How to Unlock Boot loader and Root Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Arc, Neo and Pro Android Phone

Sony Ericsson allowed to unlock the boot loader for certain releases in 2011 such as Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia pro, and Xperia Play. There are some requirements to unlock the boot loader which your phone has to fulfill such as your mobile should not be sim lock protected. Depending on your mobile and configuration of the phone there are also other requirements as well which your phone has to complete.

The easy and only way to unlock the boot loader is to connect your mobile with the fastboot tool available in the android market.

Things to know:-

• Do not try to unlock Xperia mini (ST15i) and Xperia mini pro (SK17i). You might find issue with flashing original kernel via fastboot.
• Certain functions in your phone might stop working, and performance might not be ultimate. You might also damage your phone permanently. Unlocking the boot loader will cause physical injuries or material damage, for example, due to the phone overheating.
• Much content on your mobile may also be unreachable due to the removal of DRM security keys and the secure user data partition while unlocking the boot loader.
• Be reminiscent that unlocking the boot loader will not root your mobile. Flash a custom rom with root access is the only way to root your mobile.

Instruction to unlock the boot loader: -

• Download http://unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com/downloadinf.zip in your computer and unzip the folder containing the android_winusb.inf-file.
• Also download http://developer.android.com/ and install the latest Android SDK .
• Unzip the file and place it in the USB_driver-folder. Now you have to accept to replace the old android_winusb.inf-file with the new one.

* Hold the following button while connecting your phone to a computer with a USB-cable:

1. Menu button (for Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ neo, Xperia™ pro).
2. Search button (for Xperia™ PLAY).

• Now it will ask you for the drivers.  Select the boot loader interface file which you earlier placed in the usb_driver-folder.
• Open the command (cmd) window and go to the tool folder in android SDK folder.
• Type fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version, in the cmd window and make it sure that you get back an output like “0.3″. It indicates that your mobile is properly connected.
• Now enter fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0xKEY, where key is the unlock boot loader key which you have got from the unlock boot loader web page.

You have now successfully unlock the boot loader in your Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Arc, Neo and Pro Android Phone.

• Once you are done with the above procedure you have to click here Continue :-
• After this a pop up appears and ask you for surety Click on yes, I’m sure.
• After this you will ask for the legal terms, check on both the options given and click on I accept.
• Then it will ask you to fill up the IMEI, Name and E-mail IDand submit that page.
• Now you will get the code to unlock the boot loader of your mobile.
• Download the Rooting package and now Press Window key + R , type cmd abd press enter.
• Now enter the following commands in the cmd

On Windows based Systems:
fastboot flash system YOURDOWNLOADEDFILE.img

On Linux based systems:
fastboot -i 0x0fce flash system YOURDOWNLOADEDFILE.img

On Mac based systems:
fastboot-mac -i 0x0fce flash system YOURDOWNLOADEDFILE.img

• Wait till the command is processing and after it you are successfully rooted your mobile.

Let us know if there is any problem regarding this article or process. We will be happy to guide you !!