How to change your rooted HTC EVO's build and software version numbers
It may not be the coolest thing you could mod on your rooted HTC EVO, but the build and software version numbers can be changed very easily. Whether you want to see your name, feel cool and have it say "Ice Cream Sandwich," or just want to screw with your friends and have it say "iOS 5," changing version numbers is fast and fun.
Normally on the stock ROM, when you go to Settings > About phone > Software information, things looks pretty boring. You might see the word "Shooter" or "Supersonic" with some numbers and periods after it. If you're rooted, your ROM dev has most likely changed this to the name of the ROM.
And now you can change it too.
To get started, you will need several items:
- Rooted HTC EVO (I'll be doing this with a 4G, but a 3D should work just fine)
- Root Explorer ($3.99) or other root file manager app
- What you want your new version numbers to be
This is really easy and only takes a few steps. So, let's get going!
The first step to any modification is creating a Nandroid backup. Once this is complete, we can start the process, which is demonstrated in the video above and spelled out below.
Open up Root Explorer (or similar app) and go into the system folder. Make sure you hit the Mount R/W button in the upper right hand corner of the app and locate the build.prop.
Long press the build.prop file and then hit Open in Text Editor.
We want to edit one or two lines (you choose which files you want to edit):
- ro.build.description edits the Build number
- ro.product.version edits the Software number
I will change mine to say Good and EVO and Ice Cream Sandwich (v4.0.1), respectively.
When you are done editing the build.prop file, hit MENU and then Save changes.
Now, just reboot your HTC EVO (a hot restart is not enough).
Voila! You have a custom version number!
If you ever want to go back to stock, Root Explorer automatically adds a build.prop.bak (backup of your original file) that just needs to be renamed.
But, who would want to do that? I've added a new thread in the forums, so let's see what crazy version numbers you guys can come up with!
