How to Unlock Bootloader of Sony Xperia Devices?

Every smartphone company wants their genuine stock firmware in their device. You can say it branding or avoiding piracy thefts. Therefore companies lock their device with a code known as Bootloader. A locked bootloader is actually a factory restriction, which means that while your handset is having a locked bootloader, you can’t perform operations like: rooting, installing custom apps from outside the Google Play coverage, or update with custom ROMs firmware.

For developers or techno freaks, bootloader unlock is the first step before they think of making any modification in their phone’s firmware. So today I’m writing this article to tell you the method of unlocking bootloader of your Sony Xperia Device using Sony’s official method. This method can be applied to almost all Sony Xperia devices (not only on the Android based smartphones), so you have nothing to worry about.

Prerequisites and things to note:

• Backup your phone and SD card’s data because unlocking bootloader can wipe off all your data.
• You need a Windows running computer with internet connection enabled must be near you.
• Most importantly your Sony Xperia device and its USB cable should be there.
• You must have latest version of Flashtool installed in your pc. You can download it here.
• Phone’s battery must be charged more than 60%. Else the phone might get turned off in the middle of the unlocking procedure.
• USB debugging must be enabled on your device.
• Take note as if you unlock the bootloader you will no longer receive OTA updates.
• Apply this method only for the Sony Xperia devices.
• Create a backup of your phone’s stock ftf ROM as later you may need it to flash your phone if anything goes wrong. 

How to Unlock Bootloader of Sony Xperia Devices?

1. First step is to check whether your device supports bootloader unlocking or not. For that, dial*#*#7378423#*#*. Then a “Services” menu will open up. Go to Service Info >> Configuration. If under “Rooting Status” it’s written “Bootloader Unlock Allowed” then only you can proceed with the further steps.

2. Then visit Sony Developer World.

3. Select your device from the bottom of the page and click continue.

4. Now on this page you’ll have to write your email address for verification.

5. You will receive an email shortly. Check your spam folder if you don’t find any email in your inbox. Email should look like this:

6. Click on “Click here to proceed”. On this page you’ll have to fill your device’s IMEI number. Dial *#06# to know IMEI number.

7. After dialing it a window will pop up with your device’s IMEI number in it. Enter it in the field on website.

8. Click on submit and finally you’ll get a Bootloader Unlock Code.

9. We are done with online part. Now it’s time to use this unlock code to do what it is meant to  OpenFlashtool.

10. Click on “BLU” icon from the top menu.

11. It will ask you to boot your device in “Flashmode”. You can do so by pressing a key in your phone or combination of keys in off state while attaching it with the pc. Basically it’s Volume Down key. For exact information about your device, Google about “How to boot *your device* in Flashmode?”.

12. After plugging in Flashmode, now it will ask you to boot your device in “Fastboot Mode”. It is basically Volume Up key in off state while attaching with the pc.

13. Now it will ask you to enter the “Unlock Code” you got from Sony’s site. Enter it there and click on“Unlock”.

14. Upon clicking on “Unlock” button, Flashtool will start doing its job. You will end up to something like this:

Done!

That’s all! Now unplug your device and reboot it. Check if your bootloader is successfully unlocked or not by dialing *#*#7378423#*#*. Then a “Services” menu will open up. Go to Service Info >> Configuration. It should look something like this:

Problem!

It’s been seen that Sony devices get stuck in bootloop after unlocking bootloader. It means your phone won’t boot up completely, it will continuously show you the boot animation. If you’ve also got this problem then the only solution to this is to Flash your device again with stock ftf (firmware/rom) of your phone. You can get a basic idea about the procedure in this article:

• [Solved] Xperia L Stuck in Bootloop after Unlocking Bootloader

Procedure will be same for almost all the Sony devices. So you can follow it without any problem.

If you have any doubt regarding this tutorial then let me know by posting it in the comments section below