That was quick, after recently confirming it was considering a Firefox OS device in 2014, Sony Mobile has now released an “experimental” Firefox OS ROM for the Xperia E. The news highlights just how serious the company is with its Firefox OS ambitions.

The Firefox OS ROM has been put together so that Sony Mobile can gather feedback from users as well as reaching out to developers who plan to test apps for the new mobile operating system.

The ROM can be installed on an Xperia E by using Sony Mobile’s Flash Tool software. You will need to make sure your bootloader is unlocked before using the software. Obviously the ROM is not intended for daily use, but may appeal to those who want to test this emergent OS. There is no radio connectivity in this ROM which means you won’t be able to make calls, or use Wi-FI and Bluetooth. Also, Sony says that the touch sensitivity is not fully calibrated.

Firefox OS is a new mobile operating system looking to challenge the Apple-Google duopoly. It is based on open web standards and is being considered by some key industry players for entry level smartphones targeting emerging markets (at least initially).

Sony Deputy Chief Executive Officer Bob Ishida recently commented: “At Sony Mobile, we continue to evaluate innovative technologies that can help deliver the premium user experiences that Sony’s consumers expect. Our engineers are now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential.”

Via Sony Developer World.

We have been receiving a number of emails from Xperia S owners asking us to provide a guide on using Flashtool and how to flash the latest Jelly Bean update. We’ve included some steps below that should help along with a download file for the FTF firmware. However, we do have alternative download links in our Firmware Database – this is also open to users to link their own FTF firmware files to share with others.

Please note the pictures used are from our recent Xperia Z Debrand tutorial, but the principal remains the same for the Xperia S. The instructions should be self-explanatory, although if you do have any questions let us know in the comments below. Thanks to Androxyde for his wonderful work in creating and maintaining Flashtool.

Guide to installing Jelly Bean to your Xperia S using FlashTool

Disclaimer: Please read the following instructions thoroughly before attempting to flash your phone. Xperia Blog absolves itself from any responsibility should something go wrong. Please proceed with caution and at your own risk.

Note: This tutorial does not require you to root your handset nor does it require you to unlock your bootloader. FLASHING YOUR HANDSET DOES NOT VOID YOUR WARRANTY.

PREPARATION

1) Download and install Flashtool on your PC from here (Linux / Mac).

2) Enable ‘USB debugging’ on your handset: Settings > Developer options

3) Enable ‘Unknown sources’ on your handset: Settings > Security

FLASHTOOL GUIDE

1) Install drivers for your Xperia handset
The very first step is to make sure that your PC has all of the necessary drivers installed for your Sony Xperia. The best way to do this is to install PC Companion or Sony Update Service (SUS).

Make sure you connect your Xperia to the PC before starting the process to download the necessary USB and ADB drivers. If you have any problems you will find the necessary drivers once you have installed Flashtool in the following location: ‘C:\Flashtool\drivers’.

2) Download the firmware

Download the firmware:
6.2.B.0.200_Global for Xperia S (LT26i)

If you can source a different FTF for your region, you can use that instead of the above file.

Google Drive has a tendency to block downloads temporarily if they are downloaded too often in a short period. If that happens to the above file, then please head over to the Xperia S Firmware Database to find other options, you can also upload your own FTF files here to share with others.

3) Place firmware in correct location on your PC
Place the FTF file in the C:\Flashtool\firmwares folder.

4) Launch Flashtool
Open the Flashtool application on your PC.

Click on the lightning bolt symbol. Select Flashmode and click OK.

5) Select firmware
Select the firmware that you have downloaded in the left column. If you do not want to do a clean install ensure ‘Data’ is not ticked. Press the ‘Flash’ button.

6) Connect your Xperia to the PC

Once you press the Flash button, you will see that Flashtool is ‘Preparing files for flashing’.

When you see the prompt below you need to connect your Xperia handset to the PC. Turn your phone off. Press and hold the volume down button while plugging the USB cable into your Xperia.

7) Flashing process will start
The flashing process should now start.

Once you see the “Flashing finished” message in Flashtool, remove your handset from the PC and restart it (this may take a few minutes so don’t panic).

8 ) Your Xperia S should now be updated
Congratulations, your Sony Xperia S should now be running Jelly Bean firmware!

It can be a frustrating experience finding the right drivers for your new Sony Xperia handset when connecting to a Windows PC or laptop. We profess to spending much time in the past trying to find drivers for a particular handset. The FlashTool utility has made this easy by integrating most drivers in the program.

However, as the FlashTool release schedule is often not in sync with the release of Xperia drivers, DooMLoRD and Androxyde from XDA-developers have decided to release the driver pack separately. This driver pack will be updated as soon as new drivers are available from Sony.

DooMLoRD released version 1.3 of this “FlashTool Xperia Driver Pack” over the weekend, adding the combined drivers based on the board/chipset as can be seen below. If you want to download this driver pack yourself, click here for more information.

FlashTool Xperia Driver Pack

Common ADB drivers for Mogami and Zeus board devices based on MSM7x30/MSM8x55 chipset: Xperia ARC, ARC S, NEO, Acro, Mini, Mini Pro, PRO, Ray, Neo V, Active, Neo L

Common ADB drivers for Fuji board devices based on MSM8660 chipset: Xperia S, SL, ion, Acro HD, Acro S

Common ADB drivers for RioGrande board based on STE-NovaThor-U8500 chipset: Xperia Sola, P, U, GO

Common ADB drivers for Fuji board devices based on MSM8660 chipset: Xperia S, SL, ion, Acro HD, Acro S

Common ADB drivers for Blue1.0 board devices based on MSM8960 chipset: Xperia SX, TX, GX, T, TL

Common ADB drivers for Blue3.0 board devices based on MSM8960 chipset: Xperia SX, TX, GX, T, TL, V, AX, VL

Common ADB drivers for Lagan, Fusion3 board devices based on APQ8064 chipset: Xperia Z, ZL, ZR, ZQ, A, UL, Tablet Z

Common ADB drivers for JDM-Platform board devices based on MSM7225A/MSM7227A chipset: Xperia Tipo, Tipo Dual, Miro, J, E, E Dual

Common ADB drivers for Nicky board devices based on MSM8227 chipset: Xperia M, M Dual

Common ADB drivers for Viskan board devices based on MSM8960T chipset: Xperia SP

Common ADB drivers for Taoshan board devices based on MSM8230 chipset: Xperia L

Common ADB drivers for Rhine board devices based on MSM8974 chipset: Xperia Z Ultra, Z1, Z1 Compact, Z1s

Common ADB drivers for Tianchi board devices based on MSM8928 chipset: Xperia T2 Ultra, T2 Ultra Dual

Common ADB drivers for Shinano board devices based on MSM8974AB chipset: Xperia D65xx, other unannounced devices

Thanks DooMLoRD and Felipe!

Flashtool is probably one of the most useful tools for Sony Xperia devices. It was started by Bin4ry from XDA back in the Xperia X10 days. Androxyde has since taken the lead, continuing to update and build the program with help from other devs such as DooMLoRD. It is an essential tool used to install new firmware versions using FTF firmware files.

The latest version of Flashtool (0.9.15.0) is now available to download from the Flashtool site. The update brings support for Sony’s new 2014 Xperia devices. So if you’re planning on buying any of the new devices, including the Xperia Z2, then you should download it now to get yourself ready.

Flashtool has been updated to version number 0.9.16, which, amongst other features, supports on-the-fly updating of new device files. Devices are now synced directly from the GitHub repository, so as soon as a new device is added to it, all FlashTool users will have it locally.

The latest update also brings support for the Xperia Z2 Tablet as well as the ability to add your own UpdateURL (to check for firmware updates for your phone) as well as the ability to edit the CDFID to check for an update for your specific phone’s customisation version. To download the latest version click here.

We recently reported on a fantastic new tool called XperiFirm, which allows you to browse and install the latest firmware files for any Sony Xperia device. We have had a number of people get in touch asking us how they can use those files to flash that firmware onto their handset using FlashTool. Therefore, we have created a tutorial below, which walks through the process in baby steps.

The combination of XperiFirm and FlashTool makes for a powerful and complete recovery solution for Sony Xperia owners. The great thing is that the process is very simple and it has never been easier for Xperia users to take matters into their own hands when trying out new firmware updates. Check out the guide below, which shows you how to create your own FTF firmware files.

GUIDE TO CREATING YOUR OWN FTF FIRMWARE FILES USING XPERIFIRM AND FLASHTOOL

XperiFirm steps

First step is to download XperiFirm. Follow the instructions in that link to install.

Once installed you will see the program below. Navigate to your handset on the left pane. You can then choose the firmware for your region/carrier in the middle pane. The pane on the right side will show you which firmware is available for that region. Click on it to download the file.

Once clicked, you are asked to confirm whether you want to download the firmware. Click “Download” to proceed. Choose any folder as a location and then the download will commence.

Once complete, you will see the message “Downloaded successfully!”

You will find a number of files prefaced “FILE” in the download location. Please take note of this location as you will need it for the next FlashTool steps.

NOTE: If your list of files includes “fwinfo.xml” as highlighted below then manually delete it before continuing to the FlashTool steps. You MUST delete this file otherwise your FTF firmware file will corrupt.

FlashTool steps

Download and install FlashTool. Once you launch the program, you should see something similar to below.

Click Tools > Bundles > FILESET Decrypt

You will see the box below. Where it says “Source Folder”, click the three dots to locate the folder where your “FILE” files are. They should then appear as per the screen below under the “Available files” pane.

You then need to highlight all of these files and click the right arrow to move across to “Files to convert”. Hit “Convert”.

Once you do this, FlashTool will start decrypting your files. This can take a few minutes so please be patient before moving to the next step.

Once the above step is finished, you will see a pop-up similar to the screen below.

Tap the “Device” box which will bring up some pop-up boxes allowing you to automatically select which firmware the handset is for. You can then type in the region under the “Branding” box along with the build number in the “Version” box.

Now select and move all of the files on the left side (apart from the .ta files) to the “Firmware content” pane on the right. As you can see in the picture below, do not include the .ta files. Click “Create”.

FlashTool will now start creating the bundle.

Once you see “Bundle creation finished” your job is done. Close FlashTool.

Congrats, your newly created FTF firmware file will be located in the FlashTool firmware folder. This is in “C:\Flashtool\firmwares” for a default installation.

You can then use FlashTool to flash this FTF to your handset. Check out our previous guide on this – the principle is the same, just use your FTF file, instead of the one provided in the guide.

FlashTool is one of the most powerful tools for Sony Xperia devices and has been around since the Xperia X10 days. The utility has been updated to version number 0.9.18.1, which brings a very useful new feature – the ability to download the latest firmware files for your Sony Xperia device.

Once you have downloaded the latest version, simply head over to the Update Checker part of the tool to select and download your firmware. In theory, this negates the need to use two tools (XperiFirm and FlashTool) to create a FTF firmware file as detailed in our recent guide. See some steps below in how to take advantage of this.

FlashTool 0.9.18.1 changelog

– Updated Java8 to u20
– Update checker can now download the checked version (Devices -> Updates … choose the device … then double click on a table row
to get the latest version. Double click again to download. FTF bundler will open upon download)
– Towelroot hack implemented.

FlashTool (0.9.18.1) – Steps to download firmware

You can download the latest version of FlashTool from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: FlashTool (0.9.18.1) [Mirror]

To check firware on your handset, go to “Devices” > “Check Updates”

This will bring up the Device Selector for you to choose your mobile.

Now click on your phone variant which will load a list of customisation versions for various carriers & regions. Click on the version to find out the latest firmware version.

Once you have chosen your firmware, you can start the download by double-clicking on the firmware. The message at the bottom of the screen will then change to “Decrypting FileSets” and then “Creating Bundle”.

This will then bring up the Bundler as seen in the screen below. Select all items on the left side of the screen, move it to the right and then click “Create” which will then create a FTF firmware file.

Two of the most essential utilities for any Sony Xperia owner are Flashtool and XperiFirm. The combination of both of these tools allows any user to download, install and check firmware for any region and any variant of Sony Xperia device. The good news is that XperiFirm has now been integrated into the latest release of Flashtool.

Whilst the build number has not changed, the re-release of Flashtool version 0.9.18.5 includes an XperiFirm button that launches the program. It also means users now don’t have to manually delete the fwinfo.xml file that was causing errors when creating FTF firmware files. You can download the latest release over at the Flashtool website.

Flashtool developer Androxyde has pushed a latest version of the popular Sony Xperia utility moving it to build number 0.9.19.0. The latest release now supports the latest Sony Xperia devices such as the Xperia Z3+, Z4 Tablet and for the first time MediaTek-based devices are also supported such as the Xperia E4 and E4g series.

We would advise some caution before updating however. Flashtool now needs a template script for your particular handset before a FTF firmware file can be flashed. This can be generated by a program such as Simple USB Logger, but the procedure to capture this data is complex.

This particular Flashtool release only supports the following models: Xperia Z1, Z2, Z3, Z3+, Z4 Tablet, E4, E4g and M4. Androxyde will add a tutorial shortly on how to generate and add new FSC’s (Flashtool script) to increase compatibility. In the meantime, if you have a different device, stick to the older build (0.9.18.6).

Flashtool developer Androxyde has updated the must-have utility for Xperia owners to build number 0.9.19.1. The big feature in this latest version is that it supports all Xperia devices.

If you remember, the last Flashtool version (0.9.19.0) brought support for the 2015 Sony Xperia devices. However, the method to flash devices was slightly different with a FSC (Flashtool Script) needed. Therefore, if you were using an older Xperia model (2014 series and older) it was recommended to use the prior Flashtool release (0.9.18.6).

Flashtool 0.9.19.1 marries both prior versions together, so if no FSC is found, Flashtool will use the old method of flashing as seen in Flashtool 0.9.18.6.

The latest version of Flashtool can be downloaded here. A word of caution on the installation, Androxyde mistakenly placed a couple of folders in the wrong location. This means you may not be able to open Flashtool. To solve this, navigate to the following folder: “C:\Flashtool\x10flasher_lib\winjre” where you will find two folders inside (winjre32 and winjre64). Place these two folders one level higher i.e. at “C:\Flashtool\x10flasher_lib”. It should be placed as can be seen in the picture below.

Update: A new version of Flashtool (0.9.19.2) has been released that fixes the bug above.

Thanks Saper!

It is that time of the year again, where we have a major Android release and people want to update as soon as possible. We have received numerous requests from Xperia Z3+ and Z5 owners asking how they can manually update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, using third-party utilities Flashtool and XperiFirm.

We’ve covered the process many times before, the last time being a year ago when Android 5.0 Lollipop made an appearance. Therefore, it seems like a natural time to revisit the guide. It is worth noting that whilst the tutorial below shows how to install Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the procedure can be used to flash ANY firmware build for ANY Sony Xperia device. The steps are also the same to debrand any Sony Xperia device that is currently on carrier-specific software.

Installing Xperia Marshmallow using Flashtool and XperiFirm [TUTORIAL]

Disclaimer: Please read the following instructions thoroughly before attempting to flash your phone. Xperia Blog absolves itself from any responsibility should something go wrong. Please proceed with caution and at your own risk.

Note: You will not void the warranty of your Sony Xperia device by flashing new firmware using this guide. In addition, you do NOT need to unlock your bootloader nor do you need root to flash your handset.

It is recommended that you create a backup of your existing regional/carrier firmware just in case you need to send your device back for repair. The instructions below can be used to create any firmware file, so use these to create a backup with the relevant firmware build.

Part 1: Preparation

One of the primary reasons people encounter problems in flashing their device is due to not installing the correct drivers on their computer. Please ensure that drivers for your Sony Xperia device and Flashtool software are correctly installed on your PC before attempting to install new software.

Note: This guide is written for Windows users in mind only.

1) Install drivers for your Sony Xperia

You need to ensure that your PC has all of the necessary drivers installed for your Sony Xperia device. The best way to do this is to install Sony PC Companion.

Make sure you connect your Xperia to the PC before starting the process to download the necessary USB and ADB drivers. The best way to do this is to power off your Sony Xperia and then connect to your PC whilst holding the volume down button.

2) Install Flashtool

Download and install Flashtool from the official website here. This guide is based on using Flashtool version 0.9.19.10.

Install Flashtool drivers from the following location: ‘C:\Flashtool\drivers’. Tick the “Flashmode Drivers” and “Fastboot Drivers” to install.

Note: To install the Flashtool drivers for Windows 8/8.1/10, please follow the steps below.

A) Press the Windows key + R together and in the ‘Run’ box type: shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
– Now make the following selections to boot into the Start Up Setting Screen: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Start Up Settings > Restart
– Then, when the machine restarts, select number 7 i.e. “Disable driver signature enforcement”. Your machine will start with Driver signing enforcement disabled until the next reboot.

B) Now you can install the Flashtool drivers.
– Windows will warn that the driver is not signed and will require you to confirm the installation.
– Once the installation is complete, reboot the machine

3) Enable “USB debugging” and “Unknown sources” on your Sony Xperia device

‘USB debugging’: Settings > Developer options

‘Unknown sources’: Settings > Security

Part 2: Create your FTF firmware file

You will need a FTF firmware file to install new software onto your device. The following section explains how to create your own FTF firmware file, however if you have downloaded a FTF file from the Firmware Resource section of our website or elsewhere, you can skip this step and proceed to part 3.

To create your FTF firmware file, you will first need to launch Flashtool and then click on the XperiFirm icon as highlighted below.

You should now see the XperiFirm software launch into a new window. Navigate to your handset on the left pane. You can then choose the firmware for your region/carrier in the middle pane. The pane on the right side will show you which firmware is available for that region. Click on it to download the file.

Important: Only download firmware for your model and variant number. For example, if you own an Xperia Z5 (E6653), only browse and download the firmware builds listed under E6653.

Once clicked, you are asked to confirm whether you want to download the firmware. Ensure that “Unpack automatically” is ticked and then click “Download” to proceed.

Once complete, you will see the following pop message “Unpacked Successfully!” Click OK.

The same “Unpacked successfully!” message will appear on the download dialog. Click “Close” to proceed to the next step.

You will now revert back to Flashtool, which will start creating your FTF firmware file.

Once you see “Torrent file creation finished” then your FTF firmware file has been successfully created.

To ensure the FTF firmware file has been created, navigate to the following location on your PC: “C:\Users\[Your PC Name]\.flashTool\firmwares”

Part 3: Flash your FTF firmware file

This section details the steps needed in order to flash new firmware onto your Sony Xperia device.

First of all, open Flashtool and then click on the lightning bolt in the top left of Flashtool as highlighted below.

Select “Flashmode” and click “OK”.

You should already be in the source folder where the FTF firmware files are located. If not, navigate to: “C:\Users\[Your PC Name]\.flashTool\firmwares”

Select the firmware build version that you want to flash from the “Firmware” pane. Ensure the device variant is the same as the model number of your Sony Xperia device.

If you want to retain your apps, data and media (photos, videos, music), then ensure that the “USERDATA” option within the “Wipe” pane is unticked. However, we recommend that when upgrading a major new Android version, a clean install is the way to go. In this case, tick all options under the “Wipe” pane. This will wipe all of your data though including your photos and videos, so please ensure you have these backed up elsewhere.

Important: If you skipped Part 2 of the guide as you already had your own FTF firmware file, then you may see the following ‘SIMLOCK’ option ticked under the “MiscTA Exclude” pane. DO NOT untick SIMLOCK as it could lead to problems with the network lock on your device.

Click “Flash”. Flashtool will then indicate that it is “preparing files for flashing”.

You may have to wait around 60 seconds for the pop-up below to appear. Once it does, you should now connect your Sony Xperia device. Make sure the device is powered off and then hold the ‘volume down’ button whilst connecting the USB cable. Once the pop-up disappears and flashing has started, you can let go of the ‘volume down’ button.

Flashtool will then start flashing your Xperia device.

Once you see “Flashing finished” as indicated below, your Sony Xperia has been successfully flashed.

Congratulations you have just installed Android Marshmallow! Now disconnect your Xperia device and power on the handset. Don’t worry if it takes a while for the handset to boot, this is to be expected.

To confirm that you have upgraded the phone software, click on ‘Settings > About phone’, which will reveal your new Android version and firmware build number.

If you would also like to confirm the region firmware that you have downloaded, you will need to access the service menu option. To do this, open the dialler and enter the following: *#*#7378423#*#*

Then click ‘Service info > Software info’. The CDF is an eight digit number under the “Customization Version” that should tie in with the firmware you downloaded from XperiFirm. For example, you will notice below that the CDF (software customisation version) of 1298-7362 matches the same firmware that we downloaded in the XperiFirm screenshots above.

Flashtool developer Androxyde has added Android 7.0 Nougat support to the popular Xperia flashing utility. Flashtool build number 0.9.23.0 now allows the ability to flash Nougat FTF firmware files to Xperia devices.

Other changes include TA raw backup for all devices that can be exploited by the dirtycow vulnerability. There is also a new property that will tell you if you need to use a FSC (Flashtool Script) to flash your device or not. The latest build of Flashtool can be downloaded here.

Thanks Jenge!

Long-term Sony Xperia users will be very familiar with Flashtool, it has been the da facto method of flashing firmware of Xperia devices to a different region. It has been around since the advent of Sony’s Android Xperia phones, but support was not added for any of the 2017 Xperia devices.

However, Flashtool developer Androxyde has updated the application to version 0.9.24.2, which now includes support for the Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact. Do note though that this new version of Flashtool has moved from Java 8 to Java 9, so you will need to run a 64-bit operating system. If you want to download the new version, click here.

One of the most frequent questions we get asked from Sony Xperia owners is how to change the firmware. Whether that relates to upgrading/downgrading major Android versions, debranding the handset or simply changing the firmware region for faster updates.

Using the Flashtool application has been the main way to go about this, but when Sony released its 2017 Xperia models, it changed the flashing process which rendered Flashtool redundant. This is where Newflasher, a command line Xperia flashing tool developed by XDA member munjeni, comes in.

While Flashtool was recently updated to support some of the key 2017 Xperia models, including the Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1, we thought it would be useful to write a tutorial for Newsflasher as it provides an alternative, easy-to-use way to flash your Xperia firmware.

The instructions below can be used to flash ANY firmware build for 2017 Sony Xperia devices and beyond. It is a useful process for those wanting to debrand, or if you are a US Xperia owner wanting to change your firmware version to add back the fingerprint sensor functionality.

Install new Xperia firmware using Newflasher [Tutorial]

Disclaimer: Please read the following instructions thoroughly before attempting to flash your phone. Xperia Blog absolves itself from any responsibility should something go wrong. Please proceed with caution and at your own risk.

This guide is only intended to be used for Sony Xperia devices from 2017 and onwards. Please use Flashtool to flash firmware for older devices.

Note: You will not void the warranty of your Sony Xperia device by flashing new firmware using this guide. In addition, you do NOT need to unlock your bootloader nor do you need root to flash your handset.

By following this method to flash your phone you will end up wiping all data. Therefore, please ensure you back up your data and any photos/videos you have taken. You can find Sony’s own backup service within ‘Settings > System > Xperia Backup & Restore’.

For the purpose of this guide, we will be flashing a Sony Xperia XZ Premium (G8141) from Android 7.1.1 Nougat to Android 8.0.0 Oreo. We will also be changing the handset’s region from UK (1308-5320) to Australia (1308-6997). Below are the reference screenshots prior to starting. The left screenshot shows the Android version and current firmware build number. The right screenshot shows the current region software version (see the 8-digit number under ‘Customization Version’).

Part 1: Preparation

One of the primary reasons people encounter problems in flashing their device is due to not installing the correct drivers on their computer. Please ensure that drivers for your Sony Xperia device are correctly installed on your PC before attempting to install new software.

Note: This guide is written for Windows 10 users in mind only.

1) Install drivers for your Sony Xperia

You need to ensure that your PC has all of the necessary drivers installed for your Sony Xperia device. The best way to do this is to install Sony Xperia Companion.

Make sure you connect your Xperia to the PC before starting the process to download the necessary USB and ADB drivers. The best way to do this is to power off your Sony Xperia and then connect to your PC whilst holding the volume down button.

2) Download Newflasher

Download Newflasher from XDA. We are using Newflasher v10 for the purpose of this guide. Once downloaded, extract the RAR file to an appropriate location on your computer. You can use WinRAR to extract the file.

3) Install Flashtool and XperiFirm

Download and install Flashtool from the official website here. Flashtool integrates the XperiFirm application, which you will need to download the necessary firmware files.

While we won’t be using Flashtool to flash firmware in this guide, by installing the application you can ensure that the necessary Xperia drivers will be installed on your computer. Install Flashtool drivers from the following location: ‘C:\Flashtool\drivers’. Tick the “Flashmode Drivers” and “Fastboot Drivers” to install.

4) Enable “USB debugging” and “Unknown sources” on your Sony Xperia device

‘USB debugging’: Settings > Developer options

‘Unknown sources’: Settings > Security

Part 2: Download Xperia firmware

You will need to download firmware files to install new software onto your device. First, launch Flashtool and then click on the XperiFirm icon as highlighted below.

You should now see the XperiFirm software launch into a new window. Navigate to your handset on the left pane. You can then choose the firmware for your region/carrier in the middle pane. The pane on the right side will show you which firmware is available for that region. Click on it to download the file.

Important: Only download firmware for your model and variant number. For example, if you own an Xperia XZ Premium (G8141), only browse and download the firmware builds listed under G8141.

Once clicked, you are asked to confirm whether you want to download the firmware. Click “Download” to proceed.

This will launch a pop-up ‘Downloads’ window, showing the progress of the download. Once it is complete, click “Close” to proceed to the next step. Make sure you note the folder where you have downloaded the firmware too.

Part 3: Prepare firmware for flashing

If you have followed the above steps correctly, you should now have two new folders on your computer. One firmware file (in this example, called “G8141_Customized AU_1308-6997_47.1.A.12.34_R3B“), and another folder called “Newflasher“.

Here are the untouched contents of the Xperia firmware folder for your reference.

Here are the untouched contents of the Newflasher folder for your reference. You can see that we have used Newflasher v10 for this tutorial.

Now open the firmware folder. Select and delete all of the .ta files in the main folder.

Now open the ‘boot’ folder within the main firmware folder. There is one .ta file in here called ‘Maple_XBootConfig_MiscTA‘ that you also need to delete.

Create a new folder called ‘partition’ in the main firmware folder. Now extract partition.zip which is found in the main firmware folder into this new ‘partition’ folder. The files extracted will look something like the picture below.

Once you have completed all of the above, your firmware folder should look something like the below. All of the .ta files are deleted and the partition.zip file has been extracted into a new ‘partition’ folder.

Now the final step in preparing your firmware, is to copy the entire contents of the firmware folder to the Newflasher folder. Once complete, your Newflasher folder should look like something below. The highlighted files are those copied across from your firmware folder.

Part 4: Flash Xperia firmware

If you’ve reached this stage, then that’s the hardest part done. This next section involves the process of actually flashing your Sony Xperia device.

Connect your Sony Xperia device. Make sure the device is powered off and then hold the ‘volume down’ button whilst connecting the USB cable. Double click the ‘newflasher’ application as highlighted below.

A Windows command prompt will now open. Type ‘n’ and press Enter.

You will once again need to type ‘n’ and press Enter.

Your Sony Xperia device will now begin to flash new firmware.

Once complete, you will receive a message that “You can disconnect your device when you close newflasher.exe“. Congratulations, your Sony Xperia device has now been successfully flashed to new firmware.

Disconnect your Xperia device and power on the handset. Don’t worry if it takes a while for the handset to boot, this is to be expected. To confirm that you have upgraded the phone software, click on ‘Settings > About phone’, which will reveal your new Android version and firmware build number.

If you would also like to confirm the region firmware that you have downloaded, you will need to access the service menu option (open the dialler and enter *#*#7378423#*#*). Click ‘Service info > Software info’. Search for the 8-digit number under “Customization Version”. For example, you will notice below that the software customisation version of 1308-6997 matches the Australia firmware that we downloaded in the XperiFirm screenshots above.

Flashtool is one of the most useful pieces of third-party software to help upgrade/downgrade or change regional firmware for Sony Xperia devices. Developer Androxyde has updated the utility to version 0.9.25.0 which adds support for 2018 Sony Xperia handsets, including the Xperia XZ2 and XA2 range.

A word of warning if you already have existing FTF firmware files though, they will not work in this latest version of Flashtool. You will need to recreate the FTF firmware file with version 0.9.25.0 of Flashtool. You can download the latest version of Flashtool here.

Flashtool has been an invaluable tool for Sony Xperia owners over the years, allowing users to change the firmware region of their devices. This can be most useful if you have a carrier branded device and you want to move to a generic version of firmware.

We just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up that Flashtool has been updated to version 0.9.30.0, which now adds support for the Xperia 1 II. This follows on from another recent update that also added support for the Xperia 10 II. The latest version can be downloaded from here. We recommend using the torrent method rather than Uploaded.to, it is both quicker and safer.