Develop Bugs

[Q] Can't hard reset Xperia PLAY and isn't detected by flash tool

I had LauncherPRO, I tried switching wallpapers and everything froze so I did a battery pull and now it gets stuck on the "ROGERS" boot up screen or goes to a blank and no keys work. If I slide out the gamepad while its blank, the screen will turn on and it'll be a black screen with the time and the slideout bar but the touch screen doesn't work for some reason. It also says I have no service.
Here's a list of what I've tried so far -
- Holding the left and right D-Pad keys while starting the phone
- Holding the back and search button while starting the phone
- Using Sony Ericsson Update Service but it won't even detect it
- PC Companion won't detect it either
I've had so many problems with this phone, I was hoping to exchange it for a different phone if possible. I got it from Rogers on May 30th, and I didn't really realize it had problems till this month. Thing is, I have installed APK's from 4shared that you'd normally have to pay for and since it seems to be bricked now, I don't know if it's safe to bring it in.. It's not rooted. I'm pretty sure most of my downloaded apps were on my SD card but I"m not 100% sure. The phone isn't functional at all if I manage to get it to that black homescreen.

As simply as flash with flashtool.
All you need is in the dev forum.

Alejandrissimo said:
As simply as flash with flashtool.
All you need is in the dev forum.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. This won't void warranty, right?
Edit: Flashtool doesn't seem to recognize my Xperia PLAY when I boot it in flash mode. The green LED is lit, and it shows a battery logo when I start it up so I assume that means it's in flash mode, but flash tool wont recognize it. I've tried on a windows 7 and a windows vista computer

BlueLemming said:
Thanks for the reply. This won't void warranty, right?
Edit: Flashtool doesn't seem to recognize my Xperia PLAY when I boot it in flash mode. The green LED is lit, and it shows a battery logo when I start it up so I assume that means it's in flash mode, but flash tool wont recognize it. I've tried on a windows 7 and a windows vista computer
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Click to collapse
Did you install the gordons gate drivers that come with flashtool??

AndroHero said:
Did you install the gordons gate drivers that come with flashtool??
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Click to collapse
I didn't before but I did just now, no difference. Are there Xperia PLAY gordon gate drivers I need to install?

Are you using flashtool 2.9.1?
Sent from my Xperia PLAY R800i using XDA App

Cat_On_Droid said:
Are you using flashtool 2.9.1?
Sent from my Xperia PLAY R800i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am, yes.

I read somewhere that problems with pc companion not regonizing the play can be resolved by umounting the sdcard and then conecting it to pc companion again.
Regards Dousan...

Dousan said:
I read somewhere that problems with pc companion not regonizing the play can be resolved by umounting the sdcard and then conecting it to pc companion again.
Regards Dousan...
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Click to collapse
Just tried it after restarting my computer, still no luck but my PC Companion seems to start up everytime I plug it in while booting in flash mode.. which is odd
Edit: Nevermind, it's detected it now. Thanks!

i read that you said the battery logo shows up. that's not flash mode. you enter flash mode by ONLY holding back and plugging in USB cable. but i see you solved it now.
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

Blagus said:
i read that you said the battery logo shows up. that's not flash mode. you enter flash mode by ONLY holding back and plugging in USB cable. but i see you solved it now.
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah before I had read that it was different for Xperia PLAY, that you had to hold search. Since before I wasn't holding the "back" button long enough and I didn't think it was working. Anywho it's all fixed up now! This doesn't void warranty right?

Just wanted to add as i just spent hours figuring this out and its really stupid and simple but may help other people. When you connect the phone in flash mode. Connect it in FLASH mode. Do NOT hold the search key button as this is for FASTBOOT MODE. You need to hold the back button on the Xperia play to launch into flash mode instead.
Hope this helps someone =)

Apologies for the necro, but just in case anyone else is having this problem and comes here.... i spent an hour reinstalling drivers, holding different keys without flashtool detecting the phone in flash mode & searching through vaguely related results in google.
In the end nothing was wrong, I was plugged into usb 3.0 and whilst the drivers were installed and the device was showing up in device manager, flashtool simply wouldn't detect it. The moment it was connected to a usb 2.0 socket it immediately worked.

HELP!
Deagon said:
Apologies for the necro, but just in case anyone else is having this problem and comes here.... i spent an hour reinstalling drivers, holding different keys without flashtool detecting the phone in flash mode & searching through vaguely related results in google.
In the end nothing was wrong, I was plugged into usb 3.0 and whilst the drivers were installed and the device was showing up in device manager, flashtool simply wouldn't detect it. The moment it was connected to a usb 2.0 socket it immediately worked.
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Click to collapse
My Xperia Play is not being recognised by the FlashTool (I've installed the Gorgon Drivers and it is detecting as ZEUS USBFlash...). It is not responding, I tried pressing the search button, the back button, but I got nothing. I am not getting any light neither. Do any of you have any idea about what I could be doing wrong?
Thanks in advance

[Q] bricked my phone updating. cant do a thing

edit: fixed

chronopolis said:
Hey guys, I have a sony xperia play and I recently rooted it and was in the process of updating when it shut off (I have a bad battery). Now, I cannot do anything on it...no flash mode, no fastboot, no hard reset, no anything. When I plug it into flashtool it just says device not found. I have also had no luck with wotanclient or pc companion. Please tell me there is a way I can fix my phone?
EDIT: managed to connect to flashtool in adb and fastboot - still cannot get in flash mode however
this is as far as i can get in pc companion
i.imgur.com/wjiGb.png
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Start up Sony Ericsson PC Companion, dont put in your phone, click on support zone, phone software update, repair phone (highlighted in blue), let it download some stuff, select xperia play. Follow instructions

I am not able to do that, pressing back+plugging in the phone doesnt do anything besides show my sony ericsson logo. No green light or anything. I can get it into fastboot (which i dont think will help, my bootloader is locked) and ADB. Right now it looks like if i have a chance of saving my phone, it is through ADB using some sort of command

chronopolis said:
I am not able to do that, pressing back+plugging in the phone doesnt do anything besides show my sony ericsson logo. No green light or anything. I can get it into fastboot (which i dont think will help, my bootloader is locked) and ADB. Right now it looks like if i have a chance of saving my phone, it is through ADB using some sort of command
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you hold back first, then plug in phone (still holding back), you get a green light, this happens even if you brick from bad updating

ff7fan4eva said:
you hold back first, then plug in phone (still holding back), you get a green light, this happens even if you brick from bad updating
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Click to collapse
Im definitely holding it, it just isnt working. It still just boots to the "Sony Ericsson" screen and stays there.
Is there a way I can force my phone into flash mode, either with adb or with fastboot? If I had it in flash mode I could just install a new stock firmware with flashtool

sigh...it wasnt really bricked. well it was, but i can get into flash mode...my usb cord was broken(it would only recognize if i wiggled it). I am running SEUS now and crossing my fingers

[SOLVED] Can I install stock 2.3.3 on an R800x with a locked bootloader?

I recently acquired a new r800x which came with 2.3.4, and thus can't be zerg'd. I tried to unlock the bootloader but the service menu has no status (yes or no) on the bootloader and sony didn't send me an unlock code when I tried their website. It's my understanding that stock firmware can be flashed with a locked bootloader but I can't make it work. I downloaded the latest flashtool from flashtool.net, installed the flashboot and adb drivers and got a copy of R800x_3.0.1.E.0.88_Verizon ftf. But when I start flashtool and connect my phone (usb debug & unknown source enabled) It isn't recognized and prompts for user selection. I select Xperia play, go to flashmode, select the firmware and get to the waiting for phone screen. Power off, hold back and connect, but nothing ever happens after that.
I've looked for tutorials on here and elsewhere, but none seem to address my problem, or if they do have a solution that doesn't work for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm hoping I just missed something that can be easily corrected.
Thank you.

raithe said:
I recently acquired a new r800x which came with 2.3.4, and thus can't be zerg'd. I tried to unlock the bootloader but the service menu has no status (yes or no) on the bootloader and sony didn't send me an unlock code when I tried their website. It's my understanding that stock firmware can be flashed with a locked bootloader but I can't make it work. I downloaded the latest flashtool from flashtool.net, installed the flashboot and adb drivers and got a copy of R800x_3.0.1.E.0.88_Verizon ftf. But when I start flashtool and connect my phone (usb debug & unknown source enabled) It isn't recognized and prompts for user selection. I select Xperia play, go to flashmode, select the firmware and get to the waiting for phone screen. Power off, hold back and connect, but nothing ever happens after that.
I've looked for tutorials on here and elsewhere, but none seem to address my problem, or if they do have a solution that doesn't work for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm hoping I just missed something that can be easily corrected.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into the flashtool program folder on your pc and then open the folder called drivers, run the program in there select the options for xperia play drivers and flashtool and fastboot drivers.

Many thanks, that did the trick. I had installed the play driver but missed the other two. Sigh, it's always a driver problem with android. Funny part to me is that the driver step varies with every phone and that's the step the tutorials and readme's always gloss over like it's self explanatory. No worries though done and good. Thanks for your help.

Blue Led, blank Screen during Bootloader Unlock

Hi there,
I tried to unlock my new Z1C with Sony Bootloader Unlocker from Kingo.
Currently the program is Stuck at the following Screen
img5.fotos-hochladen.net *dash* uploads/17mg2pno8qa.png (sorry I'm new an can't post images now)
It says fetching unlock data
The phones screen is blanc and the LED is lit blue.
In the Devide Manager S1Boot Fastboot is listed as unknown devices.
My question is now, what can I do to get the phone back working? Is it safe to just unplug USB?
Thanks a lot for help!

OK, I have a solution.
The crappy tool does run the phone into fastboot mode without checking for drivers.
I Installed the drivers during the frozen screen and it continued to work although it wasn't able to unlock the phone in the end.
So my advice for everyone who wants to use Sony Bootloader Unlock by Kingo: don't use it, go the traditional way via fastboot.
My problem now is that the Sony unlock website won't send me an email to proceed to step 3. X-/

Alternative
or just use the timetested and stable flashtool by Androxyde. Allows you to relock, and is generally indispensable. I do think it even comes with drivers. As you have realized correctly, the kingo one is crappy. Kingo has a record for making bad apps, and sending user data to china, IIRC.
http://www.flashtool.net/index.php
hope this helps someone

Factory Reset

Hello, I heard that to hard reset the phone, i need a flashtool. And to unlock bootloader i need to enable usb debugging, however i cant access my phone, because for some weird reason the pin code doesnt work. Can you help me reset the phone? its Xperia S
So im currently trying to repair it with pc companion, but when it says to connect the phone holding the down button, and when i do it, nothing happens, the computer doesnt recognise it. The flash mode stays for 5 seconds, the goes into charge mode. Looked in device manager, but theres nothing. Probably enabling usb debugging would work, but how am i supposed to enable it with phone locked. Maybe i need some drivers?

Try with the Sony Flash Tool from their site, u'll have to get the stock 4.1.2, but at least u'll be able to use your phone

dodek0309 said:
Try with the Sony Flash Tool from their site, u'll have to get the stock 4.1.2, but at least u'll be able to use your phone
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Click to collapse
Well i think it needs bootloader unlocked, but i will try pc companion to reset the phone, maybe that will work. But thanks anyway.

Can someone help?