How To Guide Flashing a Xperia 1 iii without unlocking

[PlatinCH]

I have BC-72 with HK customization in Switzerland, VoLTE and Wifi Calling still works (and also did with Android 11 and now 12).

 

[Hazzay88]

Thought I'd share my findings so far.
I successfully flashed my xq bc72 to sea firmware. I believe it was previously on hk. Didn't notice any improvement ( sitting at my desk doing speed tests ) was getting roughly 15-20mbps on 4g+ in Australia Melbourne on optus.
Also flashed tw, pretty much the exact same thing. Signal strength on all firmware was very weak sometime not even there but speed test were still running at the same speeds.
Flashed to xq bc52 UK o2 just to give a try, signal strength seems stronger and speed test show roighly 25-35mbps. Will use this through out the day to test and update. Thank you for the guide

Still can't get volte to work. 5g not sure yet as I don't normally get it at my house.

If you be bothered try flashing SEA firmware and then put Vodafone Sim card to see if Volte works

 

[bpay14]

I initially thought my firmware was HK firmware, but upon further checking I have the China firmware. That could be the reason I didn't get any OTA updates ever since getting my phone back in October.

I have since flashed the SEA firmware, and immediately VoLTE is activated on my phone. This is what I've been looking for, and I don't mind that I won't get OTA updates anymore after this, since I can just manually flash the new firmware when it's available.

Glad I strengthen my nerves to go through with manually updating the firmware on my phone.

Also, thanks for the very helpful guide posted here.

Hi bro, I'm from Msia too..
may i know after flasahing SEA firmware is it automatically will have VoLTE working for all telco? (I'm using Digi).

Also, SEA firmware will not have OTA update anymore?

how have you been using in the past three months?

 

[afzal_m]

Hi bro, I'm from Msia too..
may i know after flasahing SEA firmware is it automatically will have VoLTE working for all telco? (I'm using Digi).

Also, SEA firmware will not have OTA update anymore?

how have you been using in the past three months?

Hi there!

Yes, after flashing to the SEA firmware, my VoLTE immediately appeared. I'm on Maxis.

It's not just SEA firmware that won't get updates, but any firmware you flash via this method, the OTA update will break.

So far it's been good. My only complaints are on the battery life, and sometimes the phone gets a bit too hot for my liking

 

[bpay14]

Hi there!

Yes, after flashing to the SEA firmware, my VoLTE immediately appeared. I'm on Maxis.

It's not just SEA firmware that won't get updates, but any firmware you flash via this method, the OTA update will break.

So far it's been good. My only complaints are on the battery life, and sometimes the phone gets a bit too hot for my liking

you reply is quick! haha..

thx for sharing, so have to choose either one, VoLTE or OTA update..
i got a Taiwan set instead of HK set...

but for future if there's a new version, u need to update manually, then have to go through all those backup-restore process again? (i assumed flashing firmware will erase everything right?)

actually even now i'm using also feeling hot sometimes, just browsing some videos on social media only.

 

[afzal_m]

you reply is quick! haha..

thx for sharing, so have to choose either one, VoLTE or OTA update..
i got a Taiwan set instead of HK set...

but for future if there's a new version, u need to update manually, then have to go through all those backup-restore process again? (i assumed flashing firmware will erase everything right?)

actually even now i'm using also feeling hot sometimes, just browsing some videos on social media only.

If you're on Taiwan set, maybe try to get VPN and connect to Taiwan, then see if you can get the OTA update?

The steps mentioned in the first post of this thread left all my data and apps intact. I still don't want to jump to Android 12 yet though, so I'm sticking to Android 11 for now.

 

[bpay14]

If you're on Taiwan set, maybe try to get VPN and connect to Taiwan, then see if you can get the OTA update?

The steps mentioned in the first post of this thread left all my data and apps intact. I still don't want to jump to Android 12 yet though, so I'm sticking to Android 11 for now.

alright.. i'll give it a try

i'm current reading & digesting 1st post, will decide later if going to flash firmware or not..

Thanks again!

 

[azwina]

my phone is HK set after i received , i use newflasher flash to SEA version but i fail many time "device corrupt " before i successful flash to SEA version. may i know if i want back to HK version because i want to get OTA update it is still possible ??

 

[killzonefury619]

I tried flashing other firmware because unfortunately volte option was not there. I got the xq-bc62 model and any firmware in xq-bc72 and xq-bc42(only japan in this model) results in total loss of network connectivity(except wifi).
Network connectivity works only if i re-flash the xq-bc62 and if I flash xq-bc52 but still no volte.

I had highest expectation from xq-bc72 SEA version since im from India.
If anyone has any idea to enable volte without root or unlocking volte please let me know

 

[Ndlelex]

my phone is HK set after i received , i use newflasher flash to SEA version but i fail many time "device corrupt " before i successful flash to SEA version. may i know if i want back to HK version because i want to get OTA update it is still possible ??

It says that when you have flashed in an earlier revision of the firmware it had. As of this moment, both HK and SEA have the same firmware number, so flashing between the two should not give you any problems; just be sure to run 'newflasher set_active:a' command instea of just 'newflasher'.

 

[GeramanX]

I keep getting this error

No usb device with vid:0x0fce pid:0xb00b !

 

[GeramanX]

I did enabled VoLTE & 5G already .

Can you please help us get VoLTE and 5G? It´ll be great if you give us a hand

 

[B]

Yep, I am using BC52 firmware on BC72 phone without any problems as a daily driver.

Hi! I am thinking of flashing the XQ-BC52 firmware (European) on my 512GB Hong Kong/Global XQ-BC72 Xperia 1 III phone… but I'm feeling uneasy because a 512GB version of the European XQ-BC52 does not exist (Only 256GB available for XQ-BC52 in Europe).

Will this cause problems? Is it safe? Which model do you have? 512GB or 256GB Hong Kong/Global?

Thanks!

 

[OhayouBaka]

Hi! I am thinking of flashing the XQ-BC52 firmware (European) on my 512GB Hong Kong/Global XQ-BC72 Xperia 1 III phone… but I'm feeling uneasy because a 512GB version of the European XQ-BC52 does not exist (Only 256GB available for XQ-BC52 in Europe).

Will this cause problems? Is it safe? Which model do you have? 512GB or 256GB Hong Kong/Global?

Thanks!

I have the 256GB XQ-BC72 (Taiwan).

 

[NunoB512]

Things needed:​

1. An Xperia 1 iii (of corse)
2. A Windows PC (I don't know if there's a Mac or Linux version, but I didn't find it)
3. A reliable USB-C cable
4. NewFlasher
Download: [TOOL] Newflasher (xperia command line flasher)
5. XperiFirm
Download: Tool Archives - XperiFirm Tool

!!!FIRST THING FIRST!!! BACKUP EVERYTHING IMPORTANT
FLASHING A PHONE MAY CAUSE DATA LOSS. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP OF YOUR DATA.

1. Download and unzip the XperiFirm and select the ROM you want in the Available Firmware list and download.

View attachment 5396817View attachment 5396819

2. Once downloaded, unzip the NewFlasher into the ROM folder.

Your folder should look like this:
View attachment 5396821

3. Start a command line in the ROM folder and run "newflasher set_active:a" otherwise your phone will boot into a bootloop.

View attachment 5396823

4. Power off your phone and plug it into your PC. Hold the volume down button and the power button until the LED turns GREEN.

5. Now you can double click on the newflasher.exe in your ROM folder and follow the guide. You can keep user data while flashing, just pay attention on the instructions on the Newflasher.

6. Don't disturb the flasher while it is working. Your phone will automatically turn on after the flashing is completed.



My Xperia was purchased in China (XQ-BC72). I have tried many ROMs like Hong Kong and Taiwan versions. Recently I flashed my phone with the XQ-BC62 ROM and everything works very well (mobile data, voice calling, data roaming, dual SIM, exposure alert, etc.). However, I haven't try VoLTE because my carrier doesn't support it (SO SAD).
I'm in Canada and my carrier is CMLink. The data icon for LTE shows 4G if you're curious.
The DRM is not damaged that the Windvine security level is still L1 so you can still enjoy the HDR content on Netflix after flashing using this method.

UPDATE Sept. 28, 2021​

I flashed my XQ-BC72 back. I have several issues while using the XQ-BC62 ROM.

The US ROM doesn't include my carrier's configuration so VoLTE, VoWiFi, showing LTE instead of 4G is not working. According to other threads, T-Mobile doesn't have the configuration as well and someone mentioned only Google Fi users can get a configuration (NOT SURE).
Actually, I didn't find any difference between the XQ-BC62 and the XQ-BC72 ROMs (I'm in Canada).

Although the phone is working fine, the LTE is auto-disconnecting every 30 seconds, while HSPA+ doesn't have this issue. I don't think it's my carrier's problem because I bought a new Fido sim card and it's still disconnecting until I flash it back. So if your LTE works fine, please share your solution down below if you don't mind.
I have heard that the new update 61.0.a.11.92 is enhancing the network performance. I don't know if it's because I didn't update my phone. I don't wanna "play" with my ROM since this is my daily using phone.
Thanks to DennisDD78 who discovered that the OTA is not available if a non-native ROM is flashed, even it's all XQ-BC72. Still, if you make your OTA work, please share your solution!

UPDATE Nov. 26, 2021​

I didn’t update the post due to the heavy university work (so sad).
You can keep your data during flashing now by simply choose an option while flashing, as the Newflasher is up-to-date. But still please backup your important data before flashing.
I can confirm that Gpay and android wear work perfectly after flashing, even a cross-model flashing.
Flashing a different rom doesn’t bring any carrier feature like VoLTE and VoWiFi, see this post.
I also tried XQ-BC62 roms again and also XQ-BC52 roms. Same issue, LTE disconnects every 10 seconds, and it brought no new features at all. I haven’t tried those Japanese roms. If you have any experience, please share.

I am having a lot of difficulties flashing my Xperia 1 Mark II, I already had the corrupted message last year when I first flashed it, but was able to repair with the Xperia PC Companion, and then reflashed the US ROM so it worked flawless till yesterday I decided to flash the European ROM because I will be going soon, and cant seem to get it to work, and the PC Companion gives me an error. Can you help??? Thanks

 

[mikahramo1]

Hi there, hakim here from Malaysia

Would like to check on the ROM version here is it HK set?

 

[toby913]

I have BC-72 with HK customization in Switzerland, VoLTE and Wifi Calling still works (and also did with Android 11 and now 12).

hey, are you on HK Firmware? and what is your operator? i just bought one and flashed it to EU.

 

[PlatinCH]

HK firmware on Swisscom network.

 

[B]

hey, are you on HK Firmware? and what is your operator? i just bought one and flashed it to EU.

Hi. So you've successfully flashed the XQ-BC52 (EU) firmware onto your XQ-BC72 (HK) phone? Is your HK phone the 256GB or 512GB version? Any issues so far?

Here's something fun. I have two Xperia 1 III phones :

• one Xperia 1 III HK XQ-BC72 (512GB, black) — ‹ GLOBAL-C2 › in the service menu
&
• one Xperia 1 III FR-EU XQ-BC52 (256GB, black) — ‹ GLOBALEEA-A2 › in the service menu

Curiously, my EU phone has better haptic feedback for the system UI and it somehow feels more like an android robot girl (°‿<), while my HK phone's haptic feedback has a very mushy and soft vibration feel (when you long-press and hold, for example)… and it feels more like a car or spaceship… but I digress. Strangely, it's only the system UI. Gboard and the keyboards have no haptic feedback issues. There are no other differences that I can think of. If you would like screenshots

I wonder if I can flash the EU XQ-BC52 firmware onto my HK XQ-BC72 phone and maybe perhaps fix the system UI's mushy vibration feedback.

However, I'm afraid that the extra 256GB of storage that the HK XQ-BC72 phone offers will cause weird issues with the EU XQ-BC52 firmware, where the EU firmware will not ‹ recognise › the extra gigabytes. It's probably OCD.

I might even try flashing the Japanese XQ-BC42 firmware (512GB, SIM-free) onto my HK XQ-BC72 phone. I like the phone to have a foreign feel anyway. I don't feel like flashing the Russian XQ-BC72 firmware (256GB) however, despite it offering an easy way to remap the Google Assistant button without root.

By the way, here's some info :
XQ-BC42 — Japan, SIM-free, 512GB
XQ-BC52 — Europe, 256GB only
XQ-BC62 — USA, 256GB only

XQ-BC72
— SEA, 256GB only
— HK, 256GB and 512GB
— Taiwan, 256GB and 512GB
— China, 256GB and 512GB (‹ CHINA-C2 › in the service menu)
— Russia, 256GB only

 

[toby913]

Hi. So you've successfully flashed the XQ-BC52 (EU) firmware onto your XQ-BC72 (HK) phone? Is your HK phone the 256GB or 512GB version? Any issues so far?

Here's something fun. I have two Xperia 1 III phones :

• one Xperia 1 III HK XQ-BC72 (512GB, black) — ‹ GLOBAL-C2 › in the service menu
&
• one Xperia 1 III FR-EU XQ-BC52 (256GB, black) — ‹ GLOBALEEA-A2 › in the service menu

Curiously, my EU phone has better haptic feedback for the system UI and it somehow feels more like an android robot girl (°‿<), while my HK phone's haptic feedback has a very mushy and soft vibration feel (when you long-press and hold, for example)… and it feels more like a car or spaceship… but I digress. Strangely, it's only the system UI. Gboard and the keyboards have no haptic feedback issues. There are no other differences that I can think of. If you would like screenshots

I wonder if I can flash the EU XQ-BC52 firmware onto my HK XQ-BC72 phone and maybe perhaps fix the system UI's mushy vibration feedback.

However, I'm afraid that the extra 256GB of storage that the HK XQ-BC72 phone offers will cause weird issues with the EU XQ-BC52 firmware, where the EU firmware will not ‹ recognise › the extra gigabytes. It's probably OCD.

I might even try flashing the Japanese XQ-BC42 firmware (512GB, SIM-free) onto my HK XQ-BC72 phone. I like the phone to have a foreign feel anyway. I don't feel like flashing the Russian XQ-BC72 firmware (256GB) however, despite it offering an easy way to remap the Google Assistant button without root.

By the way, here's some info :
XQ-BC42 — Japan, SIM-free, 512GB
XQ-BC52 — Europe, 256GB only
XQ-BC62 — USA, 256GB only

XQ-BC72
— SEA, 256GB only
— HK, 256GB and 512GB
— Taiwan, 256GB and 512GB
— China, 256GB and 512GB (‹ CHINA-C2 › in the service menu)
— Russia, 256GB only

i have XQ-BC72 512gb and so far no issues. i bought it used in Vietnam as a HK unit with this 61.1.a.7.35 FW.
i cannot test 5G because i have only 4G sim Tarif nor can i test VoLTE and VoWIFI since i'm not back in Switzerland.

- Sot is around 4H but still pending and optimizing in my opinion.
- i have no issues with haptic feedback.
- the 512gb are recognized as a such
- i also hat Global_user C2 showing -->its now GLOBALEEA-A2-user
- Regarding Otas i'm ok with not receiving them, it would be nice but can live without and flash the phone. --- but i'm considering flashing Latest HK to test if OTA's work. i kind of was afraid that the phone was flashed before with different FW. which also made me flash it

it's interesting to me to see how far sony has come or gone, depending on who you ask since the times of xperia Z and Doomlord. because that's where i somewhat stopped using sony.