Sony has confirmed that support for the Xperia L has reached an expiry date. It also means that the smartphone will no longer be receiving any further updates, including the highly anticipated Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Well, there is no reason for Sony Xperia L users to feel let down by this as they can still get a lick at the Lollipop via the aid of XDA developers.
One developer called varun.chitre15 announced yesterday that a custom ROM containing the Android 5.0 Lollipop has already been created specifically for the Sony Xperia L. The bad news is that the update is still in its early build hence it will come with some issues.
Varun.chitre15 had the courtesy to inform Xperia L users that things like Wi-Fi function, Bluetooth connectivity, RIL and GPS are faulty. Of course, a future update is in store to fix the issues.
If you are using the Xperia L and wouldn’t mind the many issues just to try out the Lollipop OS, then you can check out the installation guide below. Please be warned that we will not be held accountable for any damages that occur with the update.
Pre-requisite
• Before following the installation guide, ensure that you have backed up all important data of the phone. This procedure will completely wipe out the internal storage of the device.
• The bootloader of Xperia L should be unlocked.
• The phone should have above 80% charge.
• Check the model number of Xperia L and install custom firmware accordingly. Flashing this in an incorrect variant might brick the device.
Flashing instruction
1) Extract c2105_alpha1_android-5.0.0_r2_fastboot.zip in a folder on your PC to get the following files: boot.img, system.img and userdat.img.
2) Extract adb_and_fastboot_files.zip in a separate folder on the PC
3) Copy the files which you have got in step-1 to the ADB and Fastboot folder
4) Switch off the Xperia L> Press the Volume Up button> Connect the phone to the computer using USB cable while holding the Volume Up button. Xperia L should now be in the Fastboot Mode and the LED light of the phone should turn to blue.
5) Open the folder where all the files are extracted. Open a command window inside the folder. For this press Shift+Right Click in an empty space inside the folder and select Open command window here for the menu
6) Type in the following commands in an orderly manner to install Android 5.0 on Xperia L: fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
7) When the installation is completed, reboot the Xperia L by executing fastboot reboot.
When the rebooting is completed, Xperia L should be running new AOSP ROM based on Android 5.0 Lollipop.
