HTC has previously announced that Android 4.4 KitKat will be made available on a handful of their smartphones, including the HTC One flagship. Until then, you can still experience Android 4.4 by installing a custom ROM, such as CM 11.

CyanogenMod 11 is based on Android 4.4 KitKat, and this guide is going to help you to install the CM 11 custom ROM on the HTC One. Before proceeding, please read the bullet points below carefully.

IMPORTANT – READ THIS FIRST

• This is an unofficial Android 4.4 KitKat ROM. As such, although it is stable, you may stumble across minor bugs
• Your HTC One needs to be rooted in order for this guide to work. Don't attempt to follow these steps with an un-rooted device
• This guide is meant for the Sprint HTC One only. DO NOT use this guide for other devices, or other HTC One models aside from Sprint's
• You will need a custom recovery image after gaining root, such as ClockworkMod or TWRP
• Back up the data on your phone. Flashing CM 11 will wipe all your data on your device. Make backups if necessary
• Applying this ROM will void the warranty on your device. You may be able to regain your warranty by resetting back to the current official Android build
• "USB Debugging" needs to be enabled from the Developer options. To make the "Developer Options" menu visible, go to "Settings" > "About" > "Software Information" and tap "Software number" several times, until you get a message that the "Developer options" menu is now enabled. Then, go back to "Settings" > "Developer options" and enable "USB Debugging"
• Before proceeding, make sure you have at least 60-70% battery life. It is very important that your smartphone does not discharge while following this guide
• This is an advanced guide. If you brick / damage your phone, you can't hold the developers or anyone else responsible

Backing Up and Restoring Your ROM Using ClockWorkMod Recovery:

IMPORTANT – This part of the guide is not mandatory. It's just a method of backing up and restoring your current Android ROM, as a safety precaution. Your device must be rooted in order to be able and apply this guide.

1. Visit the "Google Play Store" and search for "ROM Manager"
2. Install the application on your Sprint HTC One
3. Open the tool and tap "flash ClockWorkMod Recovery"
4. Select "Backup Current ROM" and follow the on-screen prompts
5. Once you will reboot your phone, the backup will be completed
6. If you decided to restore the backed up ROM, open the app and tap "Manage and Restore Backup" > "Restore"
7. After rebooting, you should have your old OS / ROM back

Entering Recovery Mode:

IMPORTANT – Do not follow this guide right now. These steps will guide you to enter recovery mode on your ROOTED Sprint HTC One. You will need to enter recovery mode at a later time. Refer to these steps when prompted to do so.

NOTE: this method works on rooted devices ONLY!

Access the "Play Store" and search for "Quick Boot" tool
Download the app and install it on your phone
Run the app and tap "Recovery" from the menu
Your HTC One should now reboot in recovery mode

Updating the Sprint HTC One Using CM 11 Android 4.4 KitKat Custom ROM:

This is the actual guide for applying Android 4.4 CM 11 on your Sprint HTC One

1. On your computer, download the CM 11 file by visiting this link
2. The firmware does not include Google apps, so you will need to flash them separately. Visit this link to download the Google apps package
3. Connect your Sprint HTC One to your computer using the USB cable
4. Copy the zip files that you have downloaded at steps 1 and 2, and paste them on your phone's storage
5. After the transfer is complete, disconnect your HTC One from your computer
6. Turn off your HTC One and reboot in recovery mode. (Refer to the guide above in order to do so)
7. In the Recovery menu, select "wipe data / factory reset" and wipe cache partition
8. Then, go to "Advanced" and select "wipe dalvick cache"
9. Go back to the recovery menu, and select "install zip from SD card" > "choose zip from SD card"
10. Select the CM11 file and install the firmware on your One
11. Repeat the process, but the second time select the Google Apps zip
12. After the process is complete, go to the recovery menu and select "reboot system now"

You now should have CM 11 Android 4.4 KitKat on your Sprint HTC One. Remember that if you wish to recover and return to the old OS / ROM, you can always use the backup that you have created in the guide above.