LineageOS 16.0 arrives for HTC One M8 (2014), the only HTC phone with LOS 16

LineageOS has been around for years now and remains one of the most popular custom ROMs for geeky smartphone users, commanding over 1.5 million active installations.

Since handlers of LineageOS ROMs do it in their own spare time, it usually takes time before certain devices gain support. Equally, some devices get dropped along the way as they become less popular (older?) and maintainers lose interest.

However, this is still not the case for the HTC One M8 from 2014, which has just switched to the official LineageOS 16 based on Android 9 Pie. Released with Android KitKat preinstalled, the One M8 received official OS updates from HTC up to Android Marshmallow, but all was not lost.

Considering how popular HTC was at some point, developers took over the mantle of improving the software experience of the One M8 by giving it new Android OS versions and features. This gave birth to LineageOS 14.1 that brought Nougat to this handset and years later, it couldn’t get any better.

As of this writing, the HTC One M8, both the standard and dual-SIM variants, are eligible for an upgrade to Android Pie courtesy of LineageOS 16, which is simply impressive. Just so you know, the One M8 is now the only HTC smartphone still in the LineageOS program.

Earlier this year, fears emerged that the One M8 was being dropped from LineageOS support. But this was only affecting the Nougat ROM as attention shifted to Oreo and Pie ROMs. With the latter available for the One M8, it remains to be seen what the future holds for this legendary handset.

Typically, it takes a while for LineageOS to be updated with newer Android versions, meaning, it may take quite some time before we know the fate of HTC One M8 as far as LineageOS 17 (tentative name) based on Android Q is concerned. But for now, let’s enjoy LineageOS 16 based on Pie.

Downloads

• Device: HTC One M8
• Codename: m8
• Channel: Official stable
• Version: 16.0-20190815
• Android: 9.0
  • Type: Recovery
    • Download: Link

• Device: HTC One M8 Dual SIM
• Codename: m8d
• Channel: Official stable
• Version: 16.0-20190815
• Android: 9.0
  • Type: Recovery
    • Download: Link

While older devices whose software support has been dropped by manufacturers are very popular in the LineageOS program, some prefer the custom skin due to the stock ROM experience and plenty of great and useful features it brings.

It is for the latter reason that you’ll find the likes of Samsung Galaxy S10, Realme 3 Pro, OnePlus 7 Pro, and many others in the program despite coming preinstalled with the latest Android OS available.

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