How to Flash a Custom ROM on the Sony Xperia Z (International)
A custom ROM is a custom version of Android for your device. After you have rooted your device and flashed a custom recovery on it, you can then use the recovery to flash a custom ROM. Thanks to a sizeable community of developers, there are a lot of these third-party ROMs to choose from (depending on the device) and each one is unique. Developers usually give you the latest version of Android in their ROM, their own custom themes, options, and a ton of other customization options and enhancements.
In this procedure, we’ll show you how to flash a custom ROM on your Sony Xperia Z (International).
After flashing a custom ROM on Sony Xperia Z (International), you’ll be able to:
- Flash newer versions of Android that the manufacturer hasn’t provided yet.
- Utilize different UI skins or stock Android(HTC’s Sense UI, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, LG Optimus UI).
- Increase performance
- Increase battery life
- More customization options than stock ROMs
Interested? Here’s how to flash a custom ROM on your Sony Xperia Z (International):
I. Before You Begin
1. You must be rooted to do this tutorial. Head to our Rooting How To’s section, find your device, and do the How to Root tutorial listed for it there then return to this tutorial to continue.
2. You must also have a custom recovery flashed on your device before doing this tutorial. Head to our Rooting How To’s section, find your device, and do the How to Flash a Custom Recovery tutorial listed for it there then return to this tutorial to continue.
II. Choose a Custom ROM to Flash
1. Head to our ROM repository and choose your device.
2. Choose a ROM of your liking.
3. Click the download link in the ROM post to be taken to the developer’s page for that ROM.
4. Search through the developer’s page for the download link for the latest version of that ROM (usually located in the first post in a forum or under Downloads).
5. Save the ROM to your desktop of your computer.
III. Flash the Custom ROM on your Sony Xperia Z (International)
1. Connect your device to your PC using the USB cable.
2. Copy the Custom ROM .zip file from your Desktop over to the root of your SD card.
3. Once the ROM has been copied, disconnect your device from your PC.
4. Head over to the Google Play and download and install the Quick Boot app on your device.
5. Once installed, launch the app from your App Drawer.
6. Tap on Recovery option in the app and your device should reboot into recovery mode.
In the recovery mode, the Volume buttons are used for navigation and the Power button to make a selection.
7. Select Backup.
8. Checkmark all the boxes shown on your screen and tap on Swipe to Back Up. Let it backup your device.
9. Press the Back button.
10. Select Wipe.
11. Select Swipe to Factory Reset and let it wipe off the data on your device.
12. Press the Back button.
13. Select Install and choose the Custom ROM .zip file you copied earlier to be flashed on your device.
14. Select Swipe to Confirm Flash and let it flash the ROM on your device.
15. When the ROM has been flashed, reboot your device by selecting Reboot followed by System.
16. You’re all done!
IV. Flash Another Custom ROM (Optional)
1. After your have a custom ROM on your device, you can always repeat this process to flash another one and try out different ones until you find one that suits your needs.
By the way, don’t be scared, you can always put your device back to stock by heading to our Rooting How To’s section, finding your device, and doing the How to Unroot tutorial listed for it there.
