How to Root the Sony Xperia Z1S

Got a brand new Sony Xperia Z1S from T-Mobile? Great! Let us show you how you can root your Xperia Z1S and then get the root-only apps running on it. Not only does root let you install root-only apps, but it’ll help you eventually flash a custom recovery, when that becomes available. So for now, here’s how to root your device:

Rooting is the process of gaining administrative rights on your Android device.  Once we root our Android device, we can then make changes to it to customize it well beyond what it normally can do.

Once you have root access on your Sony Xperia Z1S, you’ll be able to:

• Remove apps that were preinstalled by your carrier/manufacturer from your device.
• Free up storage space (because of the above benefit).
• Increase battery life (apps that might have been running constantly can be removed).
• Increase performance (after removing apps that are always running, the device will be less bogged down and run smoother).
• Update to a new version of Android (by flashing a custom recovery/ROM, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
• Tons of other customizations when you use your new found administrative rights to flash a custom ROM (again, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).

Interested? Here’s how to root your Sony Xperia Z1S:

I. Before You Begin

1. This’ll void the warranty of your device. We won’t be held responsible if you end-up bricking or damaging your device. Do it at your own risk.

2. This should only work on Windows based PCs.

3. You should’ve appropriate drivers installed on your PC. If you haven’t, follow our guide located here and you should be good to go.

II. Downloading Required Files

1. Download ADB and save it to your desktop.

ADB

2. Download PWN and save it to your desktop.

PWN (It’s attached in the post)

III. Rooting the Sony Xperia Z1S

1. Extract files from ADB and PWN to your desktop by right-clicking on each of them and selecting Extract here.

2. Enable USB debugging on your device by heading to Menu > Settings > Developer options > USB debugging.

3. Enable Unknown sources as well by going to Menu > Settings > Security > Unknown sources.

4. Plug in your device to your PC via USB cable.

5. Launch a Command Prompt Window on your desktop. To do that, simply hold down Shift and right-click on any blank area on your screen and select Open command window here.

6. Type in following commands into the Command Prompt Window hitting Enter after each line:

adb push pwn /data/local/tmp/pwn
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/pwn
adb shell /data/local/tmp/pwn

7. When it’s done, issue the following command:

adb reboot

8. Your device should reboot.

9. When your device boots-up, head over to the Google Play store and download and install SuperSU on your device.

10. You’re all done!

Congrats! Your Sony Xperia Z1S is now rooted. You can confirm the root-access by simply downloading and installing Root Checker from the Google Play store.

You can click here to find all of the Sony Xperia Z1S How To’s.

You can also find all of the Sony Xperia Z1S ROMs we have here.