Develop Bugs

[Q] Xperia Play Beginners guide?

Hey guys! I'm picking up an Xperia Play in a couple of days and was looking for some general advice about the phone. This will be my first Android device, I've been on WebOS/Garnet for my last two phones. I'm just a little overwhelmed with the options presented by the Play and Android in general. For instance, I'm not sure if I should root my phone or not - what are the advantages?
Any other general guides to Android/the Play would be wonderful if any such guides exist. I'm looking to deck this thing out with every emulator on the market as well as get the PSXperia hack up and running (I've downloaded the program, but can't figure out how to use it).
You can sense my overall noobishness in general, I'm sure. Any advice or tips about this device would be great. I'm really excited about the Play and getting comfortable with Android. Thanks everybody!

kershner25 said:
Hey guys! I'm picking up an Xperia Play in a couple of days and was looking for some general advice about the phone. This will be my first Android device, I've been on WebOS/Garnet for my last two phones. I'm just a little overwhelmed with the options presented by the Play and Android in general. For instance, I'm not sure if I should root my phone or not - what are the advantages?
Any other general guides to Android/the Play would be wonderful if any such guides exist. I'm looking to deck this thing out with every emulator on the market as well as get the PSXperia hack up and running (I've downloaded the program, but can't figure out how to use it).
You can sense my overall noobishness in general, I'm sure. Any advice or tips about this device would be great. I'm really excited about the Play and getting comfortable with Android. Thanks everybody!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
congratz im waiting for mine is the mail right now lol
rooting allows you to have full access to the file system sorta like a administrator
on a windows machine since out the box you cant edit files or remove bloatware without root you cant install certain programs from the market without root
also having root and unlocked bootloader allows you to flash a custom recovery image which will allow you to flash customs roms(a custom version of android dev by a user here on xda or anywhere in general)
yes i highly recommend but if you ever plan on returning the phone to verzion for example you will have to revert it back to stock
and for the program psxperia you need to install the latest version of java from java.com
and if your on a windows machine you double click the psxperiatool.JAR file
and it should run not sure on OSX
in the end you made a good choice on choosing android as mainstream as it became its still a powerful system way better IMO than ios or even webos
since android has so many developers theres gonna be an endless amount of programs
will post new finds myself etc

edokassiah said:
and unlocked bootloader allows you to flash a custom recovery image which will allow you to flash customs roms(a custom version of android dev by a user here on xda or anywhere in general)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot flash the recovery image directly or you will mess up boot partition, you need to flash a kernel with embedded recovery built in

Thanks for the info. I'm confused about the locked/unlocked bootloaders. How do I know which one I'll have? And how "easy" of a process is rooting the phone if I don't plan to install any custom roms or anything?
Also, how does transferring .apk files from my PC to the device work?

kershner25 said:
Thanks for the info. I'm confused about the locked/unlocked bootloaders. How do I know which one I'll have? And how "easy" of a process is rooting the phone if I don't plan to install any custom roms or anything?
Also, how does transferring .apk files from my PC to the device work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you havent unlocked your bootloader yourself it is locked there are many risks and advantages to unlocking your bootloader, but if you dont intend to flash custom roms there really is no need, just like with root, if you dont know what it is, you probably wont need it
transfering .apk's from your pc is easy, just copy the .apk to your sd card, then use a file manager to find the .apk, tap on it and the installer will pop up , you need to tick unknown sources in settings though

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1176367

AndroHero said:
You cannot flash the recovery image directly or you will mess up boot partition, you need to flash a kernel with embedded recovery built in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hes asking about android in general not aiming specifically at the xperia play

If I root my phone, do I have to switch everything back in order to get updates? All I really want to root my phone for would be to remove bloatware/speed it up a bit, is there a better way than rooting?

There is plenty of tutorials here, I suggest that you read, read, and then......read some more

_terror_ said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1176367
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for this link, it's seriously going to help me while rooting my phone. This might be a dumb question, but bear with me - better safe than a bricked phone. The guide to rooting in that link says that I need to flash my Play to the .184 Generic UK firmware...am I understanding it correctly that I need flash this firmware onto my American Verizon Play? I want to make sure nothing is going to get screwed up regionally, as I'm going to want to keep getting OTA updates and all that.

Just to share my own experiences since I'm new to the Xperia Play (previously had an Acer Liquid.. crappy hardware but great community of devs.. anyways..)
I'd recommend rooting your phone off the bat - the simple reason is rooting will involve wiping your phone's data, so if you already have a few months of use that means having to restore everything which is tiresome. First thing when my phone arrived was follow the rooting guide here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1116090
After that however I wouldn't recommend messing around TOO much with custom firmwares and such etc.. get used to the phone as it is and figure out what you like, don't like. if your like me within a few weeks or months you'll want something new - this is when you might want to start looking at messing around with the phone - new home launchers or even a new ROM (if your phone can have it's boot loader unlocked, from what I understand mine can't). The games and Emulators should keep you busy as is
The only customizing I've done to my phone is rooting it with Gingerbreak and using the leaked Sony Launcher.

I realize this is a pretty nooby thing to do that annoys all the veterans, but I consider this to be a fairly crucial piece of information I need before I attempt to root my phone, so I'm just gonna go ahead and bump this thing before it gets lost in the shuffle.
In order to root with a locked bootloader on an American Verizon XPlay, I need to flash to the .184 generic UK firmware, then root, then OTA update, correct?

kershner25 said:
I realize this is a pretty nooby thing to do that annoys all the veterans, but I consider this to be a fairly crucial piece of information I need before I attempt to root my phone, so I'm just gonna go ahead and bump this thing before it gets lost in the shuffle.
In order to root with a locked bootloader on an American Verizon XPlay, I need to flash to the .184 generic UK firmware, then root, then OTA update, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. That method will not work on the r800x (verizon xplay) to root yours you will need to see [How-to] R800x Root
Dont worry about annoying people lol . Who cares what others think? Everyone has to start somewhere.
But it would be better with a stickied thread for new users to look @.

So now, instead of the 3 step process linked previously in this thread, I have to unlock the bootloader and do a whole bunch of other stuff? This method is like 100x more complicated. Is there no other way? I don't intend to install any custom roms, I strictly want to root solely for freezing bloatware.

No i dont think so. You would be better asking for help from other r800x owners in that thread.
The exploit gingerbreak uses on 2.3.2 was patched in 2.3.3 (worldwide) and was also patched by verizon before they released the handset on 2.3.2. Up untill the bootloader was unlocked on the r800x rooting was not possible.
Ask in that thread and you should recieve the help/info you are after.

hiya mate right ive rooted and put on custom recovery but now its screwed up my cam , wifi , and the market so be warned im trying to fix this problem as we speak
---------- Post added at 10:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 PM ----------
im new to this to really but having a play with no cam and no wifi and no market. the market is there but cant dwnload nothing is taking the piss can anyone help me please

Mozza2k11 said:
But it would be better with a stickied thread for new users to look @.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is one already stickied in the Q&A section.That it has gone practically unnoticed counters this statement.

kershner25 said:
Thanks so much for this link, it's seriously going to help me while rooting my phone. This might be a dumb question, but bear with me - better safe than a bricked phone. The guide to rooting in that link says that I need to flash my Play to the .184 Generic UK firmware...am I understanding it correctly that I need flash this firmware onto my American Verizon Play? I want to make sure nothing is going to get screwed up regionally, as I'm going to want to keep getting OTA updates and all that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their is not such thing as a bricked phone
always is a way to fix it and usually its as simple as flashing a FTF
or whatever stock rom your device uses takes like 5 minutes tops lol
and logsemans guides will tell you anything you need to know
just use them for refrence
Xperia Play Super Compilation (Q&A Sticky)
and if you head down the path of rooting and stuff
messing with files
you wont be able to get ota updates lol.
it will "brick you"

I recentally made a quick video with tips for android users/beginners if you want to watch it. Thought it would help people. http://youtu.be/Pd5DerUoEcY

[Q] Just got my Xperia Play - Now what?

Hi,
I just got my xperia play today
Wanted to know what to do next?
FreeXperia is basically CM7 for the Xperia range. Does everything work?
I know that Doom's Kernel's are supposed to be the best for these devices.
At present it's running stock firmware, Not rooted it yet but the Zergrush method seems the way to go?
I haven't un-locked the bootloader yet either. So the device is completely stock.
What's your recommendations on choice of Firmware / Kernel to use?
I would like to have everything working
I'm going to have a play around with the device tonight but will come back on here tomorrow and see what you guys say is the best way forward.
I have a 32Gb card at home ready to put in the device so I'll have plenty of room for Games
What are the best Free Games to download? I have already started to get the Free one's of the EA store do Gameloft have anything Free?
Thanks

[Q] New to Xperia play from bricked note

Hi guys I've come from Samsung galaxy. Ore as it was bricked so fancyed a change I know this is no way as powerfull as the note but I have a couple of questions which maybe asked before but oh we'll
1.Is the play as good graphic wise as the psp
2.I know there are many roms but which one should I choose I'm after the latest gb close to stock with all the good tweaks lol
3have I made the right choice as I was going to get the iPhone 4s lol is they any problems with the play
Thanks hope someone can answer nicely lol

1. Depending on the game you're playing, the graphics can certainly surpass the psp's level
2. You could get the CM7 rom if you want the cyanogenmod experience (needs unlocked bootloader) or use the DooMKerneL on the updated stock rom (also needs unlocked bootloader) (bootloader MUST be unlocked to flash any non-stock kernel). Otherwise, your best bet is simply updating the firmware to the latest version
3. That's up to you whether you made the right choice or not, as they're on completely different platforms and can't really be compared efficiently. The main reason to get the PLAY is the hardware buttons for gaming, and that it's android.

jacklebott said:
1. Depending on the game you're playing, the graphics can certainly surpass the psp's level
2. You could get the CM7 rom if you want the cyanogenmod experience (needs unlocked bootloader) or use the DooMKerneL on the updated stock rom (also needs unlocked bootloader) (bootloader MUST be unlocked to flash any non-stock kernel). Otherwise, your best bet is simply updating the firmware to the latest version
3. That's up to you whether you made the right choice or not, as they're on completely different platforms and can't really be compared efficiently. The main reason to get the PLAY is the hardware buttons for gaming, and that it's android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick response can I ask it's all different here as far as flash it's brand new so what do I do to flash cm7 and would like to have a full clean install don't know if it's the same like on note boot into cwm and wipe date ect can that be done also is everything working in cm7 builds
Thanks agagin
Sorry one more are the games a cut down version of the Original or are they full

Well if you have the UK PLAY (R800i) I think you can still unlock it from http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/ though I'm not entirely sure. If you can't unlock it there, you can visit http://unlock-bootloader.com/ and unlock it for $24 (he has to buy a credit for the program that costs $24 so he doesn't even profit). Unlocking will void your warranty (although there is a method to relock it). Custom kernels often include the CM recovery, although there is an app on the market that can install the recovery to the system partion instead (there is no dedicated recovery partition in the PLAY).
I'm not sure what you mean by "cut down versions" of the games, as most games have ad-versions and paid-versions (if you're expecting actual psp games to work without an official port then you're mistaken). You'd have to look at the android market to find the games you want, and look for games that say "Xperia PLAY optimized" (those games allow using the physical gamepad)

jacklebott said:
Well if you have the UK PLAY (R800i) I think you can still unlock it from http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/ though I'm not entirely sure. If you can't unlock it there, you can visit http://unlock-bootloader.com/ and unlock it for $24 (he has to buy a credit for the program that costs $24 so he doesn't even profit). Unlocking will void your warranty (although there is a method to relock it). Custom kernels often include the CM recovery, although there is an app on the market that can install the recovery to the system partion instead (there is no dedicated recovery partition in the PLAY).
I'm not sure what you mean by "cut down versions" of the games, as most games have ad-versions and paid-versions (if you're expecting actual psp games to work without an official port then you're mistaken). You'd have to look at the android market to find the games you want, and look for games that say "Xperia PLAY optimized" (those games allow using the physical gamepad)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow ok thanks if honest I'll prob leave it for now as stock unless it's really worth it then I will what I ment by cut down games is say a game for psp and same one for the play will the one on play be cut down like FIFA 12 will it be different from psp to the play version thanks

Well, I've heard from various people on this forum that FIFA 12 indeed doesn't live up to the psp version. It really depends on how hard the developer works to port the game

[Q] R800at rooting/downgrade questions

I've searched for answer for these questions but have found nothing definitive. My son just got the ATT version of the Xperia Play - r800at - with build 3.0.1.B.0.285. I know I need to downgrade it using flashtool to 3.0.1.B.0.270 in order to root it.
Question 1) will he lose any of his data like contacts, downloaded Sony Pocket games, saved games, etc. in the downgrade process?
Question 2) does rooting affect the ability to access the Sony PlayStation Pocket apps downloading from Sony? In other words does the phone still have full gaming functionality after rooting? Can Sony/ATT even tell if the phone's rooted?
In the future we may also unlock the bootloader, so two more questions about that...
Question 3) similar to question 2, but does unlocking the bootloader affect access to Sony apps?
Question 4) if we choose to install a custom rom do they fully support the Sony apps as well?
Thanks in advance.

BakaNeko59 said:
I've searched for answer for these questions but have found nothing definitive. My son just got the ATT version of the Xperia Play - r800at - with build 3.0.1.B.0.285. I know I need to downgrade it using flashtool to 3.0.1.B.0.270 in order to root it.
Question 1) will he lose any of his data like contacts, downloaded Sony Pocket games, saved games, etc. in the downgrade process?
Question 2) does rooting affect the ability to access the Sony PlayStation Pocket apps downloading from Sony? In other words does the phone still have full gaming functionality after rooting? Can Sony/ATT even tell if the phone's rooted?
In the future we may also unlock the bootloader, so two more questions about that...
Question 3) similar to question 2, but does unlocking the bootloader affect access to Sony apps?
Question 4) if we choose to install a custom rom do they fully support the Sony apps as well?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this method works with your stock software: http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/15622
You will not lose any data with this method and your other questions are answered in the link.
If this was helpful, please click the 'thanks' button. =)

None of the "standard" rooting apps work on the .285 version. That's why I need to downgrade to the .270 version. But my son wants to make sure he won't lose anything...

BakaNeko59 said:
None of the "standard" rooting apps work on the .285 version. That's why I need to downgrade to the .270 version. But my son wants to make sure he won't lose anything...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you downgrade you will het a fresh system. Now, assuming you bought all your apps legally, all your apps are tied to your google account so after downgrading you can just go to the market > my apps > then go to all apps. Rooting will not affect anything I believe besides making your phone amazing.
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk 2

Yea, you should be able to restore everything because it gets synced online if you have auto-sync on. Flashing the rom will delete everything except your personal files on the mem. card.
---------- Post added at 08:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 PM ----------
The Sony apps like Playstation Pocket, Xperia Play Launcher, etc... should work properly as long as you're on a stock Sony Rom.

Rooting only gives you the ability to access areas of the phone that are not accessible under normal conditions. For example, with root you can delete the useless crapware that most vendors install on a phone.
Yes Sony and ATT will be able to tell if you are rooted and also if your bootloader is unlocked. However, you can reinstall the original firmware if need be unless you totally kill the phone, so it's generally not a problem.
Finally, support for different apps, primarily games, will vary from one custom ROM to another, so you will just need to experiment. Most often, the games will work, but the gamepad or the touchpads may not. If you are using a ROM based on Gingerbread, this is less likely.
Sent from my R800x using xda premium

?
ive been searching for a threat of how to downgrade, but didn't found anything, any clue?

[Q] Easiest way to copy entire rom and contents of one Xperia Play phone to another?

My current Xperia Play (r800x, rooted, Gingerbread 2.3.4, Verizon) of 3 years is starting to fail/shutdown when I open the slider - I have to restart the phone to get it running again - it works fine as long as I don't open the slider which fails randomly). I bought another Xperia Play online (r800x, rooted, Gingerbread, 2.3.3) to replace the existing one.
There has to be a way for me to copy the entire rom contents from the existing phone to the new one since the phones are exactly the same - correct? If so, how would I do this? (I currently have ROM Toolkit and Titanium Backup paid versions with installed key on both phones). The replacement phone works fine. It may be obvious to you how to do this but your help would be VERY much appreciated since I've never done this before. ROM Toolkit doesn't make it obvious if there's a way to do that. I've also searched the forums a bit and no luck so far unless I missed something. Thanks for your time!

haskamr2 said:
My current Xperia Play (r800x, rooted, Gingerbread 2.3.4, Verizon) of 3 years is starting to fail/shutdown when I open the slider - I have to restart the phone to get it running again - it works fine as long as I don't open the slider which fails randomly). I bought another Xperia Play online (r800x, rooted, Gingerbread, 2.3.3) to replace the existing one.
There has to be a way for me to copy the entire rom contents from the existing phone to the new one since the phones are exactly the same - correct? If so, how would I do this? (I currently have ROM Toolkit and Titanium Backup paid versions with installed key on both phones). The replacement phone works fine. It may be obvious to you how to do this but your help would be VERY much appreciated since I've never done this before. ROM Toolkit doesn't make it obvious if there's a way to do that. I've also searched the forums a bit and no luck so far unless I missed something. Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As your doing a straight copy from R800x to R800x, best thing is to make a nandroid backup from Clockwork Mod then take out the memory card dferom your old PLAY and put it in the new phone. Boot into recovery and restore the nandroid. BAM.... done

I wish it were that simple...still no luck
ozzmanj1 said:
As your doing a straight copy from R800x to R800x, best thing is to make a nandroid backup from Clockwork Mod then take out the memory card dferom your old PLAY and put it in the new phone. Boot into recovery and restore the nandroid. BAM.... done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know for sure the phone is rooted, which I did myself. It has Superuser access, I was able to remove Verizon bloatware, etc... I downloaded/paid for ROM Manager Premium v5.5.3.2 and I already had the paid version of ROM ToolBox Pro. I have tried to create a backup of my existing rom on both apps and no luck. It restarts the phone but it comes back up just like a regular reboot. ROM Manager didn't create the folder it designated for the backup.
There is no mention to do so but am I supposed to unlock the bootloader before trrying to backup my rom? When I goto Sony's page about unlocking the bootloader(http://unlockbootloader.sonymobile.com/instructions) it walks me through the first steps to check if the bootloader is locked or not - it tells me this:
"First, you should confirm that it is possible to unlock the boot loader of your device by checking the service menu. In your device, open the dialler and enter *#*#7378423#*#* to access the service menu. If you have a tablet, click here to learn how access the service menu.
In your device, tap Service info > Configuration > Rooting Status. If Bootloader unlock allowed says Yes, then you can continue with the next step. If it says No, or if the status is missing, your device cannot be unlocked." - well, I enter the code, goto Service Info, Configuration, and that's it - I can't get to "Rooting Status". The page shows the MEID #, MEID Software version, Available Speech Codecs, and Working Bands.That's it - and I get the same result on the other phone I have.
So if I don't need to worry about unlocking the bootloader(because it wasn't mentioned in several how to guides online like this one: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/0...nandroid-backup-and-clockworkmod-rom-manager/ , then how come I'm not able to backup my existing rom using either apps before I attempt to copy over the rom from my other phone? *sigh*
Thanks for your time once again.

Yes you need to have an unlocked bootloader. For the r800x I would recommend doomkernel. If you need more help there is a thread for it on the developement thread, I believe that tells you exactly how to do it.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium

Here is the DoomKernel:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1368636
If the download links in the thread are dead let me know and I will provide a link to my collection.

Thanks Ozzmanj1...but....
ozzmanj1 said:
Here is the DoomKernel:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1368636
If the download links in the thread are dead let me know and I will provide a link to my collection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I decided I don't want to go that far(messing with Kernel and Bootloader) since the phone is working great - I got all my games/apps installed with the 64gb MicroSDHC class 10 card, cleaned up all the dead files using SD Maid, deleted and restored the Dalvik Cache, cleaned out ../system/app/ folder of unneeded apks, and I'm running at optimum now(no low disk space icon showing which is a nag for this phone). This phone is "pimped out" to the max and I've decided to just use Mybackup Pro to save everything out and I'm going to make a full copy of the sd card in the next couple days so I don't lose anything again. I'm concerned that if I tinker with bootloader/kernel that something will go wrong. I have no problem rooting or doing extensive fiddling for optimal performance however. :cyclops:
Internal has 43MB free, 342MB used.
SD card has 24GB free, 35GB used.
Thanks again for your efforts & time to help out!!!

Have you tried using x-Parts? I got recovery through this way, and it doesn't require an Unlocked Bootloader, you just have to be rooted.
However, I'm unsure as to whether it would still work on yours, as yours is an R800x and mine is a R800i.
Link to the App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pvy.CWMinstaler&hl=en_GB

Thanks AzNTypeR!...
AzNTypeR said:
Have you tried using x-Parts? I got recovery through this way, and it doesn't require an Unlocked Bootloader, you just have to be rooted.
However, I'm unsure as to whether it would still work on yours, as yours is an R800x and mine is a R800i.
Link to the App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pvy.CWMinstaler&hl=en_GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will check it out - from the user comments in Google Play it appears that it does work on r800x's - to access installed recovery it was noted that the update says to push any button on reboot but users found that the volume down button was the only button that works(maybe this was fixed in an update?). It sure looks like the r800x is more of a pain to toy with than the r800i and other gsm phones. I love Verizon networks but I don't care for their extra headaches using cdma.

X-tools uses a portion of your system folder to store the recovery. So if you install x-parts/tools and flash a new rom you will lose the recovery an will have to re-install the software.