Sony’s Xperia Z3 Compact is one of the most popular smartphones of 2014 that has a display smaller than 5 inches. Due to the popularity of the Z3 Compact, I would like to walk you through a simple guide to show you how to unlock the Xperia Z3 Compact Bootloader.
Yesterday I told you how to unlock the bootloader of the Xperia Z3 so today I wanted to type up a quick article about the Z3’s little brother. The process is exactly the same as the Xperia Z3. I just needed to publish an article with the proper keywords in hopes that people searching Google will find the website and they can unlock their device. It’s also much less confusing to the reader when there’s a separate article dedicated to their device.
Warning:
Just like before, I have to warn you about unlocking the bootloader of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Unlocking the bootloader will erase DRM security keys on your smartphone. This doesn’t make your device less secure but it does wipe algorithms that the camera module of the Xperia Z3 Compact uses. Once these DRM keys are gone, your photos will turn out exceptionally worse than they did before. It’s possible that some root modifications can make those photos look better again, but I still have to give you this warning.
I have to commend Sony on making it so incredibly easy to unlock the bootloader on their smartphones. I don’t agree with the way this affects the camera’s photo quality, but Sony is very protective of their intellectual property and they have every right to be. Either way, Sony has made it so easy that we don’t even need to connect a cable to the Xperia Z3 Compact and execute ADB commands.
Instead, Sony has set up a website to register the unlock process for you. We just have to get into a hidden menu first.
Xperia Z3 Compact Unlock
- Open the Dialer Application
- Enter the Code Following Code
- *#*#7378423#*#*
- Tap on Service Info
- Tap on Configuration
- Tap on Rooting Status
- Make Sure ‘Bootloader Unlock Allowed’ Says Yes
- Click Here to Receive Unlock Code
- Submit Your Email to Sony
- Click the Link Sony Emails You
- Submit Your IMEI Number
- Use the Unlock Code
Just like with the Xperia Z3, the process is that simple. You need to go into the hidden menu first so you can check to make sure your smartphone allows the bootloader to be unlocked. Assuming the bootloader for your Sony Xperia Z3 Compact isn’t blocked, you can head on over to the Sony Bootloader Unlock website and submit your email address. Sony will send you a special link to your email address and then you’ll be required to submit your IMEI number. Once they know this information they will give you the unlock code so you can unlock your smartphone.
I know that seeing the camera affected in this way is not nice for customers that want to install custom recoveries, custom ROMs and custom kernels, but I hope that the developers within the community can come up with some type of workaround. Either with an exploit to unlock the bootloader(while keeping the DRM keys in place) or maybe with a camera modification that will make it so the DRM keys aren’t even needed. As always, if you have any question about this guide then please do not hesitate to ask. You can send an email through the Contact page at the top of the website or you can simply leave a comment at the bottom of this article.
[Source: Sony]
