Install Xperia Marshmallow using Flashtool and XperiFirm

[Guide]
by X B on 12TH MARCH 2016
in A ND RO ID , FEATU RE D C ON T EN T , FIRM WARE , TI PS & TRIC KS

It is that time of the year again, where we

have a major Android release and people want to update as
soon as possible. We have received numerous requests from
Xperia Z3+ and Z5 owners asking how they can manually
update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, using third-party utilities
Flashtool and XperiFirm.
Weve covered the process many times before, the last time
being a year ago when Android 5.0 Lollipop made an
appearance. Therefore, it seems like a natural time to revisit
the guide. It is worth noting that whilst the tutorial below
shows how to install Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the procedure
can be used to flash ANY firmware build for ANY Sony Xperia
device. The steps are also the same to debrandany Sony
Xperia device that is currently on carrier-specific software.

Installing Xperia Marshmallow using Flashtool

and XperiFirm [TUTORIAL]
Disclaimer: Please read the following instructions thoroughly
before attempting to flash your phone. Xperia Blog absolves
itself from any responsibility should something go wrong.
Please proceed with caution and at your own risk.
Note: You will not void the warranty of your Sony Xperia
device by flashing new firmware using this guide. In addition,

you do NOT need to unlock your bootloader nor do you need

root to flash your handset.
It is recommended that you create a backup of your existing
regional/carrier firmware just in case you need to send your
device back for repair. The instructions below can be used to
create any firmware file, so use these to create a backup
with the relevant firmware build.

Part 1: Preparation
One of the primary reasons people encounter problems in
flashing their device is due to not installing the correct drivers
on their computer. Please ensure that drivers for your Sony
Xperia device and Flashtool software are correctly installed on
your PC before attempting to install new software.
Note: This guide is written for Windows users in mind only.
1) Install drivers for your Sony Xperia
You need to ensure that your PC has all of the necessary
drivers installed for your Sony Xperia device. The best way to
do this is to install Sony PC Companion.
Make sure you connect your Xperia to the PC before starting
the process to download the necessary USB and ADB drivers.
The best way to do this is to power off your Sony Xperia and
then connect to your PC whilst holding the volume down
button.
2) Install Flashtool
Download and install Flashtool from the official website here.
This guide is based on using Flashtool version 0.9.19.10.
Install Flashtool drivers from the following location:
C:\Flashtool\drivers. Tick the Flashmode Drivers and
Fastboot Drivers to install.

Note: To install the Flashtool drivers for Windows 8/8.1/10,

please follow the steps below.
A) Press the Windows key + R together and in the Run box
type: shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
Now make the following selections to boot into the Start Up
Setting Screen: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Start Up
Settings > Restart
Then, when the machine restarts, select number 7 i.e.
Disable driver signature enforcement. Your machine will
start with Driver signing enforcement disabled until the next
reboot.
B) Now you can install the Flashtool drivers.
Windows will warn that the driver is not signed and will
require you to confirm the installation.
Once the installation is complete, reboot the machine
3) Enable USB debugging and Unknown sources on your
Sony Xperia device
USB debugging: Settings > Developer options
Unknown sources: Settings > Security

Part 2: Create your FTF firmware file

You will need a FTF firmware file to install new software onto
your device. The following section explains how to create your
own FTF firmware file, however if you have downloaded a FTF
file from the Firmware Resource section of our website or
elsewhere, you can skip this step and proceed to part 3.
To create your FTF firmware file, you will first need to launch
Flashtool and then click on the XperiFirm icon as highlighted
below.

You should now see the XperiFirm software launch into a new
window. Navigate to your handset on the left pane. You can
then choose the firmware for your region/carrier in the
middle pane. The pane on the right side will show you which
firmware is available for that region. Click on it to download
the file.
Important: Only download firmware for your model and
variant number. For example, if you own an Xperia Z5 (E6653),
only browse and download the firmware builds listed under
E6653.

Once clicked, you are asked to confirm whether you want to

download the firmware. Ensure that Unpack automatically
is ticked and then click Download to proceed.

Once complete, you will see the following pop message

Unpacked Successfully! Click OK.

The same Unpacked successfully! message will appear on

the download dialog. Click Close to proceed to the next
step.

You will now revert back to Flashtool, which will start creating
your FTF firmware file.

Once you see Torrent file creation finished then your FTF
firmware file has been successfully created.

To ensure the FTF firmware file has been created, navigate to

the following location on your PC:C:\Users\[Your PC
Name]\.flashTool\firmwares

Part 3: Flash your FTF firmware file

This section details the steps needed in order to flash new
firmware onto your Sony Xperia device.
First of all, open Flashtool and then click on the lightning bolt
in the top left of Flashtool as highlighted below.

Select Flashmode and click OK.

You should already be in the source folder where the FTF

firmware files are located. If not, navigate to: C:\Users\[Your
PC Name]\.flashTool\firmwares
Select the firmware build version that you want to flash from
the Firmware pane. Ensure the device variant is the same
as the model number of your Sony Xperia device.
If you want to retain your apps, data and media (photos,
videos, music), then ensure that the USERDATA option
within the Wipe pane is unticked. However, we recommend
that when upgrading a major new Android version, a clean
install is the way to go. In this case, tick all options under the
Wipe pane. This will wipe all of your data though including
your photos and videos, so please ensure you have these
backed up elsewhere.

IMPORTANT For FlashTool 0.9.19.10 and older: If you

skipped Part 2 of the guide as you already had your own FTF
firmware file, then you may see the following SIMLOCK
option ticked under the MiscTA Exclude pane. DO
NOT untick SIMLOCK as it could lead to problems with the
network lock on your device.

IMPORTANT For FlashTool versions 0.9.22.0 to

0.9.22.2: The developer has changed the meaning of the tick
box in newer versions of Flashtool, which means ticking the
box includesSIMLOCK. Either way, you want to ensure you
are NOT including SIMLOCK when flashing firmware. So to be
clear, when presented with the SIMLOCK option below, you
must NOT tickthe box.

NOTE For FlashTool 0.9.22.3 onwards: The developer has

disabled SIMLOCK, which means you no longer have to worry
about accidentally including it in your firmware flashing. The
option is only enabled by entering Pro mode. Unless you
know what you are doing, then stay well away from Pro mode.
Click Flash. Flashtool will then indicate that it is preparing
files for flashing.

You may have to wait around 60 seconds for the pop-up below
to appear. Once it does, you should now connect your Sony
Xperia device. Make sure the device is powered off and then
hold the volume down button whilst connecting the USB
cable. Once the pop-up disappears and flashing has started,
you can let go of the volume down button.

Flashtool will then start flashing your Xperia device.

Once you see Flashing finished as indicated below, your

Sony Xperia has been successfully flashed.

Congratulations you have just installed Android

Marshmallow! Now disconnect your Xperia device and power
on the handset. Dont worry if it takes a while for the handset
to boot, this is to be expected.
To confirm that you have upgraded the phone software, click
on Settings > About phone, which will reveal your new
Android version and firmware build number.

If you would also like to confirm the region firmware that you
have downloaded, you will need to access the service menu
option. To do this, open the dialler and enter the following:
*#*#7378423#*#*
Then click Service info > Software info. The CDF is an eight
digit number under the Customization Version that should
tie in with the firmware you downloaded from XperiFirm. For
example, you will notice below that the CDF (software
customisation version) of 1298-7362 matches the same
firmware that we downloaded in the XperiFirm screenshots
above.

Tagged as: Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Featured

Content, Firmware, Flashtool, Tips and Tricks, XperiFirm