Database Users

Newbie guide for rooting SGP312 Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Hi all!
I am writing some instructions for newbies like me that wish to root their Xperia Tablet Z. I spent a lot of hours trying to understand how things work and I try to fill this gap with this post. If anybody knows, I would like to have an answer on the DRM, and model type questions that I have colored red in the text.
I was a "proud" owner of Sony Xperia Tablet Z WIFI 32GB (SGP312) that I bought from northern Europe last September. It was my first Android device and I consider myself super newbie on this "sport". Since my last official Sony system upgrade ~1-2 months ago I had sound problems with skype. I could not make a call without a handset and also my sony speakers refused to reproduce any youtube video. Nonetheless, the alarm was working fine! I was disappointed and after a factory reset the sound problems persisted. Thus, I decided to delve into the rooting world.
So long story short, we can install whichever stock/original firmware we want if it is designed for our devices consulting the precious links in xda-developers.com forums. Then we can either stay with this or install custom "ROMs" having our tablet "rooted".
My first goal is to fix the sound problem so I tried following the stock firmware route.
I flashed the firmware(s) with the quite intuitive Flashtool. Beware that I had already installed the required Google's Android SDK/ADT kit in my windows machine, although I performed every task in my linux machine in order to have working fastboot and adb commands with the minimal fuss installation-wise. To flash the stock firmwares, or the so called FTF files, I was entering the flash mode holding/pressing down the Volume Down key while connecting the device with the USB to my PC. I note that holding down the Volume Up key, instead, connects the tablet in the fast boot mode
After/Before every firmware flashing I was trying not to forget to:
Enable the USB Debugging mode
Trust installation from unknown sources (this probably is redundant) and
Use massive storage instead of MTP in my USB connection options.
Then, I tried to unlock my bootloader (for experimenting purposes) following the official SONY instructions. I successfully did (fastboot was saying OK!), without keeping any DRM keys, since I guess I do not need them, right? However with some FTF stock firmwares my screen was freezing while booting and showing the "flying colors" and then it was eternally rebooting again and freezing again and so on. I tried this and verified it with a couple of FTF stock firmwares. The one was for sure the SGP312 Global Xperia Tablet Z WiFi 32 GB - 10.4.1.B.0.109, I do not remember the others. This 10.4.1.B.0.109 was working fine but not with the bootloader unlocked. I found out that I could break the boot/freeze loop by entering flash mode (Volume Down while connecting the USB) just after it was turned off after the "flying color" freeze.
So I tried with this stock firmware: SGP312 10.4.B.0.577 (UK version 32GB WIFI Unbranded) and after using my tablet for ~30mins I can say that I did not encounter any problems.
But I wanted to view the rooting world, so to do this I found out that installing a Recovery Software would help.
So I installed XZDualRecovery. I followed the instructions and downloaded TabZ-lockeddualrecovery2.7.123-BETA.installer.zip and also the *flashable.zip from the same site.
Before starting to implement the instructions, the same XZDualRecovery post was mentioning I should install a 10.3.1.C.0.136 firmware and so I did, getting the SGP312 10.3.1.C.0.136 VMo EU4 firmware. This 10.3.1.C.0.136 was also working quite well, and after unlocking the bootloader (I do not know if I have to do unlock the bootloader everytime I flash a stock FTF) it was botting properly and my speakers were working fine.
I runned the install.sh for linux (install.bat for windows). I noticed that the third option was "3/ Attempt installation on unrooted device" which I tried and was successful, since then, the "Root Checker" app was saying that my tablet was rooted. That was really cool!
I wanted to enter the recovery mode so I turned on my tablet and when the "SONY" letters appeared (or a bit earlier) I started pressing multiple times the Volume Up key and a nice purple screen (like this) with the recovery appeared. There, I chose Wipe Data/Factory Reset (it was quite fast) and then Install multiple Zip files from the SD card.
The Zips I had in my card were the Cyanogen Mod, the Google Apps and the XZDualRecovery:
I downloaded Cyanogen Mod, pollux_windy for our devices, from here. I chose the latest stable version, cm-10.2.1-pollux_windy.zip 2014-02-01 01:07:05, but I hope another one will see the light soon.
I also installed the latest google apps that for today are these and the latest versions can be found here.
The TabZ-lockeddualrecovery2.7.123-BETA.flashable.zip metnioned above. I am not sure if this is really needed but I think I read somewhere that I should included or else I would not be able to Reboot to Recovery after flashing.
The problem with the pollux_windy zip was that I panicked since the recovery zip installation stopped with the error: assert failed [...] status 7 and I was pretty sure I had an SGP312 device!!! So I deleted the first line in the cyanogen zip file:
Code:
/META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script
like it appears here or here. This forum post says I should not extract the zip, but I did and it worked.
After all the above steps I booted my tablet and everything seems almost ok so far. I say almost because:
I notice that my device, according to the settings is now the "SGP311" and not the SGP312 (how could I change that?), but in my free space I still see 25+GB (although I am still using only ~3GB).
Also, some times while I am scrolling e.g. in Play Store I see infinitesimal freezes in the movement of the webpage (AnTuTu benchmark returns a rating of ~19800-20118).
Moreover, I have installed ~30 apps, but the installing procedure seems somehow slow, and the last ~10 apps I tried to install have not been installed "due to an error 495". The above was "fixed" after a reboot, but I must say I never encountered this problem with my stock firmware.

To the first question in red: DRM keys are needed for Playstation Mobile, Video and Music Unlimited, I think something regarding Screen Mirroring and, until Android 4.3, no Bravia Engine 2. With 4.4, it works again.
About the 311 and 312 thing, it is because you flashed a firmware that wasn't specifically for your device. You can go into build.prop file, and change every SGP311 you find to SGP312.
Nevertheless, awesome guide
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

Thanks for the time to share

Hi all,
I have the SGP312 but it's not the "global" version (I noticed one of the stock firmware used was the UK one). I have the US/Canadian/North American version.
Would I brick my device if I flashed with the UK firmware? I haven't for the life of me found any guides/threads for my device.
I know it's the "pollux windy" (wifi 32gb) but I'm...afraid.
Thanks!

UberBaumer said:
Would I brick my device if I flashed with the UK firmware? I haven't for the life of me found any guides/threads for my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no.

Enabling Fingerprint Sensor On Sony Xperia XZ

I just got the US version of the Xperia XZ and I was attempting to get the fingerprint sensor to work by flashing with Flashtool and Xperiafirm. I managed to get it to work, but the process is slightly different from what we have here it other threads.
With the update to 7.0, all the customized versions of the firmware in Xperifirm have been updated to 7.0, which flashtool does not support atm. To get around this and enable the fingerprint sensor I used these steps: (at least until Flashtool is updated)
Process Steps:
backup your phone! You will lose everything on it with the flash
Find and download MM .ftf file for your phone. I used Centralized Europe, but you can use Italian or UK. These can be found using google, or PM and I'll send you a link
Make sure you install the flashtool drivers properly. This means Disable driver signature enforcement. Then do the install so they can install correctly.
Once installed power your phone off and while you hold down the down volume key, plug it into the computer.
Open Flashtool and click the lightning bolt and start the flash.
Once flash is complete, reboot phone and verify that the Fingerprint Sensor is actually working
Using built in software updater (OTA) update to 7.0
If you do this correctly everything should work smoothly.
Be Sure to use the latest version of Flashtool!

Flashtool began to support Nougat as of yesterday: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-xz/how-to/flashtool-supports-nougat-t3523322

can someone upload stock usa rom that was shipped (marshmallow)

Announcement said:
can someone upload stock usa rom that was shipped (marshmallow)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashtool should work with the latest nougat .FTF. I believe the one it was shipped with is the customized US firmware on xperifirm. Just use that if you want to go back to stock.

AT&T in Australia

Hi all,
Was recently in the 'States and broke my S8 - it's now the third mobile screen I've busted since Samsung brought in curved edges, never had any issues with the S2 or S5 - who ever thought tempering glass and curving it would be a good idea??
Anyway I had the opportunity to pickup a brand new Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and did a quick bit of research. I found the most compatible version with my carriers back home in AUS was the SM-G892A from AT&T. Picked up a brand new unlocked model, stupid me didn't connect it up to AT&T while I was there. I turned it on and played around with it on Wifi for the last few days of our trip and returned home to Melbourne.
Basically I now understand AT&T are a bunch of ***** and do not allow updates to be pushed even for unlocked devices overseas. Considering a lot of the updates are for security I'm very surprised by this.
Anyway so I've notcied a few tiny bugs here and there with apps/OS and figured updating my device/OS is the way to go and might resolve the issues. I guess the easiest way to get the info I need is to put the questions I have individually, as my mind tends to jump all over the place when I'm working a problem:
1. Is there any way to get my phone updated without rooting/flashing the phone?
2. If not, what is the best option for a S8 Active? Are there any firmware versions that will enable OTA updates so I don't need to keep flashing everytime new firmware is released? I have seen some posts about T-Mobile being able to be flashed over an AT&T model or even the G892U or maybe a custom firmware that allows this?
3. Will rooting/flashing interfere with any of the carrier settings etc? Don't want to upgrade it only to find it disables an LTE band or something?
4. I am an absolute noob at flashing, have never done it but am pretty tech savvy so if there is a step-by-step procedure I wil have no dramas following it. Saying that, I would rather not make the device worse than it is so I only want to follow tried & tested procedures if that makes sense, I don't want my device to be a lab-rat.
5. If there is no way to enable OTA internationally as per Question #2 when new firmware updates become available on XDA will flashing a new update delete personalisation/settings/files etc? Or will it retain them and update like a stock model performing a firmware upgrade would? If not, that would be a pain in the ass and time consuming to have to re-apply settings and reinstall apps every time and almost makes the idea of flashing unattractive.
6. I have baseband G892AUCU1AQG4 - taking into account Question #2 what is the best way to move forward? Considering Android 8.0 is available for the S8 Active and has been available for my model from AT&T since March 1st, 2018 apparently I'm hoping there might be some way to move towards that.
Hope someone might be able to help,
Thanks in advance
UPDATE 05/05/2019
Got some answers to my original questions...
1. Rooting/Flashing are different things - rooting allows custom firmware, flashing is the procedure to install custom or OEM firmware onto the device.
2. The best option for me I think is to just update to newer AT&T firmware so I get the updates and new software features as I'm not interested in custom firmware. I still do not know if it is possible to get OTA updates for this device directly from Samsung/Google.
3. As long as you are flashing from the same model firmware as in SM-G892A to SM-G892A should be no issues, however using SM-G892U might cause issues.
4. Once I wrapped my head around how baseband versions of firmware work and what is needed to get between bootloader versions flashing from SD Card or Odin (as I suspected) was very straightforward thanks to some of the guides out there. To make this easier for anyone facing the same issue I have written how I did this below.
5. Yes, flashing for AT&T will delete everything, it's an absolute PIA and that's why I will keep searching for a way to get OTA updates enabled if at all possible. However I believe Samsung SmartSwitch is pretty good for backing up and restoring so that might be a simple way forward.
6. See my latest post, I was 12 updates behind but able to skip 7 of them using my method.

I'm considering importing an S8 Active AT&T and have the same questions. How did you go?

secateurs said:
I'm considering importing an S8 Active AT&T and have the same questions. How did you go?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the slow reply I've only just had the time to dive into this. Yes I have figured it out.
There are two ways, incrementally update by applying OTA updates via the SD card. However trying to find all of these can be a pain.
The other way you may have read about is to use Samsung's own 'Odin' flashing software.
Because I had the very first baseband version G892AUCU1AQG4 I was way behind. The fifth-last digit designates the bootloader version, you cannot jump from v1 to v3 for example. So what you can do is use a few OTA updates to jump you from v1 to the first v2, you can then use Odin to jump you all the way up and use another OTA to get you to the next bootloader version. Hope that makes sense?
So I was able to use x2 OTA updates to get from 1AQG4 to 1AQJ2, then I was able to do one more OTA to get from 1AQJ2-to-2AQK3. Now if I was to continue using the OTA method with the SD card, I would need to run the process x8 times. This presents 3 issues:
1. Time consuming, trying to find all the correct OTA updates.
2. Even when you do get all the correct OTA updates you then have to copy each on to the SD card waiting for the phone to update and then repeat the process.
3. Even if you can find a link for a required OTA update a lot of the links are dead.
However using Odin and the flash files I was able to skip these and go directly from 2AQK3 to 2BRF2, use one OTA update and then I was onto Bootloader v3 (which is the latest version). Here is how I compressed 12 updates do into 5, good luck..
1. 1AQG4-to-1AQJ2 OTA (SD CARD): dropbox.com/s/ikor71zt1ec0nyn/SS-G892AUCU1AQG4-to-S1AQJ2.zip?dl=0
2. 1AQJ2-to-2AQK3 OTA (SD CARD): dropbox.com/s/ott9fs9qunkvf9x/SS-G892AUCS1AQJ2-to-U2AQK3.zip?dl=0
3. 2AQK3-to-2BRF2 Odin Flash : androidfilehost.com/?fid=1322778262904016415
4. 2BRF2-to-3BRG1 OTA (SD CARD): androidfilehost.com/?fid=1322778262904016441
5. 3BRG1-to-3BRL1 Odin Flash: mega.nz/#!7M42VCAJ!-FKnhzwTZG0He1kb9FzHHaPX4Aanlnj4fpn0M61DzR4

Have the s8 active outside of America and desperately want to update it
Hey ,
I'm sorry to bring up this old thread but I didn't really understand the method you used sorry I'm really new to this thing, I have the s8 active Sm-g892A ( the att) model it's on the baseband version G892AUCS2ARB1 . If you could help me out a bit with this I would be really grateful, having Android 7.0 really makes me concerned as I've heard the security patches also won't update.

None2939 said:
Hey ,
I'm sorry to bring up this old thread but I didn't really understand the method you used sorry I'm really new to this thing, I have the s8 active Sm-g892A ( the att) model it's on the baseband version G892AUCS2ARB1 . If you could help me out a bit with this I would be really grateful, having Android 7.0 really makes me concerned as I've heard the security patches also won't update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are on Bootloader v2 (5th character from the right). So you can skip straight to Step 3. Be warned all instructions below will result in all data on your device being wiped!
Using Odin to upgrade as directed on Step 3 & 5 or future upgrades (there is now v4 software appearing):
You need to download Odin (you don't need a modified/Comsy version).
You need to enable Developer Options on your Galaxy.
Once you have developer options you need to enable 'USB Debugging'.
You need to shutdown your Galaxy.
Connect your USB cabble to your PC.
Boot into Download mode by using the Power+Bixby+Volume Down combo. OR if that doesn't work Use the Power+Bixby+Volume Up and use the menu to get into Download Mode.
Open Odin on your PC, it should say 'Added' if it detects your Galaxy correctly. If it doesn't you may need to install some USB drivers (you can Google how to do this).
Once it says 'Added' you can add the files from Step 3 and flash but be warned it will wipe everything on your device.
For Step 4 OTA:
Very simply download the ZIP file and place the complete ZIP file on an SD Card (it should not be extracted must be complete ZIP archive). Place the SD Card in the Galaxy, power off and boot into Recovery Mode Power+Bixby+Volume Up. Then simply use the Volume Up/Down and Power keys to navigate through, 'Apply Update from SD Card', find your SD card and the ZIP file and allow the update to run.

Essential PH-1 downgrade

Hello yall!
So I am at a complete loss on how to fix the issues with my Essential device.
So I decided to post here in as much detail as I can and hopefully receive some answers.
I purchased my phone used from eBay about a month ago.
According to the listing it was factory unlocked.
I have AT&T prepaid.
Everything was running smoothly for about a week until I receive the notification for the Android Pie OTA.
(At this time my bootloader was not yet unlocked nor was I rooted).
Again everything was fine UNTIL I installed the security patch update.
As soon as I installed and rebooted my sim read as invalid.
I rebooted, tried to mess with network settings, factory reset, etc.
Turning to Google, I realize this is a common issue with the Sprint variant of this device (of course my luck would be for me to unknowingly purchase the Sprint variant not knowing there was any issues) and the pie update.
The main fix for this issue would be of course to downgrade back to Android 8.
Here's my issues...
I unlock my bootloader.
Install the Android 8 firmware from the official Essential site. (made sure to install the one for Sprint variant).
Flash.
The touch screen is not functional. At all.
Flash back to Android Pie and install TWRP
Flash Android 8 custom ROM.
Touch screen still not functional.
So I'm back on Android Pie and touch screen is working, but sim is still invalid.
How are other essential users successful in downgrading the software?
HELP.

stephxo said:
Hello yall!
So I am at a complete loss on how to fix the issues with my Essential device.
So I decided to post here in as much detail as I can and hopefully receive some answers.
I purchased my phone used from eBay about a month ago.
According to the listing it was factory unlocked.
I have AT&T prepaid.
Everything was running smoothly for about a week until I receive the notification for the Android Pie OTA.
(At this time my bootloader was not yet unlocked nor was I rooted).
Again everything was fine UNTIL I installed the security patch update.
As soon as I installed and rebooted my sim read as invalid.
I rebooted, tried to mess with network settings, factory reset, etc.
Turning to Google, I realize this is a common issue with the Sprint variant of this device (of course my luck would be for me to unknowingly purchase the Sprint variant not knowing there was any issues) and the pie update.
The main fix for this issue would be of course to downgrade back to Android 8.
Here's my issues...
I unlock my bootloader.
Install the Android 8 firmware from the official Essential site. (made sure to install the one for Sprint variant).
Flash.
The touch screen is not functional. At all.
Flash back to Android Pie and install TWRP
Flash Android 8 custom ROM.
Touch screen still not functional.
So I'm back on Android Pie and touch screen is working, but sim is still invalid.
How are other essential users successful in downgrading the software?
HELP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the guide section and read the post that says uicc unlock there is a solution outlined.just follow it and your phone will be back in service

stephxo said:
Hello yall!
So I am at a complete loss on how to fix the issues with my Essential device.
So I decided to post here in as much detail as I can and hopefully receive some answers.
I purchased my phone used from eBay about a month ago.
According to the listing it was factory unlocked.
I have AT&T prepaid.
Everything was running smoothly for about a week until I receive the notification for the Android Pie OTA.
(At this time my bootloader was not yet unlocked nor was I rooted).
Again everything was fine UNTIL I installed the security patch update.
As soon as I installed and rebooted my sim read as invalid.
I rebooted, tried to mess with network settings, factory reset, etc.
Turning to Google, I realize this is a common issue with the Sprint variant of this device (of course my luck would be for me to unknowingly purchase the Sprint variant not knowing there was any issues) and the pie update.
The main fix for this issue would be of course to downgrade back to Android 8.
Here's my issues...
I unlock my bootloader.
Install the Android 8 firmware from the official Essential site. (made sure to install the one for Sprint variant).
Flash.
The touch screen is not functional. At all.
Flash back to Android Pie and install TWRP
Flash Android 8 custom ROM.
Touch screen still not functional.
So I'm back on Android Pie and touch screen is working, but sim is still invalid.
How are other essential users successful in downgrading the software?
HELP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you unlock your critical partitions along with the bootloader?

arjunv said:
Go to the guide section and read the post that says uicc unlock there is a solution outlined.just follow it and your phone will be back in service
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think you could link that post for me? I can't seem to find it.
I also don't see any uicc option on my debice. (Not sure or that matters though)

If it's Sprint you need to wait 50 days before you can unlock it. CDMA phones are a pain in the ass to unlock, always buy International if possible!
This thread has some information that might be useful:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/essential-phone/help/unlock-sprint-version-t3720727
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs

SuperBrolySSJ said:
Did you unlock your critical partitions along with the bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is required for the touch screen firmware to be flashed and OP needs to see this.

Sony Emma is an odd bird

(Apologies if this isn't the right forum...it's the only one I found that seems to deal in topics that are universally applicable to the entire Xperia line-up.)
For the entire time I've been using Xperia phones, I've always used the third-party "Flashtool" by Androxyde to flash my phones, and "XperiFirm" by Igor Eisberg to source my Sony ROMs from Sony servers. Both tools have proven to be extremely flexible and powerful, so why waste time with the first-party tools which don't give you much say or control over the process?
I also just recently realized that I had an inaccurate understanding of at least one of the first-party Sony tools: what Sony calls "Flash tool" on their developers site, but which calls itself "Emma". Based on posts I had read by others (esp. surrounding the bootloader upgrades for Z1/Z3 series that enable using the FOTAKernel partition to store and boot from a standard recovery image), I came away with the conclusion that the ROMs that Emma downloads are *different* than the ones that Xperia Companion downloads...that Sony tailor-made ROM releases specifically for users who had unlocked their bootloaders, and Emma was the distribution mechanism for those.
Maybe this was already obvious to everyone else and I'm just late to the party, but I recently decided to play with both Emma and the current iteration of Xperia Companion, and discovered this isn't the case.
The firmwares Emma downloads are *identical* to the firmwares Xperia Companion does. Assuming you can get both Emma and Xperia Companion to download the same exact ROM version for the same exact phone model with the same exact regional or carrier customization, the pre-decryption FILE_######## filenames are the exact same, the file sizes are the exact same, and in fact the downloaded files from both tools are bit-for-bit identical with each other.
As far as my previous misconceptions go, it would also appear that the bootloader improvements that Sony made to earlier phone models were in fact released to the general public through standard channels: if you wanted a bootloader version that could treat the FOTAKernel partition as a Recovery partition instead, all you had to do was upgrade to the latest ROM for your phone (and then unlock bootloader & flash a recovery image of your choice using Fastboot afterward, naturally). It didn't *have* to be done through Emma: the upgrade would arrive OTA and/or through Companion just as well (or of course packaged in an FTF and then flashed by Androxyde's tool). And all subsequent phone models seem to just have these bootloader improvements incorporated straight from the factory...no need to get Emma involved whatsoever.
This to me raises the question: why 2 completely separate tools from Sony, anyway? Xperia Companion (and Sony PC Companion before it) *refuses* to work on phones with unlocked bootloaders, while Emma *refuses* to work on locked bootloaders. Since they are both dealing with the exact same ROM code, why do either of them give a crap what the state of the bootloader is? In the instance of Companion, I could see a case being made for refusing to do a firmware upgrade to a phone with an unlocked bootloader, for the same reason that unlocking the bootloader stops OTAs from working: an unlocked bootloader means you don't know & can no longer trust what the state of the /system partition is -- it could have been modified -- and so a differential upgrade could completely fail to apply and even make Android unbootable afterward. But that's no excuse for making Companion refuse to do a "software repair" (which wipes out all code and data) on a phone with an unlocked bootloader! And likewise there is no excuse for Emma refusing to "apply a service" to a phone with a locked bootloader!!
It gets even weirder when you look under the hood of both tools and realize that they both use the exact same core (Java) routines to download and flash ROM images from Sony servers to Xperia phones. There is thus ZERO reason to differentiate them based on bootloader lock status. I'm okay with Sony having a generally consumer-facing repair tool (Companion) and more power-user one (Emma), but they both should absolutely work regardless of the bootloader being locked or unlocked. That's a stupid and artificial restriction.
I get the impression that Emma is used by more than just users of unlocked bootloaders (or as Sony thinks of them, the "developer community"). I think this might also be the same tool that they distribute to their Sony service partners for phone repair. This would explain why early versions downloaded from developer.sony.com would pop up a login screen unless/until you edited some .INI file that pre-populated it with credentials to enable "Sony developer world" mode. This means Emma is also PERFECTLY CAPABLE of "applying service" to phones with locked bootloaders anyway. It just chooses not to if you aren't an authorized Sony service center.
The final observation I'll make here is that Emma, at least while in "developer world mode", does often allow you to download and apply older ROMs for your phone. This logically must mean that all of the past ROM versions still exist on Sony firmware update servers and can still be downloaded from them. So my question in light of this is, why can XperiFirm only ever download the latest versions?
Tangentially related, anybody have a clue what the decision-making process is behind which ROMs Emma will offer to you for the phone that you have plugged in? I have a couple of Z5 Compacts: a U.S. model E5803, and an E5823 of unknown origin, and they both give different -- and equally weird -- results.
When I plug the E5823 in and put it in flash mode, Emma gives me like 5 different ROMs to choose from: a Lollipop 5.1.1 ROM, a Marshmallow 6.0 ROM, a Marshmallow 6.0.1 ROM, a Nougat 7.0 ROM, and a Nougat 7.1.1 ROM...and all of them are of NOBA customization. But the Nougat 7.1.1 ROM that it offers to me is 32.4.A.0.160, and not the very last/latest 32.4.A.1.54 release. Why the heck is that? I can download 32.4.A.1.54 for NOBA region from XperiFirm just fine, and if I try to do "software repair" to the phone from Xperia Companion, it also downloads 32.4.A.1.54.
When I plug the E5803 model from the U.S. in and put it in flash mode, Emma gives me exactly one option and one only: a very old Lollipop release (32.0.A.6.200) for "MY" (Malaysia) customization. THAT'S IT. No Marshmallow, no Nougat, and no other customization options. This is despite the fact that at the time I plugged the phone in, it was already loaded with and running a "US" customization ROM!
One might wonder if, say, my "U.S." phone is in fact NOT a true U.S.-released phone, and was perhaps flashed with Customized US firmware before it got into my hands. Well, from looking at the upgrade logs in the TA partition, that doesn't appear to be the case: it clearly started life as a U.S. model. And just in case there was some point at which I flashed Customized MY to it without remembering, I restored an old backup of the TA partition (which has nothing but Customized US firmware entries in it!), had Emma check it again, and SAME THING. So from this I can only conclude that it's basing the ROM offering off of the serial or IMEI of the phone?? Even so, where is it coming up with this Customized MY firmware, and why is it ONLY offering me Lollipop?

Considering Sony's Flash Tool a.k.a. "Emma" comes from a more "internal" background, it isn't hard to imagine it looking up unique serial numbers (such as the IMEI, as you had guessed) instead of more general information such as device model numbers and customization variants.
The supply chain game is prone to all sorts of mistakes and your particular phone might just have been filed in the wrong place. For instance, I've found one HP laptop whose serial number is not recognized by the manufacturer's customer support website nor the more involved services used for looking up spare parts and replacement accesories (called "PartSurfer"). I've also come across a bunch of Samsung phones which wouldn't upgrade via OTA nor using Kies, but ODIN did the job just fine.
As for the locked/unlocked bootloader restrictions, it might have to do with how the different tools do data preservation (or how they don't). As far as I remember, there were serious pitfalls when flashing unlocked devices with official tools which sometimes led to a hard bricks. "Find my Xperia" on unlocked bootloaders comes to mind. I guess Sony just doesn't want to be liable for data loss and decided to proceed with this ham-fisted approach.
As for XperiFirm, yeah, I was sad when I found out you could no longer download older firmware releases with it.

Pixelado said:
Considering Sony's Flash Tool a.k.a. "Emma" comes from a more "internal" background, it isn't hard to imagine it looking up unique serial numbers (such as the IMEI, as you had guessed) instead of more general information such as device model numbers and customization variants.
The supply chain game is prone to all sorts of mistakes and your particular phone might just have been filed in the wrong place.
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Theory makes sense on the surface, but I keep running across weird oddities with every phone I've tried to have Emma look up. In my experience it is MORE rare for Emma to return what I would expect to be the proper firmware list for a specific Xperia phone than it is for it to return something that doesn't exactly match, which seems VERY common. In addition to the phones I talked about in my original post, I have also tried seeing what Emma thinks about the 2 Z3 Compacts I bought that are clearly U.S. models & NOT AliExpress counterfeits. They both had U.S. customization firmware loads on them, but Emma wants to download Malaysia firmware for both of them.
Pixelado said:
As for the locked/unlocked bootloader restrictions, it might have to do with how the different tools do data preservation (or how they don't). As far as I remember, there were serious pitfalls when flashing unlocked devices with official tools which sometimes led to a hard bricks. "Find my Xperia" on unlocked bootloaders comes to mind.
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Click to collapse
I'll have to look this up as I'm not familiar with the pitfalls you're talking about or with the specific Find My Xperia example you cite. But so far I have yet to run across a scenario *when flashing official Sony firmware images* where it makes a difference whether the bootloader is locked or unlocked. I've flashed various Xperias with the third-party Flashtool a zillion times, both locked and unlocked with the exact same FTFs. There's no difference I can see. And also both Emma and Xperia Companion download the *exact same firmware files* from the Sony update servers. So the Sony decision to make Emma ONLY work with unlocked and Xperia Companion to ONLY work with locked strikes me as completely arbitrary and nonsensical.
Pixelado said:
As for XperiFirm, yeah, I was sad when I found out you could no longer download older firmware releases with it.
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Click to collapse
My point here was more that the XperiFirm author, as I recall, claims it is impossible to download older firmwares from Sony servers because Sony deletes them. Emma, however, seems to disprove this claim. So it would be *nice* if we could figure out what exact query Emma is running in order to find the older firmware files that OBVIOUSLY still exist, and then replicate that outside of Emma.

Sony Emma
https://software.sonymobile.com/emma/doc/emma_user_guide.pdf (manual)
Sony Emma is an internal tool to flash and repair phone softwares for authorized Sony personnels only. It can do anything, from customization change, sim unlock, thief protection unlock,....So Sony make Emma very secure and therefore have many restriction in "public" mode. About the firmware question, it uses the internal server, not the public one for Xperia Companion (and XperiFirm). The firmware on both servers is the same generally, but the public one are subject to end of life policy, the one not available are the ones Sony dont support anymore.