After a long wait, anxious users of the Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE were rewarded for their patience with the official Jelly Bean update yesterday which bumped up the OS version to Android 4.1.1. While there was nary a doubt that the update would eventually come, it is always exhilarating to actually see that system update notification icon sitting prettily one fine morning in your status bar.

While it would have been even better if the update could have been fast tracked to 4.1.2, but it’s still Jelly Bean, so I guess nobody should be complaining. Or if you are finicky about getting all the latest updates, there is always the Nexus route that can be taken, eh?

While the update comes with all the usual Jelly Bean goodies like Project Butter, Google Now, new Google Apps and the ilk, there ae also some HTC and Sprint specific optimizations included notable ones being HTC Sense 4+, Sprint Connections Optimizer, and Tap and Go, which helps easy connections to certain Beats headphones.

The update is still rolling out OTA, but XDA member -viperboy- has managed to get hold of it and release a rooted and CWM flashable version of the stock Android 4.1.1 firmware. So if you still haven’t got the update, this would be a good way to update as well as get root. The ROM is based on stock, so you will still get all the stuff that Sprint & HTC have thrown in as well.

Read on to know how you can flash this on your HTC Evo 4G LTE.

Compatibility

This guide is applicable only for the Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE. DO NOT try this on any other device.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Install the Stock Rooted Jelly Bean 4.1.1 update on HTC Evo 4G LTE

  1. Unlock the bootloader on your Evo 4G LTE. Use the bootloader unlocking guide for the HTC One X → here, as the procedure is same for both devices.
  2. Root your Evo 4G LTE by following the guide → here.
  3. To be able to flash this ROM, you would need a custom Recovery installed on your phone. TWRP is recommended by the developer, so if you already have it, proceed to Step 4. Else, you can refer to this guide to install TWRP.
  4. Download the latest version of the ROM from the source page.
  5. Copy the downloaded ROM zip file from step 4 to the internal SD card. Do not extract it, just copy it over as is.
  6. Switch off the phone. Boot into the bootloader mode first by holding the Volume Down button while powering on the phone. Then, select RECOVERY from there using the volume buttons to navigate and power button to select to boot into TWRP recovery.
  7. Now, tap on Backup, then slide the blue circle button at the bottom to the right to start backing up your current ROM, so that you can restore it later if something does not work out with the new ROM. After backup is complete, go back to the main menu by clicking the button at the bottom left corner of the screen.
  8. Select Wipe, then select Factory Reset and then confirm the data wipe. This will not wipe your internal SD card’s contents, so do not worry. Then, go back to the main menu by clicking the home button after wipe is complete. Don’t worry about wiping the cache partition and dalvik, as the ROM will wipe these during installation
  9. Select Install, then scroll to the ROM’s file on the SD card and select it. Confirm installation by sliding the blue button.
  10. Wait for the ROM to install. It might take a while, so be patient.
  11. Once the installation is complete, select Go Back and then select Reboot System from the Main Menu
  12. Wait for the phone to reboot. The first boot will take a little longer as apps are optimized

You should now be running the latest official Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update, and will also have root access. Enjoy the fluid, smooth Jelly Bean experience on your HTC Evo 4G LTE and if you have any friends who are using the same device and have not yet been Jelly Beaned, let them know how they can keep up with you.