Sony Releases Beta Flash Tool for Unlocked Xperia Devices

When you purchase a device, it’s always desirable to be able to use it as you wish. Sadly, this is often not the case. This is because most of the time, people purchase devices with a carrier subsidy. What this means is that essentially the carrier is letting you purchase the device at a reduced rate, say $300 off suggested retail, with the terms of a contract stating you will stay with them for (usually) two years. This guarantees that they will keep their ARPU (average revenue per user) over that time.
The trade off is that if you break the contract, they will charge you an ETF (early-termination fee), which adds up to the same amount they “discounted” the phone for, prorated of course. Usually rolled in with that trade off is an agreement between the manufacturer and the carrier that the bootloader is locked, giving the carrier the full control of the device instead of you. Of course, with the talented developers here at XDA-Developers, bootloaders are often hacked, returning the control of the device to the user.
What often doesn’t happen though is manufacturers deciding to give you control of the device on their own, which is exactly what Sony has done with their beta flash tool they call “Emma.” Sure Samsung “leaked” ODIN, but that’s entirely different. This is Sony creating a tool and freely making it available, and then going the extra step to show you how to use it. The tool is for the Xperia S, Xperia Arc, Xperia Arc S, and Xperia T, with more devices to be added in the future. Emma is essentially a “return to stock” tool that will work regardless of what software you currently have installed on your Xperia device, though it does require the bootloader be unlocked which Sony is again more than happy to show you how to do. The other requirements for the tool are that you have Windows installed and a current version of JAVA.
You can use the tool to choose between different stock versions of firmware, which the tool will automatically download for you from Sony’s servers. There are some quirky things with the tool however, with the connection to the Sony servers being temperamental and general JAVA issues.

How to download and install the flash tool

The flash tool for Xperia™ is actually called Emma when you install it in this Beta version, and it runs on all Windows computers. This tool is confirmed working for most markets globally*, with a few exceptions** due to distribution restrictions.
To install the flash tool, follow the steps below:

1. Download the FILE: Flash tool for Xperia devices.
2. Unzip the file you downloaded and place it somewhere on your computer.
3. In the unzipped folder, run Emma.exe. During the installation, make sure you remember the installation path:
   1. Default path in Windows 64 bit is: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony Mobile\Emma\”
   2. Default path in Windows 32 bit is: “C:\Program Files\Sony Mobile\Emma\”
4. Copy the Customization.ini file. You find it in the <Emma zip filename>.
5. Paste the Customization.ini file into the installation folder. The installation folder is the folder named Emma in the installation path examples on point 3.1 and 3.2 above.
6. Click Start > All programs > Sony Mobile > Emma (if you used the default installation path from step 3 above) to start the flash tool

 

Supported phones & flash keys

In the beta version of the flash tool for Xperia™ devices, only a limited number of phone models and software versions are supported.
Please note that when you connect your phone to the computer to flash the phone, it must be turned off and you must hold the flash key listed below. Flash keys vary between models.
Supported phones and flash key mappings

• Xperia ZL (C6503) – volume down
• Xperia Z (C6603) – volume down
• Xperia PLAY (R800i) – back
• Xperia E dual (C1605)– volume down
• Xperia E (C1505) – volume down
• Xperia T (LT30p) – volume down
• Xperia S (LT26i) – volume down
• Xperia arc (LT15i) – back
• Xperia arc S (LT18i) – back

HOW TO USE FLASH TOOL

When you have installed the flash tool for Xperia™, you can flash standard Sony software on your unlocked Xperia™ device. Note! When you flash software onto your device, your user data and content will be erased. Make sure to properly back up all information.
This is how you flash software on your phone:

1. Computer: Open Emma from the Start menu of your computer.
2. Connect a USB cable to your computer.
3. Phone: Turn off your phone.
4. Connect your phone to the USB cable while holding the flash key (for example Volume down). The flash key varies between models.
   
   

   Screenshot showing the flash tool when a phone is connected.
5. Computer: Select the software you want to flash in the Service list. The tool automatically detects the phone model and lists available software versions, which are called Services in this flash tool.
6. Click on Apply Service. The phone will now be flashed.
7. Phone: When you have flashed your device, you can disconnect your phone from the computer. The first time you start your device after you have flashed it, the boot-up might take a little longer than normal.