How to Unlock Bootloader on Sony Xperia Phones

Friday, December 21, 2012

/ by Aman Banka

Sony Devices from the Newest Release Offers the New Online Unlocking the Bootloader. The Bootloader is Must to Unlock to Root any Newest Range of Xperia Devices. Sony Offers it own Method to Unlock the Bootloader Using Android SDK Tool.

Below is the List of Devices Which Support the Bootloader & Also there Fastboot Button.
Fastboot Button is usefull to Connect your Device to the PC for Unlocking the Bootloader.

What does it mean to Unlock the Bootloader?


Unlocking the Bootloader allows you to put custom ROM's on your phone. However, we recommend standard users not to unlock the Bootloader, as it is not needed. We are proud to deliver great phone experiences through our rigorously tested and official software releases. If you are not familiar with this technology, then you shouldn't unlock the boot loader.
Please note that you may void the warranty of your phone and/or any warranty from your operator if you unlock the boot loader. See your phone’s warranty statement for details. Additionally, due to the modified phone software, Sony’s repair network will likely have to replace key components before it can properly test, repair and verify your phone using our repair tools and software. Consequently, if Sony performs a warranty repair, Sony will likely charge you a significant service fee for the additional costs caused by your modification of the software.
If you unlock the boot loader and then flash a custom unsigned ROM to your phone, the custom unsigned ROM will not have gone through the thorough tests that we run for each phone and software version that we release. Sony can then no longer guarantee the full functionality of your phone, and will not be responsible for any unsigned custom software being flashed to the phone after the boot loader is unlocked.
Furthermore, the custom unsigned ROM might not work properly on your phone. Certain functions may cease to work, and the performance of the device might not be ideal. You might damage your phone permanently. In the worst case, unlocking the boot loader will cause physical injuries or material damage, for example, due to the phone overheating. Certain pre-loaded content on your phone may also be inaccessible due to the removal of DRM security keys and the secure user data partition while unlocking the boot loader.

Instructions -


Known Issue


Some customers with unlocked boot loaders have experienced problems when they are accepting over the air upgrades (FOTA - Firmware upgrade Over The Air). For customers that have unlocked the boot loader, please do not accept any over the air upgrades. 


Instruction to Unlock Bootloader


  1. First, you should confirm that it is possible to unlock the boot loader of your phone by checking the service menu. In your phone, open the dialler and enter *#*#7378423#*#* to access the service menu.
  2. In your phone, tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked.
  3. Now Go-to Sony Mobile Xperia U Bootloader Page – Here
  4. At the bottom of the page you can see the Continue button and "click it".
  5. Then it will ask you “Are you really Sure?” click “Yes, I'm Sure”, and Now Tick Both the Legal Terms & after that Click "I Accept".
  6. Enter your name, a valid email adress and the first 14 digits of your phone’s IMEI or MEID number (remove the last digit if necessary). Click Submit. You can view the IMEI or MEID number by entering *#06# on your phone.
  7. The unlock bootloader key will be sent to your email. Save it for later use.
  8. Download and install the latest Android SDK from developer.android.com.
  9. Download and unzip this file. This is the standard android_winusb.inf-file, with a few lines of code added to enable Fastboot to support Sony and Sony Ericsson devices. Make sure you are running Google USB Driver package revision 4 or higher in your Android SDK. You can see current Google USB Driver package revision in the SDK Manager.
  10. Place the unzipped file in the usb_driver folderlocated in the Android SDK > extras > google folder on your computer. Accept to replace the old android_winusb.inf-filewith the new fileIf you can't find the usb_driver folder, please install the Google USB Driver Packager using the Android SDK manager.
  11. Turn off your phone.
  12. On your phone, push and hold the Fastboot button at the same time as you connect the phone to the computer with a USB-cable [ See Above for the List of All Fastboot Buttons ]
  13. On your computer, you will be asked for drivers. Point to the usb_driver folder where you placed the android_winusb.inf-file, and select the Android Boot loader Interface-file.
  14. Open a command window and go to the tools folder within the Android SDK folder.
  15. Enter fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version, and verify that you get a response back (for example "0.3"). This means your phone is connected properly.
  16. Warning! If you perform this step, you will unlock the boot loader. This may void your warranty and/or any warranty from your operator. If you still want to unlock the boot loader of your phone, enterfastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY, where KEY is the unlock boot loader key you got in the beginning of this instruction. The boot loader should now be successfully unlocked.
After this you can Install the SuperUser [ Root The Phone ] & Also you can Install Other Custom ROM's available. Check Out the Original Post by Sony.

For any more Queries Comment Below.

You Can get all the News Update about this Phone [ Sony ] - Here
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edited with by Aman