HTC One M8 owners can now install Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Update via a custom firmware - Candy5 ROM, which is now available for download.

Although the official Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS has already been released to the 2014 flagship device of HTC, users can now opt to install a custom ROM to update their smartphone. According to Team Android, the Candy5 ROM offers several features and a "brand new custom made interface."

For instance, the report noted that the 360 Rotation has been enabled in the Candy5 ROM based on Android 5.1.1 update. In addition, Theme Engine is also included as one of the features of the ROM.

The Candy5 custom ROM for HTC One M8 also brings in tweaks improving battery life. Team Android's post also secured the HTC One M8 users that the custom ROM offers a fast and stable performance.

According to GSM Arena, the HTC One M8 became available in the market on March 2014.The 5-inch Android device offers a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels with 441 ppi for pixel density.

The display is equipped with a Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen. It is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Under the hood, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset paired with a Quad-core 2.3 GHz processor. It also features the Adreno 330 for the GPU.

The HTC One M8 originally comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS, now officially upgradable to Android Lollipop. However, fans can also expect for the Marshmallow OS as the Android 6.0 is already planned for the device, the specs list on GSM Arena noted.

Watch a comprehensive review from PocketNow for the HTC One M8, as originally posted on their Youtube channel.

For those who have decided to use the Candy5 custom ROM, instead of the official update, there are requirements to satisfy first before proceeding with the installation process. For one, important data and settings saved in the HTC One M8 should have a proper backup.

To do so, reliable recovery tools can be used such as the ClockWorkMod (CWM) and the TeamWin Recovery Project. It should be noted that installing a custom ROM such as Candy5 ROM based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop will wipe clean the HTC device, thus, the need for a backup.

The HTC One M8 bootloader needs to be unlocked as well to ensure installation of custom ROMs such as the Candy5 firmware. Users also need to download and save the Candy5 ROM zip file and the Google Apps (GApps) zip in the root directory of their phone before.