its best to ask specifics including hboot number and any previous mods before buying.

    fox091 said:
    Would getting a Google Play Edition, or converted Google Play Edition solve all of this headache and allow me to do whatever I want with it? I found a couple GPEs/converted GPEs for about the same as normal AT&T M8s and one was even cheaper.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    If it was converted to GPE from Sense, it must have been s-off'ed by definition.

    GPE may have an updated hboot, but again you should ask before buying. Other than that, you will still need to unlock the bootloader and install custom recovery to be able to flash custom ROMs.

    And if some reason you want to switch back to Sense, you would need to convert the partitioning back to Sense. Its not hard, but a few extra steps.

    On the other hand, if you want a M8 without Sense (AOSP or GPE interface) look/feel, and no AT&T bloat, you may enjoy the GPE version just how it is, without any mods or custom ROM.
    View

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