Running Android on the HTC HD2

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Josh

HD2 running Android Froyo

After spending a few weeks on the HD2 Android Development forums at XDA I learned how to coerce my T-MobileHTC HD2 into dual-booting Android and WinMo. As of today I’ve got Android Froyo running with few issues and reasonable battery life. In this post I’ll explain how how you can dual-boot Android and WinMo on your HD2 as well.

Forget dual-booting! Learn how to direct boot Android on the HD2 for faster booting, better battery life and frequent updates.

First, flash the boot loader. Doing so will allow you to replace windows mobile with custom roms better suited for running Android. I’ve flashed three HD2′s with Cotulla’s HSPL3 boot loader and haven’t had any issues.

Warning: Flashing the boot loader may void your warranty, though you can uninstall HSPL3 by rerunning the HSPL3 setup and choosing the standard SPL 2.08.0000 option.

With the new boot loader installed, flash the windows rom. Find a good replacement rom that will load Android quickly and run it stably. Roms I’ve found worked well with the HD2 Android builds are Miri and Chucky ROMs. Check XDA and htcpedia for custom roms.

Back-up your data and reformat the SD card.

To install Android on the HD2 download and install any of the recent HD2 Android builds from the forums on XDA. My favorite builds right now are the near-stock Froyo builds created by darkstone. (Note: See my current set-up for what I’m using now.)

Once you’ve got Android installed, make running it easier. Exceller Multiple Build Loader provides a nice interface for booting into Windows or Android automatically after the phone powers on. There is also support for booting into Ubuntu, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Govern Android battery consumption. SetCPU can be used to manage clock speeds, making it easy to reduce battery drain. It can be downloaded from the Market at a cost, or here for free. (Note: Free version requires adb to install.) Try setting a “Screen Off” profile that limits the CPU usage to 245 max with an “Up Threshold” of 30, set on boot, to prevent much of the battery drain associated with sleep mode.

Tip: To install the free version of SetCPU, download it, install adb, connect the Android phone to USB, open a command line, cd to the location of the APK file and type “adb install setcpu.apk”.

If you experience issues in the Android OS, try upgrading the radio. Though something I overlooked at first, upgrading the radio helped me prevent SoD and robotic voices. Grab a new radio from the HDC HT2 Radio Rom Thread at XDA.

Warning: Flashing an incorrect radio may cause issues with your device. Ensure the radio used is compatible before updating.

With enough tweaking your phone should be running Android issue-free all day with acceptable battery life. If not, keep messing with it. Try turning off the auto-rotate option in settings, downloading a different Android build or even swapping in a newer Linux kernel image (zImage) to find what works best for you. Don’t have time? Learn from experience by checking out others’ reply signatures on the forums on XDA and htcpedia to look for their set-ups.

Here’s mine (last updated 18-Dec-10):

Device: TMOUS HTC HD2
Boot Loader: CotullaHSPL3 (SPL-2.08-HSPL)
WinMo Rom: ChuckyROM-23139-Lite.Oct.09
Radio: 2.15.50.14
Android build: darkstone SuperRAM FroYo v1.5
Launcher: EBL2.0d_PlusUbuntu

Check the direct boot Gingerbread to HD2 post for most up-to-date status using NAND.

Happy modding!

http://www.habdas.org/ Josh

I returned my first HD2 thinking there was hardware problem, though in hindsight I believe the original problems were simply Windows 6.5. Should you decide to get a new phone please come back and read through my post again to understand what needs to be done to get Android running properly. Check YouTube for additional help flashing the phone.
Anonymous

If you’re not getting data service check your APN settings.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

The steps for UK should be the same, though you will likely need to set the APN for your carrier manually.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

I returned my first HD2 thinking there was hardware problem, though in hindsight I believe the original problems were simply Windows 6.5. Should you decide to get a new phone please come back and read through my post again to understand what needs to be done to get Android running properly. Check YouTube for additional help flashing the phone.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Be sure you’ve flashed your boot loader with HSPL3 before attempting to update the Radio or ROM. I’ve found that the stock boot loader, at least on the TMOUS devices, would stop at the Loading… screen until this was done.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

I have flashed the radio ROM and winmo ROM many times and have never had any problems. Be sure to check compatibility with your device before flashing.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Check YouTube. They’ve got videos that cover a lot of these individual steps mentioned. Then just piece ‘em together. Now jump in and take advantage of that sweet piece of hardware. Try the FroyoStone V2 build.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

The radio and rom can be flashed using a Rom Upgrade Utility (RUU). The utility is very lightweight and is often packaged along with the radios and rom downloads. Depending on your current setup you may not be able to install custom roms without installing HSPL as described in my post.
Tommykry

hey josh, noob here, i have htc hd2 and would like to try android on it, a few questions.
1. after flashing the rom and radio and all that can i return the phone back to the stock form it was in when i received it ( win-mo 6.5) will everything go back to normal if the android roms aren’t for me?
2.Which rom is the closest to a stock android rom from a phone you would buy that has it installed already?
3.Which rom has the most things working closest to win-mo 6.5 (camera, video, music, android apps, phone, texting, e mail etc….)
4.do i need an extra sd card?
5.do you prefer android over an iphone, can a android phone do everything an iphone can?
Thank you.
Tommy
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Good questions.

Yes, everything can be flashed back to the original state, assuming you have the original ROM files handy. Once you can flash a ROM you’ll know how to flash it back. Instructions for reverting the boot loader (HSPL3) are provided in the post.
For stock FroYo try the build I’m running now: darkstone SuperRAM. If you can’t wait for Gingerbread and are okay with a few bugs and occasionally upgrading check out MDJ Gingerbread.
Everything works great in the darkstone build I’m using, including the compass. Only thing I know that’s not functioning is the Wi-Fi hotspot, though darkstone included an app for that as a workaround.
Nope. You can use whatever came with the device. The speed of the SD card shouldn’t matter much as Android loads into RAM.
Android pwns iOS. But the overall experience depends on the device too.
Dean

Thanks for the help, I think I am just going to get an android phone and call it good.
Dean

I got some video instruction from autotradeking and it was very helpful, I flashed a custom ROM with sense and it went well, also flashed HSPL3 and that helped, only thing is when I ran Android all ringers disabled, and I could only store 1 ringtone and it was for everything, it ran fine for a day then locked up again, I flased my rom back to the 3.14 and went back to Windowd, as of today I haven’t had time to get my phone replaced but trust me I will and I will never go back to Windows again.
Peter Orem

Hi Josh! I am one maybe stupid, but brave guy wanting make my phone better, but just from the start … what difference between T-Mobile HTC HD2 and HTC HD2 Leo? My phone is HTC HD2 T8585. Is this valid to my phone too? I dont want change my phone to a piece of useless hardware hehe.
I am about do it (getting scared of this), but I would be glad get sure it is possible. Thank you for your advice in advance.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

T8585 is the Leo. If you’re not comfortable flashing the phone don’t worry so much. It’s easier than you think.
Steve_bubble

Mine did this usually when listening to music with the headphones in – after using the built in format sd card option and copying the music back on – it stopped!
Abdul_1992

Hi,

Is it possible to dual boot between android 2.1 and Winmo 6.5?

thanks,
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Yes it is possible to dual boot android and windows mobile 6.5. The
instructions provided here explain how to do it.
Pingback: Making free VoIP calls on Android Froyo | habdas.org
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Looks like you can completely wipe out Windows on the HD2 now. XDA opened the HD2 Android NAND area this week and they’ve got somethin’ sweet cooking. Gingerbread just in time for the holidays!
Pingback: Direct Boot Gingerbread on the HD2 | habdas.org
Scott

Hi Josh, nice blog.
I’ve uploaded Darkstone’s version of Froyo, and its great. Only problem is the media volume is quite low – ringer, notifications, GPS lady etc. This is not a problem when I reboot in Winmo. I;ve searched for a while now, and found a lot of posts from people having the same problem, but haven;t seen a soloution other than to increase the intrinsic volume of the MP3 files. Have you a soloution?
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

I’ve tried a number of different builds and all had their strong and weak points. But your issue I’m not familiar with. Best advice I can give is to try updating your radio or try a different build. Good luck!
Kibum

يـــــــاربية كل شي حاولت اندرويد 1.2.3

ساعدوني مشاكل كثير
تطلعلي رسالة في بداية تفيد انة خطا
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

آسف أنا لا أتكلم العربية
PUNCH IT

JOSH YOU ARE THE GREATEST IT WORKED FOR ME AND TOOK 1MIN TO DO, FIXED MY NET NOW I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A BRAND NEW PHONE..(AGAIN) LOL
Candice

Im trying to put my HTC HD2 to make it Android and Windows …is there a easy way to do this …im scared Im going to mess this up and end up with a very expensive paper weight…. you need to invest in the goto assist program lol ….where you can do it for people over your computer screen… =)
Fernell Romero

help when i make a call the voice sounds like chickmunks on my htc hd2 phone please email me back for help
Fernell Romero

help when i make a call the voice sounds like chickmunks on my htc hd2 phone please email me back for help
E1kaye

i installed froyo and life is lovely with android except my calls out sound like robot but calls in are fine. My big question is I can get into android once windows comes up but my htcsense will not install and allow me into windows so I can use windows if i choose to stay in windows before getting into android. I can get around windows and click start to see files but I can’t get in so I can change or easily check radio or system information. please help me because otherwise I can’t check or change system setup or system information
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Skip winmo altogether and Direct Boot Android on the HD2. Otherwise, pull your SD card out so Android won’t load and you should be able to get back into winmo to update your settings. And since you asked, you should be able to kill the robot voice by hitting the speaker button as soon as it starts, ending the call and dialing again. When running builds off the SD card it’s always a good idea to restart your phone after first boot into Android.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

Skip winmo altogether and Direct Boot Android on the HD2. Otherwise, pull your SD card out so Android won’t load and you should be able to get back into winmo to update your settings. And since you asked, you should be able to kill the robot voice by hitting the speaker button as soon as it starts, ending the call and dialing again. When running builds off the SD card it’s always a good idea to restart your phone after first boot into Android.
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

I’ve flashed the HD2 like umpty-squillion times without a problem. Just don’t try flashing the wrong radio and I’m sure you’ll be fine. Read these instructions or the direct boot instructions and have at it. Good luck!
Michel Merlin

Dual-boot HD2 with LATEST Android AND Winmo?
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
Sure I would appreciate a dual-boot on the *latest* WWE (World-Wide English) Windows Mobile 6.5.x (6.5.3?) AND the *latest* WWE Android (2.3.2?). I assume I have to:

1) Flash the latest “HSPL” bootloader (AFAIK currently HSPL4, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=609477 )
2) Flash the latest appropriate Radio ROM (to choose e.g. from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=611787 )
3) Flash the latest WWE WinMo ROM (to choose e.g. from http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=534 )
4) Flash the latest WWE Android ROM (to choose e.g. from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=715805 )

I assume #3 and #4 can be swapped?

Can you confirm (or correct)? Can you eventually precise if necessary? TIA,

Versailles, Fri 18 Mar 2011 14:38:00 +0100
http://www.habdas.org/ Josh Habdas

That’s the general idea, though when dual-booting one of the OS will run from the SD card so you won’t really be “flashing”. This is why you’ll hear the term “build” used instead of “rom” for SD installs, which can be performed before or after flashing a newer WinMo rom.

As for the Android build chosen, you may want to do more research as the post linked looks like it might not contain the latest and greatest.

Once ready try skipping WinMo on the HD2 altogether and try out the direct boot method instead.

Good luck!