How To Unlock Bootloader Of Any Sony Xperia Device

Android is known for its unlimited customizations due to the open-source platform. Although Sony Xperia devices aren’t suitable enough to customize or be development-friendly, some do come with AOSP support for further customizations or developments. Before making any system-level customizations, it’s necessary to Unlock the Bootloader of Any Sony Xperia Device.

Well, there are a couple of functionalities or features available on Android that most smartphone OEMs set a limitation for the users. That means even though the feature is available, users may not take full advantage of it or they don’t get additional customization features just like custom firmware. In that sense, geek Android users are always eager to unlock their devices’ bootloader.

Once the bootloader of the Android device gets unlocked, you can easily flash custom or third-party firmware, third-party modules, root access, custom recovery, etc. But remember that all the system-level customizations can be done only after unlocking the bootloader. So, it’s a top priority, and it should be unlocked properly on any Sony Xperia device by following this guide.

What is Bootloader Unlock?

A device Bootloader is a sort of specific code or program that runs first whenever you turn on your device. It basically sends the hardware-level command to the device system to run the specific boot mode according to the button combination. So, if a user wants to boot the device in the system normally, then only pressing and holding the power button will boot the device.

But if a user wants to boot the device into the stock bootloader, then using the power and volume up/down key combination is required to do so. Now, the stock or a locked bootloader doesn’t have enough options to play with, and it doesn’t allow users to flash third-party files into the system or boot partition as well. Therefore, after unlocking the bootloader, you can install a custom recovery like TWRP, and then you’ll be good to go.

Is there any need to unlock the bootloader?

If you’re an advanced-level Android user or working in development, you should obviously unlock your Android device’s bootloader. But if you’re not tech-savvy or have an extreme level of customization, then we suggest you keep using your device as it is.

So, once you’ve unlocked the bootloader on your Android device, you can easily enable root access on your phone. This will allow you to install rooted apps, remove bloatware or even system apps, overclock or underclock performance, increase battery life, hibernate unused apps in the background, and more.

Here, we’ve listed out all the advantages and disadvantages of bootloader unlocking.

Advantages:

• Easily install third-party firmware or Custom ROM like Lineage OS, Resurrection ROM, etc.
• Enable root access on your device.
• Install a custom recovery like TWRP.
• Increase the battery life.
• Overclock or Underclock the performance.

Disadvantages:

• If not properly bootloader unlocked, the device may be stuck into bootloop or bricking condition.
• The manufacturer warranty may be void.
• You will no longer receive the official OTA updates.
• Unlocking the bootloader will delete all the internal data from your device. [Redownloading or reinstalling existing files aren’t suitable for everyone]

 

Sony Supported Devices
Sony Xperia 5	Sony Xperia Sola	Sony Xperia E4
Sony Xperia 1 Professional	Sony Xperia SP	Sony Xperia E4 Dual
Sony Xperia Ace	Sony Xperia SX	Sony Xperia E4g
Sony Xperia 8	Sony Xperia T	Sony Xperia E4g Dual
Sony Xperia 1	Sony Xperia T LTE	Sony Xperia E5
Sony Xperia 10	Sony Xperia T2 Ultra	Sony Xperia Go
Sony Xperia 10 Plus	Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual	Sony Xperia GX
Sony Tablet P	Sony Xperia T3	Sony Xperia Ion
Sony Tablet P 3G	Sony Xperia Tipo	Sony Xperia Ion LTE
Sony Tablet S	Sony Xperia Tipo Dual	Sony Xperia J
Sony Tablet S 3G	Sony Xperia TX	Sony Xperia J1 Compact (D5788)
Sony Xperia A	Sony Xperia U	Sony Xperia L
Sony Xperia A2	Sony Xperia UL	Sony Xperia L1
Sony Xperia A4 (SO-04G)	Sony Xperia V	Sony Xperia L2
Sony Xperia Acro	Sony Xperia VL	Sony Xperia L3
Sony Xperia Acro HD	Sony Xperia X8	Sony Xperia M
Sony Xperia Acro S	Sony Xperia X10	Sony Xperia M2
Sony Xperia Arc	Sony Xperia X10 Mini	Sony Xperia M2 Dual
Sony Xperia Arc S	Sony Xperia X10 Mini Pro	Sony Xperia M2 Aqua
Sony Xperia AX	Sony Xperia X	Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
Sony Xperia C	Sony Xperia X Compact	Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual
Sony Xperia C3	Sony Xperia X Performance	Sony Xperia M5
Sony Xperia C3 Dual	Sony Xperia XA	Sony Xperia M5 Dual
Sony Xperia C4	Sony Xperia XA Dual	Sony Xperia Miro
Sony Xperia C4 Dual	Sony Xperia XA Ultra	Sony Xperia Neo
Sony Xperia C5 Dual	Sony Xperia XA1	Sony Xperia Neo L
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra	Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra	Sony Xperia NX
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra Dual	Sony Xperia XA1 Plus	Sony Xperia P
Sony Xperia E	Sony Xperia XA2	Sony Xperia Pro
Sony Xperia E Dual	Sony Xperia XA2 Plus	Sony Xperia Pro-I
Sony Xperia E1	Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra	Sony Xperia Play
Sony Xperia E1 Dual	Sony Xperia XZ	Sony Xperia Ray
Sony Xperia E3	Sony Xperia XZ Premium	Sony Xperia R1
Sony Xperia E3 Dual	Sony Xperia XZs	Sony Xperia R1 Plus
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact	Sony Xperia XZ1	Sony Xperia S
Sony Xperia XZ2	Sony Xperia Z1	Sony Xperia SL
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact	Sony Xperia Z2	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium	Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet LTE	Sony Xperia ZL
Sony Xperia XZ3	Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet Wi-Fi	Sony Xperia ZL2
Sony Xperia Z	Sony Xperia Z2a	Sony Xperia ZR
Sony Xperia Z Ultra	Sony Xperia Z3	Sony Xperia Tablet S
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Sony Xperia Z4 (SO-03G, SOV31, 402SO)	Sony Xperia Tablet S 3G
Sony Xperia Z3 Dual	Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet WiFi (SGP712)	Sony Xperia Tablet Z LTE
Sony Xperia Z3+ (E6553)	Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE (SGP771)	Sony Xperia Tablet Z Wi-Fi
Sony Xperia Z3+ Dual (E6533)	Sony Xperia Z4v	Sony Xperia Tablet Z (SGP311)
Sony Xperia Z3v	Sony Xperia Z5	Sony Xperia Tablet Z (SGP312)
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact	Sony Xperia Z5 Dual	Sony Xperia 10 III Lite
Sony Xperia 10 IV	Sony Xperia Z5 Compact	Sony Xperia 1 III
Sony Xperia 1 IV	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium	Sony Xperia 5 III
Sony Xperia 1 II	Sony Xperia L4	Sony Xperia 10 III
Sony Xperia 10 II	Sony Xperia 5 II	Sony Xperia 5 IV
Sony Xperia 10 V	Sony Xperia 1 V	Sony Xperia 5 V

How to Unlock the Bootloader of Any Sony Xperia Device

Before heading over to the main steps, follow all the requirements properly. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

Pre-Requirements

Now, before getting into the bootloader unlocking steps, make sure to follow all the requirements below.

#1. Charge your phone

It’s highly recommended that you charge your device before following the steps below. Keep the battery charged at around 50% so the bootloader unlocking process goes smoothly.

#2. Requires a computer and a USB cable

To unlock the bootloader on your Android handset, you’ll require a computer and a USB cable to connect your handset with the PC/Laptop. Once connected, you’ll have to run ADB and Fastboot commands on your mobile via the PC to get the job done.

#3. Download USB Drivers

As mentioned above, if you use the USB cable and the computer to connect your Sony Xperia handset, you’ll also require the Sony USB Drivers for your PC. The USB Driver allows the device to properly connect with the computer without any connection or synchronization loss. So, you’ll have to install the USB Driver for your Sony device.

• Sony USB Drivers

#4. Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking

This is one of the most common things to do before unlocking the device bootloader properly. As the Developer Options menu comes hidden on Android devices, you’ll have to enable it first and then turn on the USB Debugging and OEM unlocking options.

• Open the Settings menu on your Sony Xperia device.
• Search for About Phone and tap on it.
• Check for the device Build number and tap on it seven times quickly to become a developer. Once done, you’ll see a notification popup ‘You are now a developer.’

• Now, go back to the Settings menu again and head over to Developer Options. [You may also find it inside the Additional Settings menu]
• Here make sure to turn on the Allow USB debugging and Allow OEM unlocking toggle one by one.

#5. Install Platforms Tools

Make sure to download and install the Android SDK and Platform Tools on your PC that includes necessary ADB and Fastboot files for running commands on the Android device.

• Android SDK and Platform Tools

#6. Take a full backup of data

Once all is done, just ensure that you’ve done a data backup of your device to the cloud storage or any other external device for safety purposes. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe out the internal device data completely.

Bootloader Unlocking Method:

Here we’ve mentioned the full bootloader unlocking process in a couple of individual steps that you can follow for your ease.

Step 1. Check Bootloader Status

It’s only possible to unlock the bootloader for certain releases that support AOSP developments. To check for the same, you can perform the following steps:

• Open the Dialer app on your Sony Xperia device.
• Enter *#*#7378423#*#* to automatically get into the Service menu.
• Now, tap on Service info > Select Configuration > Then check for Rooting Status.
• If the Bootloader Unlock is allowed on your specific Sony Xperia device then it’ll say Yes.
• Next, follow the second step properly.

Please Note: If Bootloader Unlock status says ‘No’ or the status is missing for the model, then your device cannot be unlocked officially.

Step 2. Install USB Drivers and Platform Tools

• Make sure that you’ve already installed the Sony USB Drivers and the ADB/Fastboot Platform Tools on your computer as mentioned above. If not, do this right now.
• Next, extract or unzip the Platform Tools package on your PC.
• Enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking by following the methods above. This is important.

WARNING! If you perform the bootloader unlocking method, you’ll unlock the bootloader of your device but it’ll also void the manufacturer’s or operator’s warranty (if any). So, GetDroidTips won’t be held any kind of data loss or damage to your phone by following this guide. Do this at your own risk.

Step 3. Connect to Fastboot

• Make sure to switch off your Sony Xperia device.
• Now, connect the USB cable to your computer with the device.
• Press the Power + Volume Up keys for a couple of seconds (also known as the Fastboot key) and connect the other end of the USB cable to the device.
• Windows computer users can open the Devices and Printers directory > Right-click on the fastboot driver > Click on Update > Browse and select the location of the new android_winbus.inf file.

• Once your device is connected to the PC, you’ll need to check the status for the same by running the following command inside the platform-tools folder of Android SDK: [Go to the platform-tools folder > Type CMD in the address bar > Hit Enter to launch the Command Prompt window]

fastboot devices

• Check whether you’re getting any errors while verifying the fastboot connectivity or not. If everything seems okay then follow the next step or retry the full steps from the beginning.

Step 4. Enter Unlock Code

• Now, head over to the official Sony Unlocking Site, and select your device model from the list.

• Open the Dialer app on your phone again and enter *#06# to get the IMEI number.
• Just copy or note down the IMEI number of your device and paste it into the IMEI section of the bootloader unlocking website.

• Do checkmark both the acknowledgments and click on the Submit button to easily get the official Unlock Code for your specific device unit based on the IMEI number. [Keep it in a secured location or folder]
• Now, type in the following command in that command prompt window to boot your device into the fastboot mode:

adb reboot bootloader

• Finally, to unlock the bootloader of your Sony Xperia device, make sure to execute the following command: [Replace <insert your unlock code> part with the Unlock Code without using less than (<) and greater than (>) signs]

fastboot oem unlock 0x<insert your unlock code>

• Check and verify whether the bootloader is unlocked or not. If yes, you’ll get a successful message, and your device will reboot into the system automatically.
• If not rebooted yet, you can execute the following command to do so:

fastboot reboot

• You’re done. You’ve now successfully and officially unlocked the bootloader of your Sony Xperia device.

That’s it, guys. We hope you’ve found this guide useful. For further queries, you can comment below.