Install /e/OS on a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact - “z3c”

The instructions in this guide will assist you to install /e/OS on your z3c. Please read through the instructions at least once before actually following them, so as to avoid any problems later.

It is important that you know that downgrading Smartphones on OS versions greater than the /e/OS OS version you plan to install, can cause instability or at worst brick some devices. We recommend that you check your current OS version, before attempting the installation.

It is advisable to flash your device only if you know what you are doing and are ok taking the associated risk. All /e/OS builds are provided as best effort, without any guarantee. The /e/OS project and its project members deny any and all responsibility about the consequences of using /e/OS software and or /e/OS services.

Requirements

If required take a backup of all important data from your phone on an external storage device before proceeding.
Do not take a backup on the same device as some of these actions will format the device and delete the backup.
Ensure your phone is charged more than 50%
Check that adb and fastboot are enabled on your PC. If not you can find the setup instructions here
Download all the files and images mentioned in the download section below before starting the installation
Make sure you have a working data cable to connect your device to the PC. There are cables which are only for charging and do not transfer data.
Enable USB debugging on your device. You can find the instructions here
Make sure that your model is listed in the Smartphone Selector. Check the model supported. Where available, information on the model supported should show as a pop-up when you hover the cursor on the Device name. The model number supported should be the exact same.
Boot your device with the stock OS at least once and check every functionality.

Warning: Make sure that you can send and receive SMS and place and receive calls (also via WiFi and LTE, if available), otherwise it will not work on /e/OS as well. Additionally, some devices require that VoLTE/VoWiFi be utilized once on stock to provision IMS.

Please share your experience , suggest tips or changes to this install guide documentation by visiting the Xperia Z3 Compact specific topic on our community forum.

To report issues in /e/OS please refer this guide

Downloads for z3c

Custom recovery (not required if you already have it running on your phone)

/e/OS build : R community

To understand the difference between /e/OS builds check this guide

Warning: Please note some of the above links can lead to external sites

Special Requirements

Warning: Before following these instructions please ensure that the device is on firmware version 23.5.A.1.291. To discern this, you can run the command adb shell getprop ro.build.display.id on the stock ROM after following the steps under the Requirements header above. If the device is not on the specified version, please follow the instructions below to install it.

Caution: Flashtool version 0.9.19.9 or later is required.

Download and install Flashtool on your machine
- If you’re are a Windows user of any version, open a file explorer and navigate to C:\Flashtool\drivers folder, then install the drivers found within
- Additionally, if you are a Windows 8.1 (x64) user you will need a patch found here
Reboot your machine
On the device, navigate to the Settings app, in the System menu, under the About this device listing, and take note of your model number & carrier
Open Flashtool
Click the symbol to download and open XperiFirm (round button on the right) to download the latest firmware for your device
In XPeriFirm, select your device and an appropriate firmware on the middle column with the version 23.5.A.1.291. Then click on the firmware on the right side below Available Firmware and download it
After the download finished, close XperiFirm. Flashtool now automatically recognizes the downloaded files and prepares the image to be flashed
Now click on the lightning symbol (flash device), select Flashmode and click on OK
Select the firmware file you just downloaded above
Check all the boxes under the “Wipe” menu
Click “Flash” ..It may take a few minutes for the flashing progress indicator to pop up
Turn off your phone.
Hold the volume-down button and keep holding while connecting the device to your PC
Once the flashing process has started, release the volume rocker as soon as possible
When the flash finishes, boot up the device and once booted, please proceed with the instructions

Warning: Ensure the USB cable doesn’t come unplugged during the flashing process!

Unlocking the bootloader

Tip: The steps given below only need to be run once per device.

Warning: Some vendors/manufacturers prevent the bootloader from being unlocked. Depending on where your device was acquired you may or may not be able to unlock the bootloader. To verify if your device is compatible please check the devices list.

Warning: Unlocking the bootloader will erase all data on your device! This also includes your DRM keys, which are stored in the Trim Area partition (also called TA). Before proceeding, ensure the data you would like to retain is backed up to your PC and/or your Google account, or equivalent. Please note that OEM backup solutions like Samsung and Motorola backup may not be accessible from /e/OS once installed. If you wish to backup the TA partition first, you can find tutorials related to your device on the internet.

On the device, dial *#*#7378423#*#* (*#*#SERVICE#*#*) to launch the service menu.
Go to service info > configuration and check rooting status - you can only continue if it says Bootloader 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
```
Follow the instructions on Sony’s official unlocking website to unlock your bootloader.
Use your code to unlock the bootloader of your device:

fastboot oem unlock <your_unlock_code>
Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue (Settings->About Phone->Build version, and then you can go to Settings->Developer opptions to enable USB debugging).

Installing a custom recovery using `fastboot`

Before proceeding ensure you have downloaded the custom recovery from the link given in the Download section above
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:
- Con il dispositivo spento
- premi Volume Su e collega il cavo USB. La luce di notifica dovrebbe diventare blu.
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
```
fastboot devices
```
Tip: If you see no permissions fastboot while on Linux or macOS, try running fastboot as root

Tip: Some devices have buggy USB support while in bootloader mode. If fastboot hangs with no output when using commands such as fastboot getvar .. , fastboot boot …, fastboot flash … try a different USB port (preferably a USB Type-A 2.0 one) or a USB hub
Flash a recovery image onto your device by typing
```
 fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img
```
Sostituisci recoveryfilename con il nome file dell’immagine della recovery che hai scaricato nella sezione precedente
Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
- Con il dispositivo spento
- premi Volume Giù + Accensione

Installing /e/OS from recovery

Before proceeding ensure you have downloaded the /e/OS for your device, from the link given in the Downloads section above
If you aren’t already in recovery mode, reboot into recovery mode
- by typing the below command in the console of an adb enabled PC
```
 adb reboot recovery
```
In TWRP return to main menu, then tap Wipe
Now tap Format Data and continue with the formatting process.

Here a new screen may show where you will have to type Yes and confirm the action by clicking a button.

Caution: Format Data will remove encryption as well as delete all files stored on the internal storage. Remember to take a backup first. Check Requirements section above.
Return to the previous menu and tap Advanced Wipe.
Select the Cache and System partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe
Sideload the /e/OS .zip package.

Tip: Sideload requires actions in two places to be done. One on your phone in the TWRP UI and secondly on the connected PC which should have adb enabled. Also note the sideload process while running may stop abruptly around 50%. The console would show a message Total xfer: 1.00x. This would mean that the transfer has successfully completed.
- On the device in TWRP,
  
  select Advanced, ADB Sideload, then swipe to begin sideload.
- On the host machine, in the console , start the sideload of the package by typing
```
 adb sideload filename.zip
```
Tip: Change the filename to the name of the file you downloaded
Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, tap Reboot, and then System

Warning: Avoid installing any additional apps or services if suggested by the recovery. They may cause your device to bootloop, as well as attempt to access and or corrupt your data.

Success: Congratulations !! Your phone should now be booting into /e/OS !!

To find some troubleshooting tips… click here

adb

Getting a Total xFer ':' 0.01x message - Try to upload the /e/OS to internal storage and retry to install
adb ':' sideload connection failed ':' insufficient permissions for device error - Try to execute the commands adb kill-server and adb start-server and retry
Running adb shell twrp install /sdcard/</e/OS zip package> raise non-existent directory error - Try to check solution here
Getting an insufficient permissions error - Try the solution given here
When running "adb devices" in bash a device is shown as "unauthorized" - Try the solution given here

TWRP

Errors while running TWRP version 3.4.x.x or above - Try downloading and using a previous TWRP version.. below 3.4.x.x
In TWRP if this error shows up failed to mount /preload - Try in TWRP wipe screen in advanced menu select preload and swipe to wipe
/cache/recovery/xxx -> no such file or directory error while flashing a ROM - On PC run adb shell in the console now create a folder called recovery for e.g. here the devicecode name is violet "violet :/cache# mkdir recovery"

Connectivity

Trying to troubleshoot mobile connectivity issues - Read this guide

Still need help to complete the installation ?

Check out this document: An install Guide for the z3c