Sony releases a video showing how to unlock bootloader on Xperia phones

Many of the smartphone users do not know what a bootloader is or what it does but software developers know what magic it holds. By unlocking the bootloader of your device, you can root it and flash custom ROMs on it. Some manufacturers and carriers do not allow unlocking of the bootloader, while some like Sony are developer-friendly and allow it.

Earlier, when Sony was Sony Ericsson, it used to lock the bootloaders of their devices but now they want to encourage developers and make it easy to unlock them. Sony has recently uploaded a YouTube video on its developers channel that shows how to unlock the bootloader of your Xperia device and make it custom ROM-ready.

In the video, the process of unlocking the bootloader is shown on an Xperia Z2 phone and it is demonstrated on a Windows computer. The process is not simple for novices and Sony warns that it is not recommended and it may void the original warranty of the device and/or any warranty provided by the carrier. Also, if you get it wrong, the custom ROM may not work properly and some of the pre-loaded functions may fail to work. As such, you may brick your phone.

Unlocking the bootloader involves multiple steps that include getting the unlocking code from Sony, checking if device is unlockable, find your IMEI, IDID or the MEID number, installing the Android SDK from Google, installing Fastboot driver, running it and unlocking the bootloader.

Here’s the video:

 

Via XDA Developers

Sony releases a video showing how to unlock bootloader on Xperia phones

Unlocking Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact bootloader adversely affects camera performance

Unlocking the bootloader of your Android smartphone has many advantages such as rooting and installing custom ROM, although it does void your phone’s warranty. Sometimes there may be problems in functionality too as users of the Sony’s new Xperia Z3 Compact found out. Those who unlocked the bootloader of the Xperia Z3 Compact found to their surprise that the performance of its camera in low light deteriorated.

Sony has now officially acknowledged this problem saying that it can affect its high-end smartphones running recent software versions, including the Xperia Z3. The reason for this is the DRM that protects certain advanced camera algorithms of Sony’s devices running the latest software. Unlocking the bootloader causes the device to lose some DRM security keys which affects the performance of the camera during low-light photography. Such photos may be poorly balanced and have more noise.

In its official unlock bootloader site, Sony warns, “Certain pre-loaded content on your device may also be inaccessible due to the removal of DRM security keys. For high-end devices running recent software versions, for instance Xperia Z3, the removal of DRM security keys may affect advanced camera functionality.”

“For example, noise reduction algorithms might be removed, and performance when taking photos in low-light conditions might be affected. The secure user data partition may also become inaccessible, and you will not be able to get any more official software upgrades if you unlock the boot loader.”

Since camera is a major USP of the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact phones, it is better to think twice before unlocking the bootloader.

Via

Unlocking Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact bootloader adversely affects camera performance

Moto E Gets Bootloader Unlock Support

Motorola took the world by storm last week when it announced the Moto E smartphone with an ultra low price tag. And now, the manufacturer has announced that it will add the device to its bootloader unlock program. This should bring a smile to the faces of developers, especially since the smartphone features a somewhat stock version of Android.

Unlocking the bootloader would allow customers to flash a variety of custom ROMs, although the stock Android skin running on the smartphone is pretty good on its own. It’s good to see that Motorola acknowledges the need for its smartphones to be developer friendly as well, which means that they’re targeting a wide demographic.

The variants of the Moto E from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Latin America have all been added to the program. All users have to do is head to the Motorola source link to find instructions on how to get their specific device’s bootloader undone. We can expect several different ROMs and root-access applications like CyanogenMod 11, AOKP and Paranoid Android for the Moto E, given that they are stable enough to run on such admittedly low-end hardware.

Things to be kept in mind while unlocking the bootloader of your Moto E smartphone.

• All media and content stored in the device will be lost. All apps coming from the Google Play Store will need to be reinstalled once the process is complete.


• Some apps may not function anymore.


• Encryption support may be lost.


• Key functions may be lost such as the ability to make calls,  audio playback, and radio


• The device may be temporarily or permanently damaged.


• Unlocking the bootloader will not change the subsidy lock status of the device.

The procedure of unlocking the bootloader will be best done by customers having prior experience with the Android system and how it works.

Moto E Bootloader Unlock Procedure

First get the latest tools

• Install the Android SDK. Download here.


• Install the latest Motorola USB Drivers on your desktop. Download here
  

The next step is to get the device ID

• Put your device in fastboot mode (power off, then press the power and volume down buttons simultaneously).


• On your desktop, open a command prompt or terminal, and go to the directory where you installed the Android SDK tools (or make sure fastboot is in your $PATH).


• At the prompt, type “$ fastboot oem get_unlock_data“.


• The returned string will be used to retrieve your unlock key.


• Paste together the 5 lines of output into one continuous string without (bootloader) or ‘INFO’ or white spaces.


• Paste the string in the Motorola site to see if the device can be unlocked. If your device is unlockable, a “REQUEST UNLOCK KEY” button will appear at the bottom of the page.

Moto E Gets Bootloader Unlock Support