Basic requirements
- Make sure your computer has working
adb
. Setup instructions can be found here. - Enable USB debugging on your device.
Unlocking the bootloader
- On the device, dial
*#*#7378423#*#*
(*#*#SERVICE#*#*
) to launch the service menu. - Go to
service info
>configuration
and checkrooting status
- you can only continue if it saysBootloader unlock allowed: Yes
. - Connect the device to your PC via USB.
-
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up and connect the USB cable. The notification light should turn blue.
-
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
fastboot devices
Tip: If you seeno permissions fastboot
while on Linux or macOS, try runningfastboot
as root. - Follow the instructions on Sony’s official unlocking website to unlock your bootloader.
- Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.
Installing a custom recovery using fastboot
-
Download a custom recovery - you can download TWRP.
- Connect your device to your PC via USB.
-
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up and connect the USB cable. The notification light should turn blue.
-
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
fastboot devices
Tip: If you seeno permissions fastboot
while on Linux or macOS, try runningfastboot
as root. -
Flash recovery onto your device:
fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-karin_windy.img
Tip: The file may not be named identically to what’s in this command, so adjust accordingly. - Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
Installing LineageOS from recovery
-
Download the LineageOS install package that you’d like to install or build the package yourself.
- Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps
- Place the LineageOS
.zip
package, as well as any other .zip packages on the root of/sdcard
:- Using adb:
adb push filename.zip /sdcard/
- You can use any method you are comfortable with.
adb
is universal across all devices, and works both in Android and recovery mode, providing USB debugging is enabled.
- Using adb:
- If you aren’t already in recovery, reboot into recovery:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
- (Optional, but recommended): Select the Backup button to create a backup.
- Select Wipe and then Advanced Wipe.
- Select Cache, System and Data partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe.
- Go back to return to main menu, then select Install.
- Navigate to
/sdcard
, and select the LineageOS.zip
package. - Follow the on-screen prompts to install the package.
- (Optional): Install any additional packages using the same method.
Note: If you want any Google Apps on your device, you must follow this step before the first reboot!
- (Optional): Root the device by installing the LineageOS su add-on (use the
arm64
package) or using any other method you prefer. - Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, select Reboot, and then System.
Get assistance
If you have any questions or get stuck on any of the steps, feel free to ask on our subreddit or in #LineageOS on freenode.