I'm trying to figure out exactly what you lose when you unlock Z3(C).
So far I've discovered that:
- Sony has a webpage that allows you to unlock your device
- Unlocking your device will void your warranty
- Unlocking is the only known way to get root (at least right now)
- Unlocking your device will kill the "TA partition" that contains DRM keys
- Loss of the aforementioned DRM keys will cause some stuff to stop working
I found a huge thread on backing up TA partition for older xperia devices, but no good information RE: what exactly you lose if you wipe out the DRM keys by unlocking.
Do any of you know definitively: what the DRM keys are for and what you lose?
As an aside - it looks like backing up TA partition is only possible before you unlock bootloader and if you've rooted your phone (so probably not possible on Z3C until someone finds a working exploit to get root with a locked bootloader).
Thanks in advance for any insights.
I don't think there is a definitive place which says exactly what you lose by unlocking the boot loader but judging by what people having been saying after unlocking the Z3C and other Xperia phones on 4.4 it seems like the answer is nothing. Nothing is lost on the software side at all.
On the z1c I neglected to back up the TA partition. And apparently lost native mirror cast and some camera features when I rolled the device back to stock.
Back up your TA partition before unlocking BL... If not for the I'm tact features turn for your warranty!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Those that have rushed into unlocking the BL without backing up the TA partition risk voiding warranty I'm afraid.
dillalade said:
On the z1c I neglected to back up the TA partition. And apparently lost native mirror cast and some camera features when I rolled the device back to stock.
Back up your TA partition before unlocking BL... If not for the I'm tact features turn for your warranty!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Those that have rushed into unlocking the BL without backing up the TA partition risk voiding warranty I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem is, you need root to use those backup tools... So we would need a temp root exploit to backup before unlocking. But from what I've read so far, it doesn't seem like you lose that much, if anything.
I am also curious about this as I need root access but would like to preserve the warranty. Somebody else has also started a thread with what breaks with unlocking: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2890936
TiMiN8R said:
Problem is, you need root to use those backup tools... So we would need a temp root exploit to backup before unlocking. But from what I've read so far, it doesn't seem like you lose that much, if anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most important consideration is your warranty such if your happy to lost it then unlock your BL.
dillalade said:
Most important consideration is your warranty such if your happy to lost it then unlock your BL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that definitive that you will lose warranty. Sony says it may void your warranty. Known issues with the specific model or batch, or other hardware problems that could not be caused by flashing custom ROMs/kernels will most likely still be covered.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...oader-unlock-tool-voids-your-warranty_id32972
I myself have sent in my Xperia T twice since unlocking the bootloader and on both occassions it was covered by the warranty.
Mind you, I did relock the bootloader and flash a stock FTF before doing that.
Flashtool has a function to relock the bootloader
http://www.digitalinternals.com/mobile/keeping-warranty-intact-sony-xperia-unlocked-phones/264/
I don't know if this works on our phone already, maybe someone who has already unlocked would like to try?
Related
Is there a way to root the Z1 Compact without losing what you do when you unlock the bootloader?
Koenig77 said:
Is there a way to root the Z1 Compact without losing what you do when you unlock the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Compact roll out a week ago, at the moment there is no way to have Root or anything, the developers are working on it so stay tuned on XDA.
eclyptos said:
The Compact roll out a week ago, at the moment there is no way to have Root or anything, the developers are working on it so stay tuned on XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really true though, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620794
But since there's no older firmware for the Compact you won't be able to backup the TA.
Since that thread was even posted before the launch of the compact, I thought it might be worth asking since alot can happen in a week....
Koenig77 said:
Not really true though, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620794
But since there's no older firmware for the Compact you won't be able to backup the TA.
Since that thread was even posted before the launch of the compact, I thought it might be worth asking since alot can happen in a week....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said there is no root ans still no root yet, that is just Recovery and will be a Root soon for Unlocked Bootlader but at the moment there is nothing for Locked Bootlader.
You have to wait.
eclyptos said:
I said there is no root ans still no root yet, that is just Recovery and will be a Root soon for Unlocked Bootlader but at the moment there is nothing for Locked Bootlader.
You have to wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check second post of that thread and then tell me again that there's no root.
EDIT: But for the waiting part you might be right though.
Koenig77 said:
Check second post of that thread and then tell me again that there's no root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still no Root for Locked Bootloaders. ..hahah..
Unlocking bootlader
Sorry for being a complete noon when it comes to rooting and bootloader and backups... and what not.
What exactly is at stake here? Just got my Z1 Compact today and learning from my previous devices, N7 and LG G2 (and mistakes) i kind of wanted to unlock the bootloader as soon as possible. Now i am reading all this about TA backup and loosing DRM , and feel both lost and concerned.
Should I bother with the unlock or rather wait until developers has gotten a bit further on this? Planning to use this device as a second phone for rough weather's and hopefully won't fill it up with to much DRM protected stuff (guessing that DRM is mainly for stuff bought through Sony?) so maybe I will be fine doing it later.
Any advice or suggestions are very welcome.
Cheers.
stenbergs said:
Sorry for being a complete noon when it comes to rooting and bootloader and backups... and what not.
What exactly is at stake here? Just got my Z1 Compact today and learning from my previous devices, N7 and LG G2 (and mistakes) i kind of wanted to unlock the bootloader as soon as possible. Now i am reading all this about TA backup and loosing DRM , and feel both lost and concerned.
Should I bother with the unlock or rather wait until developers has gotten a bit further on this? Planning to use this device as a second phone for rough weather's and hopefully won't fill it up with to much DRM protected stuff (guessing that DRM is mainly for stuff bought through Sony?) so maybe I will be fine doing it later.
Any advice or suggestions are very welcome.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you Unlock Bootlader you will lost your Warranty and DRM keys and like on Z1 you should lost X-Reality, Bionz Processing and Bravia engine. Losing this features will not compromise the working of your phone but DRM key definetly will compromise the warranty and if you lose them you will cannot Relock Bootloader anymore. Unlock Bootloader is needed if you want flash custom kernels like DooMlord kernel with recovery. So is recommended to Root first your phone and then Backup your TA and DRM keys so in the case you will want go back to Stock or go via Warranty you have just to Flash Stock FTF and then Relock Bootloader. But like I already said, there is no root for locked bootloader at the moment, and this is what OP was asking but he was just challenge me with Root for Unlocked Bootladers.
If i make a TA Backup, will i be good to go with rooting and all that stuff without having to worry about anything?
With a backup, will i always be able to downgrade/upgrade to any custom firmware/original firmware, and or use kernels and stuff.
Unlock/Lock Bootloader.
Can i always go back to stock phone with drm keys and lock bootloader making it 100% factory stock?
And can i have a rooted device with unlocked bootloader + the drm functions working?
Gnubaver said:
If i make a TA Backup, will i be good to go with rooting and all that stuff without having to worry about anything?
With a backup, will i always be able to downgrade/upgrade to any custom firmware/original firmware, and or use kernels and stuff.
Unlock/Lock Bootloader.
Can i always go back to stock phone with drm keys and lock bootloader making it 100% factory stock?
And can i have a rooted device with unlocked bootloader + the drm functions working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer of all of your concerns is yes and yes you can always go to 100% factory state with your ta backed up ......
Assuming you will not mess up in flashing roms............
Are you sure? Cause what ive heard is, that you may backup your TA, but the DRM-Keys will remain forever lost.
For further information, this Thread questions the consequences of loosing DRM-Keys
Xecu said:
Are you sure? Cause what ive heard is, that you may backup your TA, but the DRM-Keys will remain forever lost.
For further information, this Thread questions the consequences of loosing DRM-Keys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does not making a backup of TA = Backup DRM Keys.
And how can you screw up flashing roms?
Yes.
"And can i have a rooted device with unlocked bootloader + the drm functions working?"
Not sure about that, what I know if you Unlock Bootlader the DRM Keys are lost and they do not working. Anyway if you have Backup TA you can go back to Stock with functionally DRM Keys.
Downgrade to 4.2.2, root via vroot and use ta backup and you good to go. Did the same.
Sent from my C6902 using Tapatalk
eclyptos said:
Yes.
"And can i have a rooted device with unlocked bootloader + the drm functions working?"
Not sure about that, what I know if you Unlock Bootlader the DRM Keys are lost and they do not working. Anyway if you have Backup TA you can go back to Stock with functionally DRM Keys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I got something confused there. Good to know that I can always revert to pure stock.
Xecu said:
Are you sure? Cause what ive heard is, that you may backup your TA, but the DRM-Keys will remain forever lost.
For further information, this Thread questions the consequences of loosing DRM-Keys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. If you backed up your TA partition before you FIRST unlocked your bootloader, then your DRM keys are fine within the TA backup.
Test this if you like by downgrading to 4.2.2 WITHOUT restoring TA. Your camera will not focus etc etc
Now restore TA and as if by magic, everything is fine again (though your bootloader will be relocked)
Until a few days ago, I didn't want to do anything involving rooting with my Xperia Z just in case I messed anything up but since Towelroot came out, I went ahead and used it to root my phone without any problems but now I have some questions.
Now that I have root access on my phone, if Sony releases an OTA firmware update, does this close the root access?
My next goal with my phone is to try and cut out as much bloat as possible from my Xperia Z but I'm worried I might get rid of too much things that I might render it bricked. Is there some things I should leave well alone?
Also thinking about trying custom roms but I'm overwhelmed by all the guides so are the guides even from years ago still valid in 2014?
syrupdash said:
Until a few days ago, I didn't want to do anything involving rooting with my Xperia Z just in case I messed anything up but since Towelroot came out, I went ahead and used it to root my phone without any problems but now I have some questions.
Now that I have root access on my phone, if Sony releases an OTA firmware update, does this close the root access?
My next goal with my phone is to try and cut out as much bloat as possible from my Xperia Z but I'm worried I might get rid of too much things that I might render it bricked. Is there some things I should leave well alone?
Also thinking about trying custom roms but I'm overwhelmed by all the guides so are the guides even from years ago still valid in 2014?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updating firmware will remove root
If you remove system apps you wont get OTA
Custom roms require unlocked bootloader which will void your warranty and you wont get OTA
Look up in the forums for latest guides
OTA shouldn't remove root. Root gets removed if you flash with flashtool, sus or pcc
Sent from my C6603 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
syrupdash said:
My next goal with my phone is to try and cut out as much bloat as possible from my Xperia Z but I'm worried I might get rid of too much things that I might render it bricked. Is there some things I should leave well alone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you remove something wrong, just flash a ROM again. But like always said: Don't remove something, if you don't know what it is.
syrupdash said:
Also thinking about trying custom roms but I'm overwhelmed by all the guides so are the guides even from years ago still valid in 2014?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to unlock bootloader for custom ROMs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z/development/tutorial-xperia-z-zl-bootloader-t2153261
Don't forget to make a TA-Backup!: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Quote by devshaft from the TA-Backup thread:
Backup TA can backup and restore the TA partition of the device. When you create a backup before unlocking for the first time, then you will be able to restore to full factory state (including a locked bootloader). This means all DRM keys intact, Bravia Engine working in Album and last but not least your warranty when needed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like androidtweaker1 said, unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty. The TA-Backup includes some unique data from your device(!), which will be removed for ever if you unlock your bootloader. That's why you should make a TA-Backupfirst, to keep this data.
There are 2 ways how SONY take a look at it if you unlocked the bootloader:
- They take a look in the servicemenue
- Or they take a look at if the DRM-keys(which are included in the TA-Backup) are in your device
If you relock the bootloader only, they will see in the servicemenue that it is locked. But if they take a look at the DRM keys and they aren't available, it's clear for them that you unlocked your bootloader.
If you want to send your device to a repair center, just relock the bootloader and restore the TA-Backup. There are also some threads about it, so don't be afraid to search for it. And one more thing: Never, and really never restore the TA-Backup from an other device, it will hardbrick your phone!
So the root process is a matter of unlocking the bootloader and flashing a new boot.img that includes CWM.
You're supposed to backup your TA partition to preserve your DRM keys.
There's some talk about a bunch of things that can be lost with the DRM keys -- camera quality, Triluminos, Bravia, etc.
Are these lost when the bootloader is unlocked, or only if TA is not restored?
If I backup TA, then unlock the bootloader, then dd TA image back into the partition (after rooting, I presume?), will that restore the camera quality, Triluminos, etc.? Is it possible to root without losing those things, or is it a choice? Because I don't think I want to root quite that badly...
This is my first sony phone so I don't know too much about backing up and flashing things on this particular phone yet, but it is my understanding that there is no way to root without unlocking the bootloader at this time. Unlocking the bootloader wipes the TA partition so that's where the loss of the DRM keys comes in. Unfortunately, in order to back up the TA partition, you need root. So, right now, it's a catch 22 until someone can figure out how to root the device without unlocking the bootloader. I'm personally going to wait it out. There's too much about this phone that I like about the stock sony experience with this device to lose a lot of functionality and have degraded camera quality. The only reason I would root is to be able to backup certain things and run xposed. Not worth unlocking the bootloader just to have those things IMO.
In order to get root access, right now you have to unlock the bootloader. In doing so, you erase the TA partition. So, once you have root access, you don't have a TA partition to backup anymore.
If you care about your TA partition, then wait for an exploit to be found that enables root access without the need of unlocking the bootloader. When (not if, problem is just when) this happens, you can have root access, unlocked bootloader and TA partition altogether. (that is, unless you've already unlocked the bootloader... in that case, you don't have a way to restore your TA)
Ah. So we cannot even read the partition without root?
So yes, then I will just have to wait until someone finds an exploit.
This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.
Cypher_01 said:
This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be better served visiting other sections of XDA, such as the Z1 Compact and Z2 forums here on XDa. They will be able to give you a little better glimpse into the future for how things are done.
Cypher_01 said:
This rises another question for me.
Assumed there is a way to root the phone without unlocking the bootloader. If one does
* backup the TA partition
* unlock the bootloader
* install a custom recovery
* restore the TA partition (bootloader locked again)
Is the phone still rooted? And, even more important, is the custom recovery still there?
I guess this can be answered by someone having experience with earlier Xperia devices like the Z, Z1 or Z2. I've already been searching for the answer, but couldn't find it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relocking the bootloader when a modified stock firmware and a stock kernel with recovery is installed results in a device that doesn't boot, so I guess no, although I don't know which part exactly breaks in the process.
My understanding is that with a custom/unlocked recovery, you'll lose the TA partition with DRM keys. So you'll lose out on anything that needs the DRM keys. If a root exploit is found, then you could use the standard ROM with root and not touch the bootloader/recovery/TA partition. But as soon as an update rolls out, you'll lose root again (and likely the exploit with it).
Backing up the TA partition means that you can restore it to stock (i.e. to sell or for warranty repair).
Again, as per my understanding - any AOSP/CM based ROM will lose any of the Sony proprietary software and features anyway, no different to Samsung or HTC in that respect. I remember having a HTC One (M7) last year where the camera was worse on CM because HTC used their own post processing software within their camera app.
In theory, it may be possible for someone to come up with a stock based ROM with root baked in that keeps some the Sony proprietary software etc, but this is unlikely I would say.
I'm thinking about buying a Z3c, but it sounds as though there with be no AOSP rom with all the display and camera enhancements. The most concerning thing is that there is no way to go back completely to stock as you can with a Nexus for example. Maybe I should just hope for a Z3c Google Play Edition? I'm going to have to check the other Z phone forums to see how big of a factor this is.
I need help! I unlocked my bootloader and rooted my phone. But "Rooting stat Unknown"
Well now I know that I made a big mistake. I guess that sony made a hard brick in my phone. I am not sure if i will be able to unlock my bootloader again and I need information about it. I lost my DRM Keys and I can't take pictures, so It's driving me crazy.
Can I use a back up of DRM Keys from another locked Z3+?
Iyagui said:
Well now I know that I made a big mistake. I guess that sony made a hard brick in my phone. I am not sure if i will be able to unlock my bootloader again and I need information about it. I lost my DRM Keys and I can't take pictures, so It's driving me crazy.
Can I use a back up of DRM Keys from another locked Z3+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't use drm keys from another phone. Plus you need root to backup your keys. And you cannot root z3+ without unlocking the bootloader first. Ive unlocked my bootloader. I have zero issues. Everything works great. What exactly did you do?
pikeylfc said:
You can't use drm keys from another phone. Plus you need root to backup your keys. And you cannot root z3+ without unlocking the bootloader first. Ive unlocked my bootloader. I have zero issues. Everything works great. What exactly did you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not is my case. I rooted and later I touched "My xperia protection" and the phone didn't respond any more. Later I understood that it was a big mistake. I had to restore my phone with sony companion and now I don't have unlocked my phone and I can't root it , again. And also I lost all my DRM keys, so my camera is a disaster. I'm not sure about if I could restore the original state of the phone, locked but with the posiblity of unlocked again. My rooting status is Unknown.