It has only been a couple of weeks since the Sony Xperia Z3 has released and we already have a working custom recovery for the device. Thanks to XDA member monx®, Xperia Z3 now has TWRP recovery booting up on the device. Also, the version of TWRP recovery is 2.8 which supports transferring files from PC to phone MTP.
Sony devices don’t come with separate recovery partition, so custom recoveries on Sony device come bundled with kernel (boot image). So flashing this recovery means you’re a custom kernel on your Z3, but don’t worry about that as the developer has confirmed that no changes have been made to stock kernel other than adding recovery to it. So it’s perfectly safe to flash the recovery.
So far the recovery has only been tested to be working on the D6603 and D6653 model numbers of the Xperia Z3. So do not flash if you have a different model of the device.
RECOVERY INFO
| Name | TWRP Recovery |
| Version | 2.8.0.1 |
| Stability | Stable without any issues. |
| Credits | monx® |
WARNING!
Warranty may be void of your device if you follow the procedures given on this page.
You only are responsible for your device. We won’t be liable if any damage occurs to your device and/or its components.
GUIDE: INSTALL TWRP RECOVERY ON SONY XPERIA Z3
Before you begin with guide instructions below, make sure your android device is adequately charged — at least 50% battery of the device.
STEP 0: CHECK DEVICE MODEL NO.
To make sure your device is eligible with this, you must first confirm its model no. in ‘About device’ option under Settings.Another way to confirm model no. is by looking for it on the packaging box of your device. It must be D6603/D6653!
Please know that this page is meant only for Sony Xperia Z3. Please DO NOT try the procedures given here on any other device from Sony or any other company. You’ve been Warned!
STEP 1: BACKUP YOUR DEVICE
Back up important data and stuff before you start playing around here as there are chances you might lose your apps and app-data (app settings, game progress, etc.), and in rare case, files on the internal memory, too.
For help on Backup and Restore, check out our exclusive page on that linked right below.
► ANDROID BACK UP AND RESTORE GUIDE: APPS AND TIPS
STEP 2: INSTALL LATEST DRIVER
You must have proper and working driver installed on your windows computer to be able to successfully flash TWRP Recovery on your Xperia Z3.
If you are not sure, follow the link below to download driver for your Xperia Z3 on your computer.
► SONY XPERIA Z3 DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS
STEP 3: UNLOCK BOOTLOADER
Skip this step if your device is already bootloader unlocked.
User must first unlock the bootloader on your Xperia Z3 before proceeding with the guide below.
If you are not sure on how to unlock bootloader, here is our definitive guide on how to unlock bootloader of Xperia Z3.
► HOW TO UNLOCK XPERIA Z3 BOOTLOADER
STEP 4: INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
DOWNLOADS
Download the file given below and transfer it to a separate folder on your phone and remember the location.
RECOVERY BOOT FILE
DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: bootZ3monxtest01.img (12.75 MB)
For updates and latest version of the recovery, check the original development page →
ADB AND FASTBOOT FILES
DOWNLOAD LINK | File name: adb-and-fastboot-files.zip (919 KB)
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Important Note: Backup important files stored on internal SD card of your device, so that in case a situation arises requiring you to do a factory reset after flashing the kernel file, which might delete internal sd card too, your files will remain safe on PC.
Make sure you’ve unlocked bootloader on your Xperia Z3 before proceeding with the guide below.
- Extract/Unzip the adb-and-fastboot-files.zip file (using 7-zip free software, preferably) to a separate folder on your computer
- Now copy/paste the bootZ3monxtest01.img file to the folder where you extracted the adb and fastboot files in the Step 1. The folder should look like the screenshot below after transferring the file:
- Now press Shift key + Right click on any empty white space inside the folder, and select “Open command window here” from the context menu. This will open a command prompt window where you’ll be issuing fastboot commands to flash the modified boot image on your Z3
- Boot your Xperia Z3 into Fastboot Mode:
- Switch off your Xperia Z3 first
- Press and hold the Volume Up button
- Connect to your PC using a USB Cable while holding down the Volume Up button on your Xperia Z3
└ Before plugging in the USB cable on your Xperia Z3 make sure that the other end of USB cable is already connected to the PC.
└ For more ways to boot into fastboot mode, check our post on → How to Boot into Xperia Z3 Fastboot Mode.
- On the command prompt window, issue the following command:
fastboot devices
└ If it returns a result with some digits and alphabets, then your device has successfully connected to Fastboot. However, if returns a blank result then that means you don’t have proper drivers installed on your PC. Refer to the drivers installation section above.
- Now issue the following command:
fastboot flash boot bootZ3monxtest01.img
- Wait until fastboot finishes flashing the modified boot image containing TWRP recovery, it should take only a few seconds
- Once done, issue the following command to reboot your phone
fastboot reboot
That’s all. TWRP recovery should now be installed on your Xperia Z3.
Booting into Xperia Z3 Recovery Mode
To boot into recovery mode, do the following:
- Switch off your Xperia Z3 first
- Switch it back on and the time when you see your phone’s LED notification light turn Pink! (or any other color) — start pressing either the Volume UP or Volume Down key a couple of times to make your phone boot into recovery mode
└ For more ways to boot into recovery mode, check out post on → How to Boot into Xperia Z3 Recovery Mode.
That’s it, TWRP is installed on your Xperia Z3.
FEEDBACK US!
It was easy to install TWRP recovery on your Xperia Z3 , right? Let us know how you plan to use the recovery on your Xperia Z3.
Your suggestions and queries, if any, are most welcomed!
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