Database Develop

What I'd like to see in an update thread

Every time a new version update comes out there is always lots of threads on how to get it, how to root it, when it will come...etc. Unfortunately, there is rarely any mention of exactly what changes the new version brings and whether or not it is worth updating. Seems like so many in here are more interested in just having the latest version of Android and not with what actual improvements might come with it. Being that upgrade paths for the i537 aren't exactly simple (compared to previous phones I had that did not have locked bootloaders) could someone perhaps give us a rundown of what's new and improved in 4.4.2 to make it worth the trouble of upgrading? I am on rooted stock 4.2 with a ton of frozen system apps and before I go through the trouble to get the OTA I would like to assess if it is worth it. Also, will I first have to get the OTA of 4.3 before I will get the 4.4.2 update and if I do should I just wait to root until I have the latest version? Thank you!

Miami_Son said:
Every time a new version update comes out there is always lots of threads on how to get it, how to root it, when it will come...etc. Unfortunately, there is rarely any mention of exactly what changes the new version brings and whether or not it is worth updating. Seems like so many in here are more interested in just having the latest version of Android and not with what actual improvements might come with it. Being that upgrade paths for the i537 aren't exactly simple (compared to previous phones I had that did not have locked bootloaders) could someone perhaps give us a rundown of what's new and improved in 4.4.2 to make it worth the trouble of upgrading? I am on rooted stock 4.2 with a ton of frozen system apps and before I go through the trouble to get the OTA I would like to assess if it is worth it. Also, will I first have to get the OTA of 4.3 before I will get the 4.4.2 update and if I do should I just wait to root until I have the latest version? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to flash the ML2 Odin package to be able to get the OTA for NC9 to install. Personally I would wait a couple weeks since it seems like they're getting very close to unlocking the bootloader.
To answer your question about the 4.4.2 update, I've posted the changelogs from both AT&T and Samsung in this thread. If you really want a rundown of what the 4.4.2 update will look like, just look at the regular S4. There are slight UI changes between the S4 and S4A, but you'll get the overall impression.

Thank you, Devo.:victory:

Wait, you're saying we might finally get an unlocked bootloader??

TwoStroker37 said:
Wait, you're saying we might finally get an unlocked bootloader??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand yes. At worst it looks like they will be able to develop a patch that may not unlock the bootloader, but will allow us to flash any ROM with any kernel, effectively the same as if the bootloader was unlocked. There are still some things that are over my head, but everybody seems super excited about this latest development.
If you want to read about what is going on, read these threads (they actually reference each other):
If we are serious about unlocking the bootloader
Well, It must be our lucky day
These are developer threads so try not to clog them up unless you have something to contribute.

Need some help regarding Custom-ROMs and their consequences!

Hello, iam a Xperia-Z (C6603) User for a week or two and am now looking forward to a
Nice and clean custom-Rom without any bloatware which I hate(ultimate music Sony select,sonysocialfoo and Facebook and alike)
and I guess cm11nightly would fulfill my needs, as i would also really love a smartphone without gapps.
FIrst I thought it would basically be a decision between the to be flashed ROM but now
I read about the bravia-engine getting lost forever which would really suck, is this still
State-of-the-art? Or is there an Option to get it back, as far as I know the BE is basically still there but licensed over a key like the mpeg2-codec on the raspberry-Pi isn't there a possibility to back it up and still be able to use it when you revert back to stock for example?
You're in charge now, what do you suggest me? Iam still on 4.2.2 and would like to get everything up-to-date soon. Btw. I would want a Rom that is of the same color as stock 4.2.2 so basically black, a white theme would be hard to look at in dark conditions even when turned down to lowest brightness.
So to sum it up: NO bloatware (must), NO gapps(nicetohave), black theme like 4.2.2(must), still BEngine(nicetohave)
Btw. How's the image-quality with custom-Roms? It shouldn't get worse than it is in 4.2.2 stock if possible!
Thanks! :good::highfive:

luluchambler said:
Hello, iam a Xperia-Z (C6603) User for a week or two and am now looking forward to a
Nice and clean custom-Rom without any bloatware which I hate(ultimate music Sony select,sonysocialfoo and Facebook and alike)
and I guess cm11nightly would fulfill my needs, as i would also really love a smartphone without gapps.
FIrst I thought it would basically be a decision between the to be flashed ROM but now
I read about the bravia-engine getting lost forever which would really suck, is this still
State-of-the-art? Or is there an Option to get it back, as far as I know the BE is basically still there but licensed over a key like the mpeg2-codec on the raspberry-Pi isn't there a possibility to back it up and still be able to use it when you revert back to stock for example?
You're in charge now, what do you suggest me? Iam still on 4.2.2 and would like to get everything up-to-date soon. Btw. I would want a Rom that is of the same color as stock 4.2.2 so basically black, a white theme would be hard to look at in dark conditions even when turned down to lowest brightness.
So to sum it up: NO bloatware (must), NO gapps(nicetohave), black theme like 4.2.2(must), still BEngine(nicetohave)
Btw. How's the image-quality with custom-Roms? It shouldn't get worse than it is in 4.2.2 stock if possible!
Thanks! :good::highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend Cyanogen Mod to most people. Honestly I can't live without the features these days!
Regarding the consequences.. Well there aren't really any.. Kinda.. You may or may not lose your warranty based on how stingy Sony are feeling at the time. Most of the BRICK warnings are just to cover developers if someone does something wrong or if your phone just so happens to die of something completely unrelated while installing the rom.
I would recommend trawling this forum for at least and hour or two just reading the various guides; How to backup your phone, How to unlock the bootloader and, most importantly, how to backup your TA partition.
It's quite a pain free process. It's just better to be aware of what could go wrong, so you are prepared and can easily apply the fix before panicking and messing something up
Good luck and happy trawling!
You only have to learn these things once. Once your rooted, unlocked and running a custom rom updating is easier than sonys

Hi, thank you for your reply.
I just looked up what exactly the "TA-Partition" is and i guess the only thing that was worrying me (loosing Bravia) is not up-to-date anymore
So lets get started, i looked up what i need to backup the "TA-Partition" and if i understood everything its basically having a rooted Xperia-Z and a double-click on a .bat-file?
So i guess the best would to not upgrade any of the shown OTA-Updates by Sony, and root the 4.2.2-Stock ROM that is on the device right now?
As far as i know rooting 4.2.2 isn't really a problem right now, agreed?
So after sucessfully rooting the Sony Xperia-Z its just backing up the "TA-Par tition" with "TA-Backup"-Script?
After that, its unlocking the Boot-loader over the Sony-Website (IMEI, Name, Email....) so that they send you the Unlock-Code, after that you'll have to use fastboot to finally unlock it?
(If i check the Service Menu "Rooting Status": there is nothing behind it, but the bootloader-unlock allowed: says yes, so no problem right?)
After that you most likely are done for the moment, until you decide if it should be CM10.1Stable or CM11Nightly, rig
How's the status of CM11 right now, any known major bugs?
Thank you already for your help :good:

luluchambler said:
Hi, thank you for your reply.
I just looked up what exactly the "TA-Partition" is and i guess the only thing that was worrying me (loosing Bravia) is not up-to-date anymore
So lets get started, i looked up what i need to backup the "TA-Partition" and if i understood everything its basically having a rooted Xperia-Z and a double-click on a .bat-file?
So i guess the best would to not upgrade any of the shown OTA-Updates by Sony, and root the 4.2.2-Stock ROM that is on the device right now?
As far as i know rooting 4.2.2 isn't really a problem right now, agreed?
So after sucessfully rooting the Sony Xperia-Z its just backing up the "TA-Par tition" with "TA-Backup"-Script?
After that, its unlocking the Boot-loader over the Sony-Website (IMEI, Name, Email....) so that they send you the Unlock-Code, after that you'll have to use fastboot to finally unlock it?
(If i check the Service Menu "Rooting Status": there is nothing behind it, but the bootloader-unlock allowed: says yes, so no problem right?)
After that you most likely are done for the moment, until you decide if it should be CM10.1Stable or CM11Nightly, rig
How's the status of CM11 right now, any known major bugs?
Thank you already for your help :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Cyanogenmod 11 nighties for months now, no obvious bugs
Some features aren't implemented yet and the occasional feature is broken.. Nothing really integral to the phone though
You've pretty much got the method down! Just ensure you use a root method for your sony firmware version (Android version). It should use some form of "Exploit" to avoid deleting the TA-Partition. Honestly I backed mine up and haven't ever wanted to restore it, the features are more of a gimmick than anything useful
Enjoy

A few more questions! (Iam sorry )
So as far as i can see, my smartphone is running "10.3.1.A.0.244" which is regarding to the post by DooMLord not exploitable.
I therefore have to flash the "10.3.A.0.423"-Kernel-Only so that the previously used exploit works again.
After that i'll have to restore the Kernel that was previously on the Smartphone therefore "10.3.1.A.0.244"
After that root should stay in intact, but what about the TA-Partion? Is it somehow affected by this?
Secound Question, is it crucial to have an micro-sdhc inserted to sucessfully flash CM11 onto the Xperia Z after backing up TA, or is it possible without?
And the Image-Quality (taking Pictures) should be kinda worse on CM11 than it is with Sony's Stock Firmware, is it possible to include(myself) the propritary firmware.blobs for the Camera as we do it with gapps, or will i have to live with the reduced image Quality?
Thanks!

[Q] Should I try Stock Andoroid before CM12?

My Nexus 6 has finally shipped! It should be here Friday!
This is my first Nexus and I have never rooted, unlocked, flashed, etc. any of my previous phones.
I have been doing a lot of research and have been considering running CM12.
My question is, should I run my Nexus 6 with stock android for a few weeks and then try CM12? Or should I just root, unlock, and flash CM12 as soon as I get it?
I know that if I wait then I will need to back up all my data because it will factory data reset but I am not worried about that... I understand it is easier to do it right out of the box because you don't have to worry about loosing anything but I can just back my info/apps up so that isn't a big deal.
Also, would you guys suggest something over CM12? Right now I am planning on using CM12 and just getting it setup how I like it then leaving it. I don't plan on always flashing and making changes but I might get sucked into it lol
Thanks everyone!

Has CM moved to 5. 1 yet?
What version android came your phone?
Depending on those two answers you have to ask yourself if you want to downgrade your phone. At least version wise
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Has CM moved to 5. 1 yet?
What version android came your phone?
Depending on those two answers you have to ask yourself if you want to downgrade your phone. At least version wise
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! I don't know if CM is on 5.1 yet. I just assumed it was but I will look into it. This is all new to me so thanks for pointing that out, didn't even think about that!
I won't know what version is on the phone until Friday. But even if it is on 5.0 I am sure it will notify me that 5.1 is ready to download as soon as I boot up the phone.

On my other phones I usually got rid of the stock and was on a custom ROM a pretty quick. I have tried a few ROMs on this phone as well. in my experience if you want to be on 5 .1 currently the best way to go is stock with debloating . Or use one of the clean/vanilla ROMs. Of course I did not test them all there are so many out there. Good luck with your new toy.
I will try CM after its been out a few weeks on 5 .1
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

I'd recommend updating to 5.1 if it doesn't ship with 5.1. Then, I'd run stock for at least a few days to get a baseline for comparison. I think this is useful especially for bugs. That way you can get an idea of the issues that exist in stock 5.1 before using a custom ROM.

DebianDog said:
On my other phones I usually got rid of the stock and was on a custom ROM a pretty quick. I have tried a few ROMs on this phone as well. in my experience if you want to be on 5 .1 currently the best way to go is stock with debloating . Or use one of the clean/vanilla ROMs. Of course I did not test them all there are so many out there. Good luck with your new toy.
I will try CM after its been out a few weeks on 5 .1
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks for the info!
Since I ordered my phone directly from Google, do I need to debloat? Or is that just for carrier versions?

mlin said:
I'd recommend updating to 5.1 if it doesn't ship with 5.1. Then, I'd run stock for at least a few days to get a baseline for comparison. I think this is useful especially for bugs. That way you can get an idea of the issues that exist in stock 5.1 before using a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another great point! I knew you guys were the people to ask! lol
What about rooting and unlocking? Would you suggest waiting on that as well? Is there really any reason to unlock and root if I won't be running CM? I was going to root so that I could decrypte but it sounds like the lag from encryption is fixed in 5.1.

Well I would guess you WILL want to unlock and root because who does want to be able to run a root level ad blocker? Who wants to wait on OTA for an update? Not me.
I got mine from Google, as well, and heres what I did:
Played with the phone in stock form for like an hour saw it was still on 5.01 even after updating
Decided this is not for me. I wanted my root apps and I wanted to copy all the stuff off my old phone with Titanium backup to the Nexus
Looked on the interwebs for the easiest way to get root
Found a tool from my old buddy WugFresh (I knew him in the Droid X days)
Prepared myself for a giant PITA night. Download, drivers, and programs, reading various sites, etc, etc, etc
Was freaking SHOCKED that the tool did ALL THIS for me. I mean I literally plugged in my phone and it collected and set up everything. (It also has a console if you feel the need to type in adb commands)
Was unlocked, upgraded, rooted with a custom recovery with all my apps copied over in less than an hour
Sent Wuggy some $$$ and a thank-you note
You only need to decrypt, IMO, if you are running high end games that demand that level of performance. I have not seen any lag myself. Again this is my own personal experience. Your results may vary. 5.1 has optimized out many of the issues I heard about in 5.01 or so I have been told.

CFrance said:
Another great point! I knew you guys were the people to ask! lol
What about rooting and unlocking? Would you suggest waiting on that as well? Is there really any reason to unlock and root if I won't be running CM? I was going to root so that I could decrypte but it sounds like the lag from encryption is fixed in 5.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked and rooted right away, mainly for the ability to use Titanium Backup to setup my phone and in the event that I installed a custom ROM. Outside of TB, I haven't really needed or used root, but it sure is nice to have. I played with a few custom ROMs before 5.1 came out but mostly felt that I preferred the stock experience. I downloaded the MCR modpack found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58019266&postcount=1 but have yet to install it. If/when I do, root will become more of a requirement for my uses.
I came from a Verizon Note 4 which could not be rooted. I got used to not playing with my phone and just using the stock experience. Its nice that the stock experience on the N6 is so fantastic and stable. It makes it easy to just use the phone without worry of fixing, modding, and adding features, though I still enjoy those aspects too which is why I'll likely use MultiROM next time I decide to install something custom.

Dude are you somehow tied up with this Tool Kit? You`re promoting it on so many threads i`am starting to get the impression you`re not quite objective about it There is no harm in using toolkits by xperienced users and i`am sure its well build, but for newbies its very dangerous because they`re lost if something should go wrong.

gee2012 said:
Dude are you somehow tied up with this Tool Kit? You`re promoting it on so many threads i`am starting to get the impression you`re not quite objective about it There is no harm in using toolkits by xperienced users and i`am sure its well build, but for newbies its very dangerous because they`re lost if something should go wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is exactly why I'm promoting it it is almost bulletproof. what's the alternative loading all the different tools and drivers they need and following some instructions found on the internet.
And as I explained in my post you can just download the tool to make sure you have all the drivers and connections. use it to get the proper files you need and then run the command line like a power user if you want to feel better about yourself.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Which is exactly why I'm promoting it it is almost bulletproof. what's the alternative loading all the different tools and drivers they need and following some instructions found on the internet.
And as I explained in my post you can just download the tool to make sure you have all the drivers and connections. use it to get the proper files you need and then run the command line like a power user if you want to feel better about yourself.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will never use/promote a Toolkit even if it seems very good for the reason i posted earlier. Flashing manualy in fastboot doesn`t take more time and makes users more aware about their phone and knowledge of it and gives you control over whats happening Just my 2 cents.

My two cents. I don't think you've dealt with enough newbies. on another forum it was me and a group of others that would help people get their phones out of boot loops and soft bricks. I have literally helped hundreds of people get their phone back.
even if you look here on XDA you'll see people trying to flash the wrong files download files that are not even for their phone, are following a dated instruction or don't really understand how directories work.
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

DebianDog said:
Well I would guess you WILL want to unlock and root because who does want to be able to run a root level ad blocker? Who wants to wait on OTA for an update? Not me.
I got mine from Google, as well, and heres what I did:
Played with the phone in stock form for like an hour saw it was still on 5.01 even after updating
Decided this is not for me. I wanted my root apps and I wanted to copy all the stuff off my old phone with Titanium backup to the Nexus
Looked on the interwebs for the easiest way to get root
Found a tool from my old buddy WugFresh (I knew him in the Droid X days)
Prepared myself for a giant PITA night. Download, drivers, and programs, reading various sites, etc, etc, etc
Was freaking SHOCKED that the tool did ALL THIS for me. I mean I literally plugged in my phone and it collected and set up everything. (It also has a console if you feel the need to type in adb commands)
Was unlocked, upgraded, rooted with a custom recovery with all my apps copied over in less than an hour
Sent Wuggy some $$$ and a thank-you note
You only need to decrypt, IMO, if you are running high end games that demand that level of performance. I have not seen any lag myself. Again this is my own personal experience. Your results may vary. 5.1 has optimized out many of the issues I heard about in 5.01 or so I have been told.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! I actually had just downloaded this program over the weekend and was planning on using it once I do decide to root... which I am thinking will be as soon as I get the phone. lol other than that I think I am going to run it on stock for a while at first and wait until CM is on 5.1 for a while....

mlin said:
I unlocked and rooted right away, mainly for the ability to use Titanium Backup to setup my phone and in the event that I installed a custom ROM. Outside of TB, I haven't really needed or used root, but it sure is nice to have. I played with a few custom ROMs before 5.1 came out but mostly felt that I preferred the stock experience. I downloaded the MCR modpack found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58019266&postcount=1 but have yet to install it. If/when I do, root will become more of a requirement for my uses.
I came from a Verizon Note 4 which could not be rooted. I got used to not playing with my phone and just using the stock experience. Its nice that the stock experience on the N6 is so fantastic and stable. It makes it easy to just use the phone without worry of fixing, modding, and adding features, though I still enjoy those aspects too which is why I'll likely use MultiROM next time I decide to install something custom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I am planning on rooting and unlocking right away for TB and maybe a couple other little things like lightflow just for fun. Being the nerd that I am, I have a feeling that once I start playing with the whole rooting, unlocking, and flashing stuff I am going to really enjoy it.

gee2012 said:
I will never use/promote a Toolkit even if it seems very good for the reason i posted earlier. Flashing manualy in fastboot doesn`t take more time and makes users more aware about their phone and knowledge of it and gives you control over whats happening Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! I see what you are saying, I had already come across Wug's toolkit over the weekend and was planning on using that because it seemed so simple.
However, seeing how I still have two and a half days until my phone will be here, maybe I will look into the manual way a little more to decide which route I want to go.... Any suggestions on where to start? Threads, videos, etc?
Thanks!

Boot into download mode, Unlock bootloader, reboot, boot back into download mode, fastboot twrp recovery, boot into recovery, reboot via recovery and install su when prompted. When you boot into android you will be prompted to update su. You now are rooted. Only other thing I would think about when you first get your device is if you want forced encryption. You will be required to wipe SD data if you decide to go with non forced encryption.
I loved cm on my previous touchwiz devices because I like stock/asop style. I find cm has bugs in early os update releases. I would only install cm if i took advantage of themes which I don't.

CFrance said:
Any suggestions on where to start? Threads, videos, etc?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can waste a lot of time while you're waiting for your phone in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2992769
ROM Reviews (5.1) + Nexus 6 Hacking: NRT · Apps · Utilities [3.22.15]
Sent from my Google N6 on VZ

Quick Root for Sony Xz1 compact

Any solution for simple root for our phone?

belzedj said:
Any solution for simple root for our phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a way. sToRm//'s Sony Xperia XZ Premium TWRP + KERNEL + ROOT + DRM fix/restore is an app that works on our XZ1 compacts. But read the thread carefully before you decide if you want to continue. The app works, I have used it on my phone and everything works perfect, with root. But to get to the point where the app works perfectly is quite difficult. Reading the thread, lots of people have unlocked their phone, broken their camera and now can't get the fix to work.
Personally I wouldn't recomend it.
Edit: Take note that unlocking your phone (required to root) is one way and can NEVER BE UNDONE. You break your phone for forever, you then have to hope that the developer will support you through further firmware upgrades.

Kingroot or any apk?

belzedj said:
Kingroot or any apk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kingroot don't do the XZ series and if they did I still wouldn't recomend it. Some Kingroot users have reported that their IMEI number has been cloned.
No apks
No quick easy root

What about xperifix ? see also

Oups, next time I'll put my brain "on" before posting

Has anyone tried xperifix 2.2 / 2.3? Supposedly some XZ1 compact updates were made.
You mentioned "to the point where the app works perfectly is quite difficult", which issues did you have?

zisforzorro said:
Has anyone tried xperifix 2.2 / 2.3? Supposedly some XZ1 compact updates were made.
You mentioned "to the point where the app works perfectly is quite difficult", which issues did you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xperiafix 2.2 works and I used it to root my phone. But I'm now on out of date firmware (.75) as OTA stops as soon as you are rooted.
Also, I am sticking with .75 for the moment as it's the last build that Xposed works with and I have some Xposed modules that I am fond of.
The issues I had with the software were to do with getting the right drivers installed, particularly the USB drivers needed when you plug the phone in with TWRP running. Windows chooses the wrong drivers by default and you have to manually assign them or it’ll never work.
The software itself works, but ignore the progress meter built in. There are lots of posts on the Xperiafix thread of how to, so I’d say just read up first and you should be fine.
Xperiafix 2.3 is now the only option if you want up to date firmware on your phone, but it’s €20 and several users have had problems getting it to work, I’m sure the Dev will fix it soon.
So just be aware that if you buy into Xperiafix, you are dependent on the Dev for the rest of the life of your phone and forced to pay whatever he charges for the Xperiafix program

zisforzorro said:
Has anyone tried xperifix 2.2 / 2.3? Supposedly some XZ1 compact updates were made.
You mentioned "to the point where the app works perfectly is quite difficult", which issues did you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the 2.3 Update (https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...xperifix-47-1-12-145-aka-april-patch-t3777185 last entry).
I had some trouble with it, because I needed several tries and everytime I had to force close XperiFix.exe, adb.exe and fastboot.exe.
The Problem for me was, the downloaded Temp TWRP for XZ1C doesn't worked with the XperiFIX process.
If I used the downloaded temp TWRP it didn't happened nothing inside twrp.
So I had the installer from XperiFix 2.2 and extracted the Temp TWRP which I knew it would work.
I tried different ways to download the extracted TWRP into the XperiFIX.exe 2.3.
At first I got the MiniWeb HTTP Server, copied my TWRP Files into it and started the miniweb Server.
Then I Created the correct URL for me and I could download my twrp into XperiFix after I edited the devsettings.xpf file.
With my modified TWRP the installation of XperiFIX inside TWRP worked, and now I have the new magisk and XperiFIX working.
I uploaded my Files for you to get XperiFix working on XZ1C (G8441) .145 firmware.
Download it:
https://www115.zippyshare.com/v/Guov8WiU/file.html
Extract it into C:\XperIFix, Overwrite DATA/devsettings.xpf.
Start "C:\XperiFIX\miniweb\miniweb.exe"
Accept the Firewall Rule.
Start XperiFix.exe
Shutdown your Phone.
Plug in your PC and hold Volume UP to get into bootloader.
Set the Hook in XperIFIX and click on "Fix my Device".
And after 2 Minutes you have XperiFIX and magisk 16.3 working on your XZ1C (G8441) .145 FW.
At last close XperiFIx and miniweb.exe
Best regards.
Raz0Rfail

I tried Xperifix 2.4 and still have .NET error. I contacted the developer but so far no solution.

To root or not
Didgesteve said:
Xperiafix 2.2 works and I used it to root my phone. But I'm now on out of date firmware (.75) as OTA stops as soon as you are rooted.
Also, I am sticking with .75 for the moment as it's the last build that Xposed works with and I have some Xposed modules that I am fond of.
The issues I had with the software were to do with getting the right drivers installed, particularly the USB drivers needed when you plug the phone in with TWRP running. Windows chooses the wrong drivers by default and you have to manually assign them or it’ll never work.
The software itself works, but ignore the progress meter built in. There are lots of posts on the Xperiafix thread of how to, so I’d say just read up first and you should be fine.
Xperiafix 2.3 is now the only option if you want up to date firmware on your phone, but it’s €20 and several users have had problems getting it to work, I’m sure the Dev will fix it soon.
So just be aware that if you buy into Xperiafix, you are dependent on the Dev for the rest of the life of your phone and forced to pay whatever he charges for the Xperiafix program
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man,
I lost my phone last week and finally bought XZ1c. XDA is not allowed at work and i am having trouble doing research and going through the threads to understand what all to do. Since I am not getting time to do research but i want to be able to start using the phone for now, do you think it is easy/worth it to root? from what you wrote it seems difficult and not a good idea for now but our goals are same because i want it solely to be able to run xposed. I had been using moto phones for the last 7 years now, so i know how bootloaders/rooting/flashing etc works. But i am completely new to the sony world so i was wondering on what is the downside (or what i lose) of me trying to go through a lot of trouble to get xposed working, and how much time will it take me overall to get there.
Any help is appreciated, I know it sounds like a lazy man asking for a hand holding, but apologize in advance!!
---------- Post added at 02:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------
TheDelta said:
Hey man,
I lost my phone last week and finally bought XZ1c. XDA is not allowed at work and i am having trouble doing research and going through the threads to understand what all to do. Since I am not getting time to do research but i want to be able to start using the phone for now, do you think it is easy/worth it to root? from what you wrote it seems difficult and not a good idea for now but our goals are same because i want it solely to be able to run xposed. I had been using moto phones for the last 7 years now, so i know how bootloaders/rooting/flashing etc works. But i am completely new to the sony world so i was wondering on what is the downside (or what i lose) of me trying to go through a lot of trouble to get xposed working, and how much time will it take me overall to get there.
Any help is appreciated, I know it sounds like a lazy man asking for a hand holding, but apologize in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot to mention that I am already going to flash the .145 UK firmware today to get fingerprint on my US phone (to be used in India). I got a link from reddit where that guy has done a lot of times so i am going to trust him on it and follow his steps.

TheDelta said:
Any help is appreciated,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not much has changed since I first wrote on this thread to be honest.
It depends on what you do with your phone to say if you need to root it or not. In the past you needed to root it to kill the battery hungry apps, but that's long gone these days. The other reason for rooting was customising your phone, but you can do that without root. So to be honest, if I were to come down on one side or the other I'd say don't bother. You also need to check that you can unlock your bootloader, as some phones bought from a provider are locked and this can't be circumnavigated. (type *#*#7378423#*#* in your phone to get the service menu and then service info/configuration)
Sony have given developers the finger with this bootloader, unlocking breaks the phone, you lose your TA keys, no way to back up and lots of functions stop working, like the, err, camera.
The good news is that there's a DRM fix out there, one that will work with the latest .145. There's no loss of quality on the camera, everything is as stock.
The bad news is that the developer sToRm// has put his DRM fix app to be paid for. This app works and as long as you have the right drivers is relatively easy.
There are a couple of people who have posted a free DRM fix for XZ Premium, but as yet, there's no one has posted a free fix that works with the .145 firmware for the XZ1 compact, although there might be some tips on the previous page, you'll still need a copy of Xperiafix
There are a couple of roms that have the DRM fix built in that are good daily drivers. Check out ResurrectionRemixOreo or LineageOS 15.1 UNOFFICIAL.

To root or not to root
Didgesteve said:
Not much has changed since I first wrote on this thread to be honest.
It depends on what you do with your phone to say if you need to root it or not. In the past you needed to root it to kill the battery hungry apps, but that's long gone these days. The other reason for rooting was customising your phone, but you can do that without root. So to be honest, if I were to come down on one side or the other I'd say don't bother. You also need to check that you can unlock your bootloader, as some phones bought from a provider are locked and this can't be circumnavigated. (type *#*#7378423#*#* in your phone to get the service menu and then service info/configuration)
Sony have given developers the finger with this bootloader, unlocking breaks the phone, you lose your TA keys, no way to back up and lots of functions stop working, like the, err, camera.
The good news is that there's a DRM fix out there, one that will work with the latest .145. There's no loss of quality on the camera, everything is as stock.
The bad news is that the developer sToRm// has put his DRM fix app to be paid for. This app works and as long as you have the right drivers is relatively easy.
There are a couple of people who have posted a free DRM fix for XZ Premium, but as yet, there's no one has posted a free fix that works with the .145 firmware for the XZ1 compact, although there might be some tips on the previous page, you'll still need a copy of Xperiafix
There are a couple of roms that have the DRM fix built in that are good daily drivers. Check out ResurrectionRemixOreo or LineageOS 15.1 UNOFFICIAL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, for me rooting is so that i can use xposed, i have a couple of modules that i need almost daily. (used to :'( )
Thanks for the info, i think this is what i get -
1. I can just stay stock (and flash the UK .145 firmware and get fingerprint)
2. I can use xperifix, pay that guy and get root and xposed along with a good drm fix. Down side is that i will not have any OTA or anything like that and will have to stay on .145 itself as long as i want to keep this option.
3. I can go all the way custom with DRM fix and not use stock sony at all and directly start using custom roms where everything will work (i am assuming camera and fingerprint will work as well there).
Well, i've used RR before so i would very much like the option 3. I have always felt restricted in stock in any phone i've used, i have been so used to custom roms i like it. But since the phone is new, i do want to see what sony offers. So i think i am good with no ota .145 paid option as i will only have to pay it one time now. And then i am good for at least 3-4 months (post which i will mostly get bored and move to a custom rom). Thoughts?
---------- Post added at 04:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 AM ----------
TheDelta said:
Yeah, for me rooting is so that i can use xposed, i have a couple of modules that i need almost daily. (used to :'( )
Thanks for the info, i think this is what i get -
1. I can just stay stock (and flash the UK .145 firmware and get fingerprint)
2. I can use xperifix, pay that guy and get root and xposed along with a good drm fix. Down side is that i will not have any OTA or anything like that and will have to stay on .145 itself as long as i want to keep this option.
3. I can go all the way custom with DRM fix and not use stock sony at all and directly start using custom roms where everything will work (i am assuming camera and fingerprint will work as well there).
Well, i've used RR before so i would very much like the option 3. I have always felt restricted in stock in any phone i've used, i have been so used to custom roms i like it. But since the phone is new, i do want to see what sony offers. So i think i am good with no ota .145 paid option as i will only have to pay it one time now. And then i am good for at least 3-4 months (post which i will mostly get bored and move to a custom rom). Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot to mention yesterday, I had checked on this phone. Boot loader unlock says allowed/yes. :highfive:

TheDelta said:
Yeah, for me rooting is so that i can use xposed, i have a couple of modules that i need almost daily. (used to :'( )
Thanks for the info, i think this is what i get -
1. I can just stay stock (and flash the UK .145 firmware and get fingerprint)
2. I can use xperifix, pay that guy and get root and xposed along with a good drm fix. Down side is that i will not have any OTA or anything like that and will have to stay on .145 itself as long as i want to keep this option.
3. I can go all the way custom with DRM fix and not use stock sony at all and directly start using custom roms where everything will work (i am assuming camera and fingerprint will work as well there).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed won't work with .145, it's a know issue with no workaround as yet.
.75 is the last firmware that Xposed works with.
Edit: sToRm// says that paying for Xperiafix will mean that it will stay up to date with any future firmware releases, so you will be able to go beyond .145, but not until the problems with Xposed are fixed

Didgesteve said:
Xposed won't work with .145, it's a know issue with no workaround as yet.
.75 is the last firmware that Xposed works with.
Edit: sToRm// says that paying for Xperiafix will mean that it will stay up to date with any future firmware releases, so you will be able to go beyond .145, but not until the problems with Xposed are fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 PM ----------
Didgesteve said:
Xposed won't work with .145, it's a know issue with no workaround as yet.
.75 is the last firmware that Xposed works with.
Edit: sToRm// says that paying for Xperiafix will mean that it will stay up to date with any future firmware releases, so you will be able to go beyond .145, but not until the problems with Xposed are fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
---------- Post added at 01:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:02 PM ----------
Didgesteve said:
Xposed won't work with .145, it's a know issue with no workaround as yet.
.75 is the last firmware that Xposed works with.
Edit: sToRm// says that paying for Xperiafix will mean that it will stay up to date with any future firmware releases, so you will be able to go beyond .145, but not until the problems with Xposed are fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:03 PM ----------
TheDelta said:
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:57 PM ----------
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
---------- Post added at 01:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:02 PM ----------
Bollocks!! I don't think i know how to go back to .75 then. Guess i just have to stay on stock till i get bored or xposed runs on .145 right? or whatever is newer out there. Apparently whenever i want to flash an OTA i still have to flash it in flashmode since i am on custom UK firmware so i think i will anyhow get bored and move onto custom pretty soon :fingers-crossed:
I haven't really been much of an OTA person. I usually keep formatting full phone to put new ROM or new release version every 3-4 months. I like a clean slate, keeps the phone in shape
Btw i did buy Storm's utility in morning so guess i am future proof :silly:
One question - I keep reading "you will lose DRM Keys" I thought it meant that Sony removes/disables/dissolves their own files which are required for apps/apks to run like camera. But is that something phone specific? like specific to me? The way everyone keeps saying you will lose that and you will never get it back - i want to know what it means. Like I cannot get it back for my specific phone? or Sony in General is not going to give it out but it is just a generic key/file. Sorry, just trying to understand what it exactly means. I earlier thought it is like that CID i had to backup for my motorola phone because it was my device ID number or a key file specific for my own personal device which once removed made it generic to flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bollocks I wrote that so many times!!!

TheDelta said:
Bollocks I wrote that so many times!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a partition on your phone called the TA partition with a set of encrypted keys on it that are unique to your phone. So far no one has worked out how to copy the partition and backup the keys. The keys engage with the DRM software and enable higher function apps, like the camera, X-Reality, etc etc.
Unlocking your phone deletes that partiton, you can't get your keys back, gone forever.
Xperiafix engages with the DRM software and fools it into thinking keys are present, all higher funtion apps work as per usual.
Lots of people who don't understand suggest a loss in quality of the camera, but it doesn't work like that. DRM is broken or fixed, the camera is broken or fixed. Simple.
Edit: Magisk 16.4 is working and that has many modules you can add that are similar to Xposed modules. Just don't try adding Xposed until there is a new build released.

Didgesteve said:
There is a partition on your phone called the TA partition with a set of encrypted keys on it that are unique to your phone. So far no one has worked out how to copy the partition and backup the keys. The keys engage with the DRM software and enable higher function apps, like the camera, X-Reality, etc etc.
Unlocking your phone deletes that partiton, you can't get your keys back, gone forever.
Xperiafix engages with the DRM software and fools it into thinking keys are present, all higher funtion apps work as per usual.
Lots of people who don't understand suggest a loss in quality of the camera, but it doesn't work like that. DRM is broken or fixed, the camera is broken or fixed. Simple.
Edit: Magisk 16.4 is working and that has many modules you can add that are similar to Xposed modules. Just don't try adding Xposed until there is a new build released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That actually makes sense now. Reminds me of the time when my moto razr was not allowed to unlock bootloader so a hijack was invented and it did so much just like a normal unlock!
yeah, i got bored of the fingerprint scanner in like <24 hours. Guess it is not for me :silly:
I feel like i like I might get bored of sony pretty soon and just get RR. although would you know if people have found a way to keep the 3d creator or sony camera app etc on custom roms? or what exactly do people use as camera app? I feel like other app should still do pretty much same things for taking the photo as hardware is same? Anyhow i will finally get some time over weekend to research all that before taking the plunge. So far only the 3d creator impressed me, camera settings seem pretty same as other phones so probably won't loose much by going custom?
I did not know magisk had modules, that's new. Will research on that over weekend, who knows maybe it will get me what i need :fingers-crossed:
BTW, sorry i am asking more questions, but do you know if i can install 2nd rom? I mean with recovery i should be able to dual boot right? The idea would be to keep primary stock with rooted .145 without xposed to go back to whenever i want to do the 3d stuff and use custom rom as daily driver. Do you know if that is still possible? I do have a spare 64 GB card from my gopro that i can use here to get more space for other stuff.

TheDelta said:
That actually makes sense now. Reminds me of the time when my moto razr was not allowed to unlock bootloader so a hijack was invented and it did so much just like a normal unlock!
yeah, i got bored of the fingerprint scanner in like <24 hours. Guess it is not for me :silly:
I feel like i like I might get bored of sony pretty soon and just get RR. although would you know if people have found a way to keep the 3d creator or sony camera app etc on custom roms? or what exactly do people use as camera app? I feel like other app should still do pretty much same things for taking the photo as hardware is same? Anyhow i will finally get some time over weekend to research all that before taking the plunge. So far only the 3d creator impressed me, camera settings seem pretty same as other phones so probably won't loose much by going custom?
I did not know magisk had modules, that's new. Will research on that over weekend, who knows maybe it will get me what i need :fingers-crossed:
BTW, sorry i am asking more questions, but do you know if i can install 2nd rom? I mean with recovery i should be able to dual boot right? The idea would be to keep primary stock with rooted .145 without xposed to go back to whenever i want to do the 3d stuff and use custom rom as daily driver. Do you know if that is still possible? I do have a spare 64 GB card from my gopro that i can use here to get more space for other stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently Open Camera has lots of good reviews as an alternative to the stock.
Speaking from personal experience, the 'superior auto' isn't all that good, sort of ok if you're in a hurry. But most of the time is doesn't shoot HDR and for some reason a lot of the pictures are 'soft'. So manual is the way to go, HDR on and try and drop the ISO down to 200 and the shutter speed down to 1/15, which is pretty slow, so you might need to rest it on something. Sounds daft saying a mobile phone camera works best if you tripod it, but there we are. Turn of the object tracking and shoot in native 19Mp, edit it to letterbox later if you want that shaped picture, but at least shoot one to one pixel ratio.
No 2nd rom boot option for Oreo TWRP as far as I'm aware. I'm not even sure you can do a successful restore from TWRP, maybe the data partition, but you can't restore a build, there's something to do with encryption that gets in the way. I'm not an expert, maybe ask on the TWRP thread. So TWRP is really just a way of flashing stuff, I don't think you can use it for backup/restore, but I'd love someone to correct me on that.

Didgesteve said:
Apparently Open Camera has lots of good reviews as an alternative to the stock.
Speaking from personal experience, the 'superior auto' isn't all that good, sort of ok if you're in a hurry. But most of the time is doesn't shoot HDR and for some reason a lot of the pictures are 'soft'. So manual is the way to go, HDR on and try and drop the ISO down to 200 and the shutter speed down to 1/15, which is pretty slow, so you might need to rest it on something. Sounds daft saying a mobile phone camera works best if you tripod it, but there we are. Turn of the object tracking and shoot in native 19Mp, edit it to letterbox later if you want that shaped picture, but at least shoot one to one pixel ratio.
No 2nd rom boot option for Oreo TWRP as far as I'm aware. I'm not even sure you can do a successful restore from TWRP, maybe the data partition, but you can't restore a build, there's something to do with encryption that gets in the way. I'm not an expert, maybe ask on the TWRP thread. So TWRP is really just a way of flashing stuff, I don't think you can use it for backup/restore, but I'd love someone to correct me on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally weekend is here!!
I agree on the camera thing you are saying although I don't get what shaped photos mean. I haven't used letter box.
You brought up backup restore, you thought I am talking about switching ROMs using backup restore ?? Yeah I don't think I will) go through that much pain if I cannot just dual boot.
I am just thinking j will read up through the threads this weekend and put lineage or rrr based on what I find out

.75
Didgesteve said:
Apparently Open Camera has lots of good reviews as an alternative to the stock.
Speaking from personal experience, the 'superior auto' isn't all that good, sort of ok if you're in a hurry. But most of the time is doesn't shoot HDR and for some reason a lot of the pictures are 'soft'. So manual is the way to go, HDR on and try and drop the ISO down to 200 and the shutter speed down to 1/15, which is pretty slow, so you might need to rest it on something. Sounds daft saying a mobile phone camera works best if you tripod it, but there we are. Turn of the object tracking and shoot in native 19Mp, edit it to letterbox later if you want that shaped picture, but at least shoot one to one pixel ratio.
No 2nd rom boot option for Oreo TWRP as far as I'm aware. I'm not even sure you can do a successful restore from TWRP, maybe the data partition, but you can't restore a build, there's something to do with encryption that gets in the way. I'm not an expert, maybe ask on the TWRP thread. So TWRP is really just a way of flashing stuff, I don't think you can use it for backup/restore, but I'd love someone to correct me on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I will stay on stock to see how much I enjoy the 960 fpsmode. Do you think I can flash .75 over
145 ? Any risks maybe?? Using xperifirm I can if I have files right?? Any chance you have the .75 version that you can upload or gdrive for me¿

The great adventure of rooting the XZ1C

Hello everyone,
I have to say I am completely lost regarding the whole rooting process for the XZ1C. I usually manage to get where I want just by carefully reading the forums, but with this device, I feel overwhelmed by information. And I sometimes feel like what I am reading contradicts what I though I understood from previous reads...
I will try to sum up what I know so far.
First of all, I have a just-out-of-the-box Sony model G8441 with firmware 47.1.A.12.179 / Oreo 8.0.0 (never been connected to the outside world yet), and I want to properly root the device and install TWRP with no loss of feature.
What I think I understand:
To root, I first need to unlock the bootloader, which seems to be a trivial operation. However, this will break some functionalities due to DRM keys being erased. Once it is done, there is no way, ever, to get them back. There are however ways to "trick" DRM-related functionalities into believing DRM keys are still there.
Alternatively, there seems to be a way to backup the DRM keys prior to unlocking the BL, and this backup can somehow be reused and injected back into the unlocked device. If true, then this would certainly be a preferable method than the previous one, which would then be obsolete. However, it obviously doesn't look obsolete when I read the related topics, so I must be missing something...
Another thing I noted (but do not quite understand): There are ROMs for this device that "include" a DRM fix.
Last important thing I read: there is a paid "do-it-all" tool which takes my locked device and, with one click, makes it unlocked - rooted - DRM-fixed - TWRP-enabled. Now that sounds really good! Maybe too good?
As far as i know (but I learn new stuff every day on this topic) this DRM stuff is the main difficulty here. I understand that the rest of the process (root + TWRP) will be much simpler (although I'm old-school and completly missed all this magisk trend...!)
What I don't understand:
I read that some people downgrade to Oreo to be able to root properly, and at the same time, I read that Pie removed the restrictions on unlocked bootloader. So I still have no idea if I should connect and receive Sony updates, or avoid them.
Another thing I don't get, is how many ways do we have to root this thing? In the past, I was used to see, for a specific device, always one major and widly used rooting method. Here I fail to identify it...
What I think I will do:
1. Backup TA partition with j4nn's tool. This will probably imply flashing an older firmware right? Is there any link that could help me with this flashing process? (I only know Odin - did I mention old-school?) I saw this page for generic sony Z devices, but the thread is from 2013 and now closed. Is it still up-to-date or is there a newer thread?
2. Unlock bootloader and restore TA partition.
3. Wait for Sony updates? Or should I first hide unlock status?
3bis. Alternaltively to waiting for updates, maybe I can just flash the latest build? (47.2.A.8.24 if I am not mistaken)
4. Flash modpunk's TWRP.
5. Flash janjan's Boot.img to get root functionalities?
Alternaltively to all the above (except maybe step 1 that I will probably do in any case), buy the paid all-in-one tool (Xperifix), plug, click and wait... But will I really end up the same as with the manual way?
I saw a few other methods in the forums but it seems my brain is currently refusing to bring them back...
That's all I have right now. I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this, whether there are missing steps, useless steps, incorrectly ordered steps, silly steps, or if I'm just completely wrong about the whole thing.
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Thank you very much for reading this repulsive piece of text.

SunJu22 said:
I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the looks of it you have done a great deal of research on the project.
Yes, go down the route of backing up your TA partition first, but that is not a small step in itself, it's pretty complicated and if you get that working then the rest of the project will be a breeze.
You don't say what version of firmware you want to end up on. If you want to end up on Pie then forget the DRMfix . But if you're staying on Oreo and can't be bothered with lots of files & flashing, then this is the easy way out, I bought the paid version and can verify it works.
More recently I ended up janjan's kernel (Oreo build). Hidden root (Google Pay works), lots of performance tweaks, DRM completely working.
It's unlikely that anyone will bother making a DRM fix for Pie as the camera works and there are only a couple of other features that get disabled.
It sounds like you're not the sort of person who's only going to read the first couple of pages of a thread (or the last) flash the xxxxxx and then complain when it's broken.
The people on the forum here are very helpful and if you go into any of the threads you mentioned in your post with a question, you'll get a reply.
Good luck.

I agree, there is a lot of information out there and different methods of achieving what you want - very confusing if you have not been following the threads since the beginning.
In my opinion, the preferred method is j4nn's method outlined here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...devonly-exploits-temp-root-to-backup-t3795510
Use that post as your main guide (the final step in that guide, #13, is how you will achieve root). You will use Newflasher to flash the various firmwares along the way (this is linked from j4nn's procedure in step #2). User munted made a very detailed pdf file that fills in some of the details on j4nn's procedure - see the following post and download the pdf attached: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78255334&postcount=382
Most of the other methods out there came before j4nn's work - they didn't include DRM backup/restore.
If you follow j4nn's procedure, you won't need to use the janjan kernel as you assumed - janjan method is different and does not overlap with j4nn.

SunJu22 said:
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't point out that I was one of the early 'jumpers' who unlocked their bootloader without any backups, so I have been forced into always using fixes and all the information I have is based on having to fix your phone for it to work, but that's all changed now. I'm so out of date :-/
 @camaro322hp is right, if you follow j4nn's method correctly you'll be rooted with no DRM loss. All of the other stuff is not required.

Thank you Digesteve and camaro322hp for your help.
From what I understand the XZ1C didn't get as much love as other devices, thus there was a long period of tinkering before a "do-it-all guide" could be considered "the" solution. That could explain all these different approaches that are proposed. Like you said camaro322hp it's rather difficult to jump on this train, and I can only guess how interesting this ride has been.
Anyway, I didn't see that the TA backup thread from j4nn also encompassed all the information I needed; I am glad to finally know that there is indeed a centralized "do-it-all guide" . To make it easier for XZ1C newcomers, I think j4nn should update his opening post to make this clearer.
Since I managed to grab the attention of 2 XZ1C power users, I would like to ask you: Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs? Do you like some of them? Do you prefer Oreo or Pie?
For information, the most up-to-date experience I have on a Android phone is my LG90 with CyanogenMod 11 (KitKat 4.4.4! Yes sir!). I heard that it's becoming less and less useful to flash a custom ROM due to major OS improvements, but I would still enjoy the simplest and lightest Android possible.

SunJu22 said:
Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs?
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Click to collapse
I've always been on stock, the camera is an important part of what I want from my phone and although there's lots of alternative camera apps, there's no competition to the stock camera app. Then I theme it black with swift installer and just uninstall or freeze any apps I don't want with Titanium Backup. I have stuck with Oreo, everything works perfect and I remember seeing so many people jumping to 9 then wanting to go back to 8 because they didn't like it. Something about changing the way the drop down menu works, among other things, but having never installed it, I'm not the person to comment on if it's any good or not.
I have been watching the XZ1c thread and Lineage is gaining ground, it even has a stock camera now. I would have thought something like that with miniGapps is going to be pretty lightweight and very similar to your carbon rom of before. At the moment this is based on 8, but is working well. Depends how keen you are to move to Pie.

Thank you Digesteve.
One thing I still don't understand. Part of the process is to hide unlock status. If I do this, FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?

@SunJu22 I've stuck with the Sony ROM. A rooted stock ROM meets all my needs, so I've never felt the need to experiment with custom ROMs. There are some custom options out there that people seem fairly happy with, so if that's your thing, I'd encourage it.
Without going into too much detail, I'm still on Oreo for the moment, for a variety of reasons, but I don't know of anything that would keep me from recommending Pie.

One thing you should note is that once you unlock, there is no going back. AFAIK there is no known or working method to relock the bootloader.

SunJu22 said:
FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm not entirely sure why having your rooted phone try and update itself is an advantage, but something I'd recomend avoiding.
Stock camera is the Sony camera, yes.

Thank you everyone, I believe I now have enough information to jump into this with confidence. The adventure begins, and will be reported in this thread for future reference, in the hope that it will help others like me!

Well, I am a bit sad... I wanted to report my "adventure" here in detail, but I'm afraid I have nothing to say.
Indeed, following the procedure from j4nn with a printed copy of munted's awesome guide, I managed to do all I wanted on the first attempt.
I don't have anything to add to this guide, everyone wanting to root their XZ1C can do it just by reading the opening post from j4nn and the mentioned guide. It takes a bit of time but nothing complicated thanks to the clear and detailed explanations.
I now have a fully functional rooted XZ1C (including camera) on Pie with Magisk root and TWRP.
Thank you all again from pointing me to the right direction.
I however have a slight disappointment. I wanted to start with Oreo and make an Nandroid backup before moving to Pie, but I didn't find Oreo builds on Xperifirm. So I jumped straight to Pie.
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea?
Last but not least: I looked for the latest Oreo build version number but couldn't find it. Do you guys know what it is and where I can download it?
I guess this will be all for this thread after this. Although it is very convenient to have my own thread to ask questions rather than finding the relevant page for each one, I don't want to annoy you too much...
EDIT: Please ignore the last question. I found out last Oreo build is 47.1.A.16.20, and I found the files via the download link in the opening post of the Lineage thread.

SunJu22 said:
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea? Lineage thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an easy solution to downgrade:
Newflasher

Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?

mEREHAIGE said:
Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can flash a kernel to hide the bootloader unlock flag, this will mean that you will receive OTA updates, although depending on how you're rooted an update will most likely break your phone, so not that useful.

*made a thread*

Thanks--rooted withOUT adventure too
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me

kirkzp said:
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o

kernel with hide-unlock
T_Tank said:
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full disclosure: I don't use Google pay or too many banking apps, so YMMV. But, I am using j4nn's kernel with unlock hidden. (See link in my note 6.) You can flash this, or you can leave in your stock kernel and merely fastboot to this. From what I have seen, it hides most - if not all -- indicators that the phone is rooted and the BL in unlocked.

Does somebody has :
G8441_1310-7123_47.1.A.16.20-R7B_Customized_CE1.ftf ?
Only backup i did not make, and its gone from XperiFirm.
Still have the feeling battery life was better in Oreo, and would be nice for experimenting.
Would be nice.
Thanks in advance.