HTC One: Remove branding

Have you always wanted to remove the branding of your HTC One and finally use your smartphone without unnecessary apps and boot animations from your mobile phone company? We show you how to do it here.

Preparatory work - how to prepare your HTC One for debranding

Removing the branding on HTC One is not that easy: you have to do a few things "under the hood" of the operating system here that are not without their dangers. You move here in regions where you can also irreparably damage your cell phone and the manufacturer's guarantee no longer applies.

1. Install ADB: To change the software of your mobile phone, you need access to your HTC One from the PC. To do this, you must first correctly install the "Android Debug Bridge" on your PC. Download and instructions can be found here.
2. Install Toolkit: The popularity of HTC One has already produced a Toolkit that simplifies all other processes and makes them easier to understand. It usually takes the strain off you from writing commands on the command line.
3. Install HTC drivers: After starting the toolkit, use the first function at the top left to install the necessary drivers from HTC. Contrary to what the program says, you should not carry out the further steps in the left window for now.
4. Get S-Off: HTC provides its devices with a CustomerID (CID), which gives each individual device a specific number, which is linked to the branding. This still has to be changed. In the toolkit you will find the necessary steps in the "S-Off" window at the bottom right.
5. Find RUU file: Your smartphone and PC are ready - Now only the new Android version is missing. You can find the original RUU system files for HTC One here, for example. Choose an unbranded version designed for the European market and download the almost one GB file.
6. Make a backup: Back up all contacts, messages and apps externally, because the flash of a RUU file deletes all personal data from your HTC One. You can find good solutions for this here, for example.

Remove the branding - here's how you can do it:

The preparations are done - now the actual switch from branding to the free Android version is coming.

1. Put your HTC One in bootloader or fastboot status. To do this, switch off your device and restart it while holding down the "Volume down" and "Power" buttons. In the menu that appears, use the volume buttons to navigate to "Fastboot" and confirm with the "Power" button.
2. Connect your device to your PC using a USB cable. The red lettering "FASTBOOT (USB)" should appear on your mobile phone display.
3. Navigate on your PC to the folder that contains the "fastboot.exe" of the Android ADB. Start a command line by clicking the right mouse button while holding down the Shift key ("Open command prompt here").
4. The following command clears the way: Type in "fastboot oem writecid HTC__102" and confirm with Enter.
5. Now you can run the downloaded RUU file and follow the menu that appears. Never cancel this process! This can irreparably damage the device.
6. After graduation, you should have a brandless HTC One. Set up your smartphone again and start in an Android world undisturbed by mobile phone providers.