In the case of severe problems with Xperia and Sailfish X, it may turn out best to reinstall Sailfish OS to the device. This article briefly explains how to do it. We assume here that you have installed Sailfish with your computer previously, i.e., the setup exists on your computer.
Depending on the problems observed on Xperia X, Xperia XA2, Xperia 10, Xperia 10 II or Xperia 10 III, it may be enough or necessary to reinstall ("reflash") Sailfish OS to it. However, if this does not resolve the problems then it may be necessary to revert the device back to Android first and reinstall Sailfish only then -- see this article.
NOTE 1: Reinstalling Sailfish OS means that all data in the device memory will be deleted. Only the SD and SIM cards remain untouched.
NOTE 2: We recommend that you reinstall Sailfish rather than perform the device reset as in this way your phone will get the latest OS version directly. Therefore, follow this article.
CONTENTS
Installing Sailfish OS again to Xperia X, XA2, 10, 10 II or 10 III
Step 1: Get the latest Sailfish OS release
Step 2: Get the Sony binary file
Step 3: Install the OS to the phone
Installing Sailfish OS again to Xperia X, XA2, 10, 10 II or 10 III
Installing Sailfish can be done with Windows, Linux or Mac computers. In the next chapters (and below), we have pointers to our official Sailfish X instructions (which vary a bit on each computer OS).
- Xperia X: Windows, Linux, Mac.
- Xperia XA2: Windows, Linux, Mac.
- Xperia 10: Windows, Linux, Mac
- Xperia 10 II: Windows, Linux, Mac
- Xperia 10 III (*): Windows, Linux, Mac
(*) Planned to be published in 2022.
Step 1: Get the latest Sailfish OS release
Make sure you have the latest available Sailfish OS ( <-- that is the link to release notes) version downloaded to your computer and that the Sailfish image variant is the correct one for your phone model. You can check the model by pulling out a white label from the SIM card slot on some models, listing the info (e.g. H3113 or I4213). Other ways to check the model are the sales box label and the phone menus.
The latest (and only the latest) Sailfish OS image (i.e., the installable files) is always available in this repository [*] and can be downloaded from there and unzipped. Please sign in to this service by using the same Jolla account that you used for buying the Sailfish X license.
[*] https://shop.jolla.com/downloads/
NOTE: The links at the Download buttons are valid for a fairly short period of time only after entering the page. Should you get a "403 permission denied error" when trying to download, you will need to reload the page to refresh the download links.
Check that the contents of your Sailfish OS directory are similar to that in the pictures below (find the one best matching your phone). Note that the "SW_binaries_for" files are different for different product categories.
Picture A: Correct contents of Sailfish X install directory of Xperia X - an example.
Picture B: Correct contents of Sailfish X install directory of Xperia XA2 - an example.
Picture C: Correct contents of Sailfish X install directory of Xperia 10 - an example
Picture D: Correct contents of Sailfish X install directory of Xperia 10 II - an example
Picture E: Correct contents of Sailfish X install directory of Xperia 10 III - an example
Step 2: Get the Sony binary file
In particular, check that you have the file by the name "SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_*.img" there. If missing, follow the instructions applicable to your phone model and computer type. You will need to look at chapter 5.
In brief, you are to download a zip file from the given location and then unzip the file (yielding a ".img" file) to the same folder as was used in Step #1 above.
| PHONE |
|
BINARY FILE |
||
| Xperia X | Windows | Linux | Mac | SW_binaries_for_Xperia_AOSP_M_MR1_3.10_v13_loire.img |
| Xperia XA2 | Windows | Linux | Mac | SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_8.1.6.4_r1_v16_nile.img |
| Xperia 10 | Windows | Linux |
SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_9.0_2.3.2_v9_ganges.img |
|
| Xperia 10 II | Windows | Linux | Mac | SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_10.0.7.1_r1_v12b_seine.img |
| Xperia 10 III | Windows | Linux | Mac | SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_11_4.19_v9a_lena.img |
| (future) | ||||
Step 3: Install the OS to the phone
Install (a.k.a. "flash") Sailfish OS to your Xperia. Please note that since you are installing Sailfish again, there is no need to unlock the bootloader anymore but just run the flashing script in your Sailfish installation folder.
Follow the instructions applicable to your phone model and computer type. At this point, you will need to follow the instructions of one chapter only (in the right-most column below).
| PHONE |
|
CHAPTER |
||
| Xperia X | Windows | Linux | Mac | 6 |
| Xperia XA2 | Windows | Linux | Mac | 6 |
| Xperia 10 | Windows | Linux |
8 |
|
| Xperia 10 II | Windows | Linux | Mac | 8 |
| Xperia 10 III | Windows | Linux | Mac | 8 |
| (future) | ||||
When connecting the USB data cable press the Volume UP button of the phone. Then, you must see the BLUE light lit (if green, disconnect, reconnect and try again) on the phone.
For your reference
After you have completed the flashing, the printout similar to that shown in the PDF file Windows or PDF file Linux should appear on your computer screen (Sailfish OS version ID will be different as time goes on). These example printouts are related to Xperia 10 II.