Update HTC Desire Z to Android 4.1 CM10 Jelly Bean Firmware

HTC Desire Z is one of the rare slider keyboards Android phones. We never saw a similar phone again that runs on Android. HTC dropped support for HTC Desire Z long time ago by not releasing Android 4.0 ICS on it, because of its not-so-high specs.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing CM10 Android 4.1 on HTC Desire Z with complete steps. We have even mentioned all the precautionary points you should keep in mind before performing anything. Let’s move on to the tutorial below.

Disclaimer: All the tools, mods or ROMs mentioned below belong to their respective owners/developers. We (TeamAndroid.com) or the developers are not to be held responsible if you damage or brick your device. We don’t have you on gun point to try out this tutorial 😉

Working:

• Bluetooth
• Touchscreen
• Launcher
• Settings
• Boots really fast after first boot
• Rotation
• Touch keys
• Keyboard
• Vibration
• HW Acceleration
• Beautiful, Smooth Animations
• Screenshots
• SD Card

Not Working:

• WiFi
• Data/Network
• Sound
• Playing Music

WARNING: This is a very early test build. Try at your own risk!

Make sure you have installed all your USB drivers for the HTC Desire Z to connect it with the computer. Download HTC Desire Z USB drivers! Apart from just the USB drivers, there are a few more things that you need to take care of.

UPDATE: You can now update HTC Desire Z to Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean custom firmware. Read the tutorial here!

1. You need to enable USB debugging mode. This helps to connect your Android phone with the PC. See here: How to Enable USB Debugging.

2. Your phone battery should be 80-85% charged. If your phone goes off suddenly because of battery, during flashing ROMs or installing mods and updates — your phone might go dead permanently. See here: How to Check Battery Percentage.

3. Backup all your important data that you might need as soon as your flash a new ROM, or make a backup for just in case, you never know when anything might go wrong. See below on how to backup data:

• Backup your SMS messages. How? –> How to Backup/Restore SMS Messages.
• Backup Contacts, Gmail and Google Data. How? –> Sync with Google Sync.
• Backup Call History. How? –> How to Backup Call History.
• Backup WhatsApp Messages. How? –> How to Backup/Restore WhatsApp Messages.
• Backup APN Settings: GPRS, 3G, MMS Settings.

4. Your phone should be factory unlocked. Additional instructions for locked Android devices will be added in the tutorial for unlocking devices.

Now, let’s proceed with the tutorial below and install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on HTC Desire Z.

How to Install CM10 4.1 Jelly Bean on HTC Desire Z

We have put together a detailed step-by-step instructions guide on how to install CM10 4.1 Jelly Bean on HTC Desire Z. Please read every line carefully below. We suggest, read the tutorial once before actually performing it on your phone.

To Remember:

• This tutorial is only for HTC Desire Z. Please don’t try this on any other variants of the phone.
• Make sure you backup all your data in your phone before proceeding.
• This is not an official HTC software update. This is a custom third-party ROM.
• Bootloader should be unlocked. How? –> How to Unlock Bootloader of HTC Phones.
• Make sure ClockworkMod Recovery is installed on your phone.

If you have fulfilled all the requirements above, then proceed to the actual tutorial.

Complete Step-By-Step Instructions:

Step 1 – Download CM10 4.1 Jelly Bean for HTC Desire Z and Google Apps to your computer.

Step 2 – Connect and mount your HTC Desire Z USB (mass) memory on your computer using the USB cable.

Step 3 – Now copy/paste the CM10 Android 4.1 ROM zip file to your SD card. Make sure the file is in the SD card root.

Step 4 – Then turn off your phone.

Step 5 – Now to get in the bootloader mode. Turn on the phone while pressing and holding the Volume Down + Home + Power buttons.

Step 6 – Follow the navigation instructions on the screen. Select BOOTLOADER and then go to RECOVERY.

Step 7 – In ClockworkMod recovery, wipe data first. Then scroll down to “flash zip from SD card” and press the power button to select it.

Step 8 – Press the power button again and select “choose zip from sdcard”.

Step 9 –Now using your volume keys, navigate to CM10 Android 4.1 ROM zip file and select it using the power button. Confirm the installation on the next screen and the installation procedure should start now.

NOTE: Perform this same step again for Google Apps zip file as well.

Step 10 – After the installation completes, go to “+++++Go Back” and reboot the phone by selecting “reboot system now” from the recovery menu. The phone will boot now and it might take about 5 minutes to boot on your first time. So, please wait.

That’s it! Your HTC Desire Z should now have Android 4.1.1 (CM10) installed on your phone! Go to Settings >About phone to verify.

Have fun playing with it! If you have any issues, please post them up in the comments below!