Unlocking the bootloader on your smartphone is the first step to speed it up and install custom firmware. And, contrary to popular belief, this feature is supported on most devices. Below is the official method for unlocking the operating system bootloader.

Not every phone will allow you to do this.

There are two types of phones in this world: Those that allow you to unlock the bootloader and those that do not.

The ability to unlock the bootloader depends on your smartphone manufacturer, model, and even your operator. All Nexus smartphones allow you to unlock the bootloader, and many phones from Motorola and HTC will allow you to unlock the bootloader in the same way as on the Nexus.

Other smartphones, as well as operators, do not provide the ability to unlock the bootloader in an official way. In this case, you will have to wait until the developers find vulnerabilities with which you can get root rights and download custom firmware to your phone. If you have such a smartphone, then, alas, this article will not help you.

The best way to find out which category your smartphone belongs to is to look at a specialized website. If you have an HTC or Motorola smartphone, then you can also check the unlocking capability on the HTC and Motorola websites. If the bootloader of your smartphone cannot be unlocked using the official method, then only the unofficial unlocking or root method, which can usually be found on the XDA Developers forum, will help you.

Step 0: Back up everything you want to keep

Before you begin, it should be noted that this process will erase all of your data. Therefore, if you have any Important files, be it photos, music, videos or anything else, then now is the time to save everything to your computer. In addition, if you have any application settings that you want to save, then use the backup function to create a backup of the settings and save it on your computer too.

Here's another tip: since I know I'll want to root my smartphone, I always unlock the bootloader as soon as I buy a new device. This way I don't waste time customizing the phone to suit myself only to delete all the data after a couple of days.

Once you have saved all your important files, you can begin.

Step 1: Install Android SDK and drivers for your phone

You will need two things for this process: Android Debug Bridge, which is a command line for PC that you can use to communicate with your phone, and a USB driver for your device. If you installed them earlier, then you need to update them to the latest version.

Here are brief installation instructions:

• 1. Go to the Android SDK download page and scroll down to “SDK Tools Only”. Download the ZIP file for your OS and extract the archive.
• 2. Launch SDK Manager and uncheck all items except “Android SDK Platform-tools”. If you are using a Nexus phone, you can also select “Google USB Driver” to download Google drivers.
• 3. After installation is complete, you can close the SDK manager.
• 4. Install USB drivers for your phone. You can find them on the website of the smartphone manufacturer (eg Motorola or HTC)
• 5. Restart your computer if necessary.

Turn on your phone and connect it to your computer using a USB cable. Open the tools folder in your Android SDK installation folder and Shift+Right Click on an empty area. Select “Open a Command Prompt Here” and run the following command:
adb devices
If the serial number appears, then your phone has been detected and you can continue further. Otherwise, make sure you follow all the given steps correctly.

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging

Next, you will need to enable several options on your phone. Go to your phone settings and select "About phone". Scroll down to Build Number and click on this item 7 times. A message should appear indicating that you are logged into developer mode.

Return to the main settings page, you should see a new “For Developers” item. Enable “OEM Unlocking” if this option exists (if it doesn't, don't worry - only some phones have this option).

Then enable “USB Debugging”. Enter a password or PIN if required.

Once you do this, connect your phone to your computer. You will see a window on your phone asking “Do you want to enable USB debugging?” Check the box next to “Always allow on this computer” and click OK.

Step 3: Obtain an unlock key (not for Nexus phones)

If you have a Nexus smartphone, then proceed to the next step.

Go to the smartphone manufacturer's website to obtain an unlock key (for example, for Motorola, open this page or this one for HTC), select your device (if required) and drive or create a new account.

Further in this step there may be differences for different phones, but there should be instructions on the steps on the manufacturer’s website. It will be as follows: first, turn off the phone and boot into fastboot mode. There are different methods on different phones, but most often you need to press and hold the power button and volume down key for 10 seconds. Release the buttons and you should be in fastboot mode (HTC users will have to use the volume down key to get to the Fastboot item and use the power key to select this item).

Connect your phone and PC using a USB cable. Your phone must somehow notify you of the connection. Open the tools folder in your Android SDK installation folder and Shift+Right Click on an empty area. Select “Open a Command Prompt Here” and enter the unlock command provided by the manufacturer (for Motorola this is fastboot oem get_unlock_data command , for HTC fastboot oem get_identifier_token).

Long strings of characters will appear on the command line. Copy these characters and make one line of them without spaces and on the website, paste the resulting text into the appropriate field. If your smartphone can be unlocked, you will receive an email with a key or file, which we will use in the next step. If your device cannot be unlocked, you will also be notified about this. If you still want to go all the way and use the unofficial method, then you will need the developers' website.

Step 4: Unlock

Now you are ready to unlock. If your phone is still in fastboot mode, run the command below. If not, then turn off your phone and boot into fastboot mode. There are different methods on different phones, but most often you need to press and hold the power button and volume down key for 10 seconds. Release the buttons and you should be in fastboot mode (HTC users will have to use the volume down key to get to the Fastboot item and use the power key to select this item). Connect your phone and PC with a USB cable.

Open the tools folder in your Android SDK installation folder and Shift+Right Click on an empty area. Select “Open a Command Prompt Here”.

To unlock your device, you will need to run one simple command. For most Nexus devices, this command is:
fastboot oem unlock
If you have a new version of Nexus, for example, Nexus 5X or 6P, then the command will be slightly different:
fastboot flashing unlock
If you do not have a Nexus smartphone, then the manufacturer’s website will indicate the command you need. For Motorola devices, this is the command fastboot oem unlock UNIQUE_KEY, where UNIQUE_KEY is the code sent to you by email. For HTC, this is the command fastboot oem unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin, where Unlock_code.bin is a file received from the HTC manufacturer.

After running the command, the phone may ask if you really want to unlock. use Volume key to confirm.

When unlocking is complete, use the OSD menu to reboot your phone (or run the fastboot reboot command on your computer). If everything is done correctly, then when you boot the phone you will see a message that the bootloader is unlocked, and then the Android OS will load. It is important to boot Android first before doing anything like installing a custom recovery.

Congratulations on being unlocked! While you won't notice any differences, you can now install a custom recovery, get root access or install a custom firmware.

I forgot the pattern pattern on my Sony Xperia phone and I don’t know what to do - about 15,000 people a month come knocking on the Internet with this question.

Usually the unlocking problem comes down to one thing - there is no one universal recipe for unlocking Sony xperia or Ericsson phones, since there are a lot of models.

For example, Sony Xperia z3, z1 compact, st23i, Sony m2, m5, c5303, m2 d2303, e1, c3, Sony Ericsson, Xperia mini, Sony Aqua, zr, Sony c1905, c2005, 1905, Sony lt25i, c2105, 6603, z2 d6503, m4, xperia e5, sony xperia e4 and so on.

Therefore, I will present three methods here at once. In most cases all three will do, but on some models only one is possible.

NOTE: you can remove the graphic key, with the loss of personal data, with saving and restoration.

The option with data loss can be said to be the most common, besides, if you are faced with the question of what is more important: the Sony Xperia phone or the data, then I am sure that you will choose the phone, because you will not have access to the data without unlocking the pattern key.

ATTENTION: everything described below applies to Sony phones running Android.

All other devices, like the old Ericsson ones, are not acceptable without an operating system, however, they don’t even have a graphic key.

The first way to unlock a pattern key in a Sony phone if you forgot it - without data loss

After you read this section, go, there is a link to go to a special Google service (later I will move it here - I don’t want to be distracted now).

However, there is a lot of useful information with pictures about removing the pattern on Android.

For the method described here you need: to have an Internet connection to your phone and remember your Gmail login password.

If there is no Internet, the problem can be easily resolved - even when it is blocked with a graphic key (in most cases, the Internet is already available and nothing needs to be done).

If you don't remember your Gmail login details, they are also restored. By the way, I started off on the wrong foot, the method in the link above is applicable to unlocking via a computer, but if you haven’t forgotten your credentials, then you can remove the pattern lock directly from a Sony Xperia phone or another phone from this manufacturer.

To do this, type the wrong pattern key 5 times. Next you will see something like this button “Lost model?” Smatphone press the “Home” button or forgot... after clicking on “Home” (it is possible that you will receive a slightly different message).

Now you will need to enter your email address and password. Then click “Login”, after which you can change the pattern, and then disable it altogether if you wish.

The second way to bypass the pattern lock in a Sony phone while saving your data

In Sony Xperia, it is easy to bypass removing the pattern using a code. To do this, the first step is to select an emergency call.

Then we dial the code - *#*#7378423#*#* (works on all Sony Xperia) - after this a service menu will appear, in which select Service tests.

Then we find/select NFC -> NFC Diag Test, wait until the test is finished and click on the “Home” button

Now you should find yourself on the desktop of your Sony phone. There is no point in describing what to do next.

NOTE: on some Sony Xperia Z, if the above code may not work, then try another one - *#*#73556673#*#*, after which the phone will reboot.

Exceptions are common in our lives and are possible here too. Therefore, if the method did not turn out to be effective, we move on.

The third method to unlock the Sony Xperia graphic key with data sweating

Sony Xperia, like any electronic device equipped with software, we are not immune from failure, one of which is that we forgot the pattern key.

Fortunately, Android comes with a recovery menu where we can restore the phone to its original state.

This is a very simple process, although some may find it scary - don’t be afraid, don’t let the black screen with text scare you, I’ve used it at least dozens of times and all have been successful.

It goes without saying that all the data stored on your phone will be lost once the process is completed. To begin, you must completely turn off the device.

To start, hold down the button combination. In most cases these are the buttons: on / off + Volume up or top down.

Now you are ready to reboot your Sony phone and, after a few settings, start using it as if nothing had happened.

Therefore, select and press (with the power button) on the line - Reboot system now.

Finally, a quick summary is a step-by-step way to make it all even clearer.

1. Turn off the device completely
2. Get to the recovery menu
3. Select the option “Wipe data / Factory reset” (use the volume buttons and select the on / off button)
4. Select the “Yes” option (as we did before)
5. Select "Reboot Now"
6. Ready

As you can see, this is a very simple process that may seem labor-intensive only at first glance

Just a few steps and your Sony Xperia phone is “ready for battle” again. Good luck.

- a program whose main purpose is to load the operating system. By unlocking the Sony bootloader, users can install custom recovery, firmware, root rights and gain full access to the system resources of their smartphone. Detailed instructions from the AndroGoo website will help you do this in just a few minutes.

Unlocking Sony bootloader. Official method No. 1

• We go to the site unlockbutloader , select your smartphone model from below and click “ Continue«.

• In the new confirmation window, enter your email address and click “ Submit«.

• We check the email address and confirm it by clicking on the button “ Click here to proceed«.

• In a new window enter IMEI number smartphone. You can see it by typing the combination *#06# or along the way " Settings/About device/Status". Check the two lines below and click “Submit”.

• On the new page, go down, copy the unlock code and save it in a notepad in any convenient place.

• Download the archive and copy the folder from it to the root of the local drive C. It should work. Copy the current file to the same folder usb_driver from the archive.

• Turn off the smartphone. Press the Volume Up button and connect the USB cable to it. The diode should glow blue.
• Windows will look for drivers. We need to install them manually. To do this, go to “ Start/Control Panel/Device Manager/Other Devices" and select S1 Boot Fastboot.
• Right-click on the device and follow the steps: update the driver > search for drivers on this computer > select the driver from the list of already installed drivers > install from disk > browse, and select the file android_winusb.inf from folder usb_driver. In the proposed list we put Android Bootloader Interface and click ready.

Instructions in pictures

• For Windows 7/8 users, go to the folder with Fastboot, hold down the Shift key on the keyboard, right-click in the folder window and select “Open command window”.

• For Windows XP users, go to the command line ( Win+R and in the window we enter cmd.exe). Then we write the address of the folder with fastboot. In our case it will look like this: cd c:\fastboot\

• Copy the unlock code received earlier, paste it into the command line window and press Enter.
• Bootloader unlocked!

Unlock Bootloader Sony. Method No. 2

List of supported devices

Sony Xperia™ S
Sony Xperia™ P
Sony Xperia™ go
Sony Xperia™U
Sony Xperia™ sola
Sony Xperia™ acro S
Sony Xperia™ ion
Sony Xperia™ miro
Sony Xperia™ tipo
Sony Xperia™ tipo dual
Sony Xperia™ V
Sony Xperia™ J
Sony Xperia™ T
Sony Xperia™TX
Sony Xperia™ E
Sony Xperia™ E dual
Sony Xperia™ ZL
Sony Xperia™ Z
Sony Xperia™ L
Sony Xperia™ SP
Sony Xperia™ Tablet Z
Sony Xperia™ M
Sony Xperia™ M2
Sony Xperia™ ZR
Sony Xperia™ Z1 Compact
Sony Xperia™ Z1*
Sony Xperia™ Z Ultra

• Download and install on your computer Android SDK .
• On your smartphone go to “ Settings«, « For developers"(if there is no such item, go to " About the phone" and click many times on " Build number") and turn it on "USB Debugging"

• Download and install the program on your computer.
• We connect the smartphone to the PC and wait for the driver installation to complete.
• After that, click on the button "Unlock"

• After installation is complete, click "Finish". The smartphone will reboot.

• Bootloader unlocked!

If you become the owner of a device, but at the same time factory restrictions do not give you peace of mind, then you should start getting rid of them with unlocking bootloader. The method presented in this post can be applied to almost all devices (not only those based Android). In addition to being universal, it is also official.

But, even despite all the formality of the method, you must be careful, since unlocking bootloader leads to loss of warranty, and Sony We created a special page on our website describing the procedure. But the information posted there does not reflect the entire process in sufficient detail. unlocking bootloader, so many users fail to complete the task. In this post you will find a detailed guide + description of the preparatory stage that will allow you to painlessly for yourself and your smartphone unlock bootloader.

What will it lead to? unlocking bootloader? In short, this is a very important step required to obtain rights superuser, installing complex applications and custom firmware. Thus, unlocking bootloader will allow you to increase the capabilities of the device.
Below you will find a list of what you need to consider before carrying out the main procedure:

• take care of the safety of all data and settings of your device. Create all the necessary backups;
• use a PC to perform the operation;
• to connect your smartphone to your computer, use a USB cable;
• disable anti-virus protection and Firewall;
• Install Android SDK and drivers. You can download them;
• charge your smartphone. If the battery is less than 60 percent charged, you may experience unlocking the bootloader it will not be possible to carry out the procedure because the smartphone will be discharged;
• enable USB debugging option;
• remember that the responsibility for the operation lies solely with you;
• Do not forget also that unlocking the bootloader will result in you no longer receiving OTA updates;
• Use this method only for devices.

A universal guide to unlocking the bootloader for Sony Xperia devices

1. Check if your smartphone is on the list of those that can be applied to this method. To do this, follow this link. If your device is not there, then this guide is not suitable for you.
2. On your device, dial the following combination: *#*#7378423#*#*, then go to Service info -> Configuration -> Rooting Status. If unlocking the bootloader is possible, you will see a message with the text " Bootloader unlock allowed". If only one word is displayed on the display of your smartphone " No", then this guide is not suitable for you.
3. Unzip the contents of the file downloadinf.zip, indicated earlier, on a PC.
4. Copy the resulting file android_winusb.inf V .
5. If a message appears asking you to overwrite this file instead of the existing one, confirm this action.
6. Enter *#06# on your smartphone. You will receive the IMEI number of your device. Write it down as it will be useful later.
7. Follow this link.
8. On the first page, click on " Yes, I'm sure".
9. Agree to the terms Sony by pressing " I accept".
10. On the next page, enter your name, email address and IMEI of the device. Click " Submit".
11. You will receive an unlock code. Write it down.
12. Turn off the device and connect it to the computer by pressing the menu button (for Xperia arc, Xperia arc S, Xperia neo, Xperia neo V, Xperia pro handsets), search (for Xperia Play device) or volume up (for Xperia mini , Xperia mini pro, Xperia ray, Xperia active, Live with Walkman, Xperia S smartphones).
13. Install the drivers here: c:\android-sdk\extras\google\usb_driver.
14. Open a command prompt on your computer.
15. Enter the following commands (one at a time):

• cd C:\android-sdk\platform-tools;
• fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version;
• fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY(instead of key, enter the unlock code you received earlier).

16. That's all. Bootloader your his Xperia device is unlocked.
17. Disconnect the USB cable and restart your smartphone.

A universal guide to unlocking the bootloader for Sony Xperia devices:
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It's very easy to forget a password or pattern. This is a common problem due to which some even run to the service center. But in fact, you shouldn’t waste time looking for such a center in your city. Below are instructions for Sony Xperia owners to easily bypass the lock screen. By the way, This is what they use in service centers.

Please note that this text is intended specifically for unlocking Xperia smartphones. On devices from other manufacturers, you will have to try to bypass the blocking in other ways.

Step-by-step instruction

1. The operation begins by pressing the emergency call button. On the keyboard that appears, enter the code:
2. After entering the last character, the service menu will be displayed. It is also called engineering. Here select "Service Tests".
3. In the list that appears, find the “NFC” item. In it we are interested in the sub-item “NFC Diag Test”. It runs a diagnostic test. Wait for it to finish, then click on the “Home” button.

That's all, so you will find yourself on the desktop. This trick works on all Xperias. If you have a new model in which this operation does not lead to the desired result, then try entering the code *#*#73556673#*#* on the emergency call screen. It does not work for all smartphones; on some models it only leads to a normal reboot of the device.

Updated: If no codes work on your device, 100% will help. It puts the device into operation even from the “brick” state.

If you have any difficulties, watching this video should help. You can also write your questions or thoughts in the comment form below!

But the guy demonstrates on video how everything is done on the XPeria Z: