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Should we drop our hopes for dev on this phone?

Not taking shots at devs AT ALL, I just want to know if it's safe to say that this phone won't have custom ROM's / Root option / Etc. any time soon. I've never owned a phone that has slower development and this is probably one of the most popular phone I've bought to date, so should I swap it out for something that DOES have customization options? Or should I just be patient?

Rooted and debloated the stock rom, very happy with it
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

celderic said:
Rooted and debloated the stock rom, very happy with it
Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk
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But you unlocked bootloader to root it right? That's one thing holding a lot of people back from doing so.... OP is most likely asking about rooting without unlocking BL to backup TA DRM.

Locked bootloader root is likely to take some time and not be about any time soon. Once locked bootloader root is achieved more custom ROM's and Kernels will start to appear.
It's taking longer to obtain root due to all the new security patches what are being used in the firmware, on top of Sony RIC and DM-Verity.

There seems to be more activity with the Z5 Premium and Compact versions. I am sure that if more people were inclined to be beta-testers, devs would agree to try porting their work to our beloved device =)

Is there any roms yet?

I don't know i should get this phone so i'm wondering is there roms for this yet.

nojuks11 said:
I don't know i should get this phone so i'm wondering is there roms for this yet.
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Nope but root is available if it has a unlockable bootloader. Xa isn't in the Sony open devices project with it being a mediatek powered xperia either. Besides modified stock is much better than cm or aosp I think personally from previous experience with xperia custom roms.
I'm more than happy with my xa even without root(no way to back up ta keys currently)
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs

OK, thanks for your answer, I just want to replace my crappy HTC desire 620 which sucks it freezes all the time.

nojuks11 said:
OK, thanks for your answer, I just want to replace my crappy HTC desire 620 which sucks it freezes all the time.
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No problem the software on the xa is silky smooth I recommend you try one out if possible that's what I did just watching and reading the Biased reviews is no help
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs

aidy.lucas said:
No problem the software on the xa is silky smooth I recommend you try one out if possible that's what I did just watching and reading the Biased reviews is no help
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Yes you right, stock rom is good and updates make the phone better. As you said before XA is a mid range device and is not supported by Sony Open Project, the phone is open enough to cook some rom but we don't have any dev in the place... I tried to port/build CM13, I found almost all sources but I don't have skills to built and debug it...

Will there ever be a way of rooting without unlocking bootloader?

nojuks11 said:
Will there ever be a way of rooting without unlocking bootloader?[/L QUOTE]
Doubtful, all xperia devices released since z3+(with the exception of the m5) all use dm-verity security and device encryption and have needed a unlocked bootloader to gain root access. This isn't such a problem with the other xperia devices as thru all have ways of backing up the drm/ta keys. It's not currently possible to back up the drm/ta keys on any of the x range as they all come with mm not lollipop. One of reasons I've been using a stock xa since July, I'm not prepared to loose the drm/ta keys permanently made that mistake before.
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs
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Sorry I'm a noob but what are ta keys?

Can you backup DRM keys on xa?

nojuks11 said:
Can you backup DRM keys on xa?
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Nope, currently not possible to back up drm/ta keys on any of the x range and none of the z5 ways will work as all the x range has mm out of the box. It's currently either wait in hope that a way to back them up is found(what I'm currently doing) or unlock the bootloader and loose the drm/ta keys permanently and voiding the warranty in the process(some people aren't bothered) I've made the mistake of permanently loosing ta keys before won't be doing again.
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs

I bought the Pepsi p1s instead lol

[Question] Bootloader unlocking

Hi,
I'm considering investing in a Xperia XZ, however, I wish to unlock its bootloader in order to root it and also install Xposed.
I remember, back in the days of the Z3, unlocking your sony device meant giving up on some camera features.
Do you know if it is going to be the case with this model ?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
Regards,
Azsde

azsde said:
Hi,
I'm considering investing in a Xperia XZ, however, I wish to unlock its bootloader in order to root it and also install Xposed.
I remember, back in the days of the Z3, unlocking your sony device meant giving up on some camera features.
Do you know if it is going to be the case with this model ?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
Regards,
Azsde
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Yes it's still the same, loss of bravia engine, x-reality, it effects camera performance in low light conditions and probably more. There's no way to back up the ta keys on any of the x range currently and probably never will be either so once you unlock the bootloader there gone forever one of the reasons why my xa remains stock still after 3mths made the mistake of loosing ta keys before won't be doing it again.
You'll need to use a modified kernel with the drm fix.
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs

aidy.lucas said:
Yes it's still the same, loss of bravia engine, x-reality, it effects camera performance in low light conditions and probably more. There's no way to back up the ta keys on any of the x range currently and probably never will be either so once you unlock the bootloader there gone forever one of the reasons why my xa remains stock still after 3mths made the mistake of loosing ta keys before won't be doing it again.
You'll need to use a modified kernel with the drm fix.
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs
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I guess i won't be a Sony owner anytime soon then.
OnePlus3 here I am !

aidy.lucas said:
Yes it's still the same, loss of bravia engine, x-reality, it effects camera performance in low light conditions and probably more. There's no way to back up the ta keys on any of the x range currently and probably never will be either so once you unlock the bootloader there gone forever one of the reasons why my xa remains stock still after 3mths made the mistake of loosing ta keys before won't be doing it again.
You'll need to use a modified kernel with the drm fix.
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs
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Thanks for the explanation.
Is there any reason to backup ta keys if the modified kernel has drm fixed?

If I recall correctly, the T-Mobile Z3 had a locked bootloader, but could still be rooted. No keys or features were lost. So it may be possible with the XZ.

Heinous said:
If I recall correctly, the T-Mobile Z3 had a locked bootloader, but could still be rooted. No keys or features were lost. So it may be possible with the XZ.
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Yeah, but it requires a security flaw, and still prevents me from installing a custom recovery and xposed

You can use the towelroot to exploit the XZ from what I've read however will be trying this later to confirm.
Exploits will come just a matter of time for one to be made .

kaistledine said:
You can use the towelroot to exploit the XZ from what I've read however will be trying this later to confirm.
Exploits will come just a matter of time for one to be made .
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Towelroot stopped working when kk was released
Sent from my Xperia XA using XDA Labs

Would there be a chance of "warranty safe" rooting?

Dumb question alert.
I know the phone isn't out yet but coming from a unlocked/rooted Z5P (and I haven't really caught up with their more recent devices), how much chance is there that there will be a chance of unlocking and/or rooting the XZP without the whole losing TA partition song and dance?

Since you can't use the TA backup tool on Nougat and there's no MM fw on Sony XZ Premium there's no chance.
With no backup there's no way to restore the keys and therefore no way to get warranty back by restoring/relocking.

as someone who hasn't owned a sony device before but is looking into the xz premium what does the TA partition do?
If I would like to unlock the bootloader for a custom rom installation does that mean I lose the 960 fps slow mo? If I do is there anyway to undo it?

aeppacher said:
as someone who hasn't owned a sony device before but is looking into the xz premium what does the TA partition do?
If I would like to unlock the bootloader for a custom rom installation does that mean I lose the 960 fps slow mo? If I do is there anyway to undo it?
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TA partition contains DRM keys which is needed for some sony features such as better low light quality etc.
These DRM keys are unique and you cannot use someone elses DRM keys, that will brick the device.
There's a DRM-fix that restores this but it doesn't restore the units keys, they are forever gone unless you manage to back them up.
Even if you backed them up, restoring them would relock bootloader and you loose root. I personally don't care, I prioritize root over anything.
No, you don't lose slow-mo, even if the camera would get weird it would get fixed with DRM-fix anyway so no worries.

I hope there is a way to circumvent the security and get a safe unlocked root for XZ Premium.
I'm so hyped for my pre-order, and root would be epic to say the least.

Nepturion said:
I hope there is a way to circumvent the security and get a safe unlocked root for XZ Premium.
I'm so hyped for my pre-order, and root would be epic to say the least.
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Circumvent what? It's already safe and very easy. You just have to do a personal decision if you want to lose your warranty and get root.
You can't have both. You either unlock, get root and lose warranty or you stay locked without root.

FartyParty said:
Circumvent what? It's already safe and very easy. You just have to do a personal decision if you want to lose your warranty and get root.
You can't have both. You either unlock, get root and lose warranty or you stay locked without root.
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I've owned more than one Sony in my time, and I had to return one for service. It was unlocked and rooted. All I did was throw the stock ROM back on it and send it in. Came back fixed and no $ needed. YMMV
I am sure we'll have the same flexibility as other devices... just give it some time.

charlatan01 said:
I've owned more than one Sony in my time, and I had to return one for service. It was unlocked and rooted. All I did was throw the stock ROM back on it and send it in. Came back fixed and no $ needed. YMMV
I am sure we'll have the same flexibility as other devices... just give it some time.
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Ok? Good for you I guess. You still lose warranty.

charlatan01 said:
I've owned more than one Sony in my time, and I had to return one for service. It was unlocked and rooted. All I did was throw the stock ROM back on it and send it in. Came back fixed and no $ needed. YMMV
I am sure we'll have the same flexibility as other devices... just give it some time.
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Click to collapse
I've been lucky to get my Z5P repaired (battery replacement) without cost even though I sent it in with an unlocked bootloader too. However I really would prefer to have a backed up TA this time around since on 2 previous occasions (on my Z2 and Z5P), I've been rather unlucky with my timing and (at that time) new exploits were found to backup the TA only a week after I had unlocked my bootloader. :silly:

You guys think there will be a way to back up the TA partition. I really wanna root the device. But chances are getting minimum nowadays. :/

chesterr said:
You guys think there will be a way to back up the TA partition. I really wanna root the device. But chances are getting minimum nowadays. :/
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It'll happen, but it could be two weeks or 6 months... depends on when the phone starts selling and some devs buy it. When in doubt, a bounty might be in order.

chesterr said:
You guys think there will be a way to back up the TA partition. I really wanna root the device. But chances are getting minimum nowadays. :/
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Not for a while. Considering the TAbackupv2 tool doesn't have support for Nougat and that was a while ago...
Unless someone else makes a new tool.
Personally I will root it as soon as I get it .

FartyParty said:
Not for a while. Considering the TAbackupv2 tool doesn't have support for Nougat and that was a while ago...
Unless someone else makes a new tool.
Personally I will root it as soon as I get it .
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Nougat support wasn't needed though then as you could just flash marshmallow and do it that way, but now it is so maybe someone smarter than us will help us all out :fingers-crossed:

AJHutchinson said:
Nougat support wasn't needed though then as you could just flash marshmallow and do it that way, but now it is so maybe someone smarter than us will help us all out :fingers-crossed:
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Yea, because the XZ had MM fw but the XZs and XZ-Premium doesn't.
I was actually thinking of flashing a MM fw onto my XZs just to try but later just unlocked/rooted since I will be moving to premium anyway.
But then again I personally don't care for the keys. If my phone breaks I just get a new one because I could never use the phone again if it breaks and I get it back "fixed", it would bother me so much.
Anyway, let's hope for the people that do want to save their keys someone finds a way sooner than later.

FartyParty said:
Yea, because the XZ had MM fw but the XZs and XZ-Premium doesn't.
I was actually thinking of flashing a MM fw onto my XZs just to try but later just unlocked/rooted since I will be moving to premium anyway.
But then again I personally don't care for the keys. If my phone breaks I just get a new one because I could never use the phone again if it breaks and I get it back "fixed", it would bother me so much.
Anyway, let's hope for the people that do want to save their keys someone finds a way sooner than later.
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You'll probably soft brick your xzs, why get a xzs if you wanted the premium easier to just wait a couple months? I've got mine now

AJHutchinson said:
You'll probably soft brick your xzs, why get a xzs if you wanted the premium easier to just wait a couple months? I've got mine now
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I had the XZ and then the XZs came out so I got that while I wait for Premium. You have your Premium right now? Wow lucky.
I get mine the Thursday with the official case ! Picked the black one.

FartyParty said:
I had the XZ and then the XZs came out so I got that while I wait for Premium. You have your Premium right now? Wow lucky.
I get mine the Thursday with the official case ! Picked the black one.
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Captain money bags you are aye , I've got the chrome one gonna get the official case when it's back in stock on the website but I do prefer not having one until it gets scratched :silly: , best get back to topic before people get mad

Has anyone tried flashing the XZ marshmallow onto the XZ premium? Maybe it's possible with some kind of hack considering that the premium is merely a beefed up version of the XZ vanilla.

lebigmac said:
Has anyone tried flashing the XZ marshmallow onto the XZ premium? Maybe it's possible with some kind of hack considering that the premium is merely a beefed up version of the XZ vanilla.
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That's not how it works. That's not how it works at all. XZ Premium is totally different from the vanilla XZ, and even if it had the same chipset you still wouldn't be able to flash anything from another phone.

Ok thanks for the confirmation. Please excuse my nescience. I'm a noob

Mandatory system update - possible to downgrade?

Hi guys, new proud owner here since today Hoping that we get root soon!
I noticed that the system updates seem mandatory and I can't find a way to disable them. Is it possible to downgrade to an earlier system version in case of stability issues or for future root reasons?
I searched but couldn't find an answer. Thanks in advance!
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
Edit: Sorry I just realized I posted in the wrong section. I'm blaming the worthless new tapatalk app

You can already get root via unlocking bootloader. If you want root without it I think you can forget it.
All previous models require bootloader unlocked and XZP is no different.
You can downgrade and upgrade as you please, but if you wonder if you can go to Marshmallow then the answer is no.
Only XZ had Marshmallow, XZs launched with Nougat and so did XZP.

Awesome thanks! Time to upgrade and factory reset then before I set everything up.
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
Edit: I realize there is root, but from what I understand there's the drm issue, so no root with active noise cancelling etc?

Macrint said:
Awesome thanks! Time to upgrade and factory reset then before I set everything up.
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
Edit: I realize there is root, but from what I understand there's the drm issue, so no root with active noise cancelling etc?
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There's some features that gets disabled when drm keys gets lost yea, the camera for example but I use Snap Camera which in my opinion is superior to Sony camera.
It can take pics in full resolution and have tons of settings. Of course, a drm fix would be optimal but I'm superhappy with root.
As for audio, I couldn't hear any difference between unlocked and locked but then again I use viper4 audio mod via magisk.
I love it.