Flash Android M on Sony Xperia Z3 using FreeXperia ROM

Do you want to flash Android M on your Sony Xperia Z3 by using the FreeXperia ROM? A few weeks earlier, Sony revealed a list of devices compatible with their Open Device Program and they have also released respective binaries for every single device. This was the perfect opportunity for developers to compile Android M source code for each device including the Sony Xperia Z3 that I am talking about.

The Team FreeXperia has compiled the Android M Developer builds for almost all of the listed devices, making it so easy for all owners to access and use. You would be able to flash Android M Developer Preview just like any other custom ROM on your Sony Xperia device, but in order to be able to do that, it must be rooted and having a custom recovery installed since this is not an official Sony firmware update. The operation is not official, so it will make you lose the warranty of your Xperia Z3, but this is not such a big problem as long as you can use this guide and learn How to restore it.

Before starting, backup your precious data, make sure that the bootloader is unlocked and plug in the charger as long as you must have at least 60 percent of battery charge in order to avoid the unpleasant surprise of powering off during the installation process which could easily lead to bricking the handset. Do not hesitate to enter into Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging and enable the USB debugging option.

At the end, find the original USB cable and verify that you have the USB drivers of this handset already installed on your PC or laptop. And keep in mind that won’t not to be held responsible if you damage or brick your device. This is your responsibility to assume! Be careful in everything that you do and read twice before applying something.

How to Flash Android M on Sony Xperia Z3 using FreeXperia ROM:

1. Download the Android M Developer Preview Build ROM from here;
2. Then, take Gapps from here;
3. Connect the device to the computer or laptop by using the original USB cable;
4. Transfer them to the SD card root;
5. Remove the cord;
6. You must turn off the Sony Xperia Z3 device;
7. Boot it into recovery mode;
8. Perform a full data wipe by selecting the ‘wipe data/factory reset’ option;
9. You can also clear cache memory of by selecting ‘wipe cache partition;
10. Return to main menu of recovery mode and select ‘advance’;
11. After that, choose ‘wipe dalvik cache’ to perform a complete wipe;
12. Up next, return to the main menu of the recovery mode and select ‘install zip from SD card’;
13. Go to the ROM zip file and flash it;
14. Follow the same procedure for the Google Apps;
15. Then, you have to go back to main menu of recovery mode;
16. Choose ‘reboot system now’.

Now your smartphone should be running the Android M ROM by FreeXperia. This ROM comes with some Android M features that I am sure that you are eager to use such as isolated App permissions, fingerprint support, mobile payments, power and charging features, Android M RAM manager, Adoptable Storage Devices, so let me know if you like them!