Install AOSP Lollipop ROM on Xperia Z3

Sony had made the Lollipop source code and binaries available for some of the Xperia range devices which will help the ROM developers to port Lollipop builds on Xperia devices before the official updates rolls out. Some good samaritans had already put the code to use and ported Lollipop to Xperia devices, Xperia Z3 is one of them. So, it’s a party news for the Xperia Z3 users out there.

The Lollipop build comes from the XDA recognized developer krabappel2548 who seems to have worked pretty hard to get the calls and SMS work on the ROM despite the lack of modem support in the Sony’s initial source code release. But don’t get too excited as the ROM is not a daily driver yet, so it’s not advisable for daily usage purpose. Being a WIP ROM, there are few issues and bugs that might make your daily usage hectic.

The Lollipop ROM on Xperia Z3 is pretty good for an initial release but the camera, mobile data and GPS are not working as of now which are important for daily usage. However, this build gives a sneak peak to the material design and Lollipop functionality on Xperia Z3. If you’ve made up your mind to check out this ROM, grab the required files and follow the installation instructions.

Warning

This guide is intended only for the Sony Xperia Z3, not for any other device. Be extra cautious when you choose the ROMs as flashing wrong ones might result in a bricked device. You alone are responsible for any consequences that might occur during the process, we shall not be held responsible for any damage to your device.

Prepare Your Device

• Charge your Xperia Z3 above 60% battery level to avoid shut downs during the process.
• Backup your device storage, Contacts, SMS etc. using Google Sync service or any third-party app.
• Download and install Sony Xperia USB drivers on your PC.
• Enable USB Debugging on your Xperia Z3. Read our guide to get instructions on how to do so.
• Unlock bootloader of your Xperia Z3.
• A custom recovery for wiping the cache after installing ROM. You can find the recovery installation guide from here.

Downloads

ROM file: Download
└ Download the ROM files based on latest version of the ROM.

Fastboot file: Download

Gapps file: Download

Install Lollipop ROM on Xperia Z3

1. Download and extract the fastboot file on your PC. You’ll get the following file:
   
2. Download the required ROM files from the download link and transfer them to the same folder where you extracted the fastboot files. You’ll get these three files from the ROM:
   • boot.img
   • system.img
3. Now boot your Xperia Z3 into Fastboot mode:
   • Power off your Xperia Z3.
   • Plug in the USB cable to the PC but don’t connect the other end to the phone yet.
   • Connect the other of the cable to the device while holding down the Volume Up button to enter the fastboot mode.
4. Navigate to the fastboot files folder and open a command prompt inside the folder by pressing Shift key + Right click in the empty space inside the folder, and select Open command window here option from the Windows context menu.
5. Execute the following commands in the command prompt one after one and wait until the process finishes successfully.

   fastboot flash boot boot.img

   fastboot flash system system.img

6. Now boot into recovery mode and wipe data, dalvik cache and cache.
7. Flash the Gapps package from the recovery to avail the Google services on the ROM.
8. Finally, reboot the device from the recovery menu.

The reboot may take a while as the device builds up some cache files to boot up at initial boot, so be patient and excited at the same time.

Tell us how the ROM appealed to you in the comments section below.

Source