A few days ago we heard that the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE were being delayed in the US as the hardware was being kept at customs while they were being checked that they complied with an injunction put into place by the International Trade Commission, and now it seems HTC has attempted to get around the Apple patent for the One X and EVO 4G LTE with some software changes.

According to The Verge sources are claiming that HTC are shipping handsets to the US with a customized version of Android, which removes the offending ‘data tapping’ feature that was part of the injunction preventing the devices being released to customers. Both the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE has a new settings screen that is not present on the international version of the One X.

The ITC found that HTC’s messaging application along with the stock Android messaging app and Android browser broke an Apple patent, but the ITC also found that Apple’s claims were limited to the system both detecting data structures such as phone numbers and email addresses in text, and then providing a menu of options when these were clicked. International HTC handsets may still do this, but it has been found that the AT&T One X or the Sprint EVO 4G LTE doesn’t have the offending menu.

When tapping on a detected phone number or email the handsets straight away launches the dialler or email client, and also the US handsets also have a new ‘app associations’ settings screen where users can choose default apps for features such as email and maps, while international handsets don’t have the screen and pop up context menu once an email address is clicked for the first time.

It remains to be seen if these changes will be enough to get both handsets past customs and into stores, as Phandroid are reporting that Best Buy has sent out emails to customers that had pre-ordered the EVO 4G LTE and said there order is delayed indefinitely. The handset was originally down to arrive today before getting delayed until the 23rd, but now it seems the wait could go on a bit longer yet.

Are you waiting to get hold of the HTC One X or EVO 4G LTE?