How to Install ICS Beta ROM on Xperia Arc S & Neo V

Sony Xperia Arc S, Neo V and Ray can now get the official ICS update as Sony has released the official ICS Beta ROM for Xperia™ Arc S/ Noe V/ Ray handset. Being an official release, you should be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich update via OTA (Over The Air). In case you don’t, this tutorial is going to teach you how to manually install the latest version of the Android platform on your own Xperia™ Arc S, Noe V, Ray smartphone. Let’s see how we can flash the official ICS Beta ROM on Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V, and Xperia Ray smartphones.

Have a look at the video demo below to know what the ICS update gives you.

You must be using Xperia™ arc S, Xperia™ neo V or Xperia™ ray, running the latest Xperia™ software release (which is 4.0.2.A.0.42). Please note that you can’t use the original Xperia™ Arc or Xperia™ Neo, as they have different partition layouts.

Flashing ROM on your device might be risky and void your device’s warranty. If you do not follow the steps carefully, it might even brick your device. Proceed at your own risk.

Preparations:

• You must unlock the bootloader on your device before installing this ROM.
• Please do not forget to backup all important data stored on your device so that you do not lose them if something goes wrong. Backup your contacts, messages, call log, apps, etc. using a backup app like Titanium Backup.
• Also, make sure that your device’s battery level is at least 70%.
• Download and install the latest Android SDK Platform-tools.

How to Install the ICS Beta ROM on Xperia Arc S

Follow the instructions below to download and install the alpha ROM. Please note that it only works with Xperia™ arc S, Xperia™ neo V and Xperia™ ray.

1. Download the Ice Cream Sandwich beta ROM for Xperia™ Arc S, the Ice Cream Sandwich beta ROM for Xperia™ Neo V or the Ice Cream Sandwich beta ROM for Xperia™ Ray depending on your phone model.
2. Extract the downloaded zip file to your Android Fastboot directory. For example: ..android-sdkfastbootXperia_arcS_ICS_beta.
3. Open a command prompt and go to your Fastboot directory: ..android-sdkfastboot
4. Flash the three beta ROM files one at a time using Fastboot. Use these three commands (replace the folder name if you are using Xperia™ Neo V or Xperia™ Ray):

   fastboot flash boot ..FastbootXperia_arcS_ICS_betaboot.img
   fastboot flash userdata ..FastbootXperia_arcS_ICS_betauserdata.img
   fastboot flash system ..FastbootXperia_arcS_ICS_betasystem.img

5. Once done, please reboot your phone. Be aware that the reboot might take up to 10 minutes, so be patient.

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