One problem with the development of iodéOS CustomROMs is that the dependency on the source code of the Lineage Android Duistribution (LOS) is very high. As a rule, this means that if no preliminary work has been done by the official LOS dev team, there is little chance that an official iodéOS will be built. But there is no rule without exception, for example: Sony Xperia XZ1 (poplar)
To be able to lock the bootloader of a device with a flashed iodéOS again, an AVB_custom_key (avb_pkmd-device.bin) is required, which the ROM developer must provide.
However, you could try the fantastic official iodéOS GSI 5.5 or iodéOS GSI 5.6-beta If the A/B device supports Seamless Upgrades even an iodéOS GSI OTA update is possible.
Is it worth the time invested for a one off though? I am happy with the XA2 as it scores in both form as well as functionality, whereas the XA3 would score well in the functionality department but when it comes to style it just doesn’t have any. If it wasn’t for the makers branding on the back panel you wouldn’t have a clue as to what it was. Plus I’m not a big fan of plastic phones as I said before in another post. As for the latest trend for making the back panels out of glass? You cannot be serious!! Just price one of those up for the latest Samsung down at your local service centre. I can see why the manufacturers love them for sure.
If I knew that there was interest by the team in adding it to the list if successful, it could be worth the effort. Thanks for the invite to the Telegram channel by the way @iodysseus , I’ll check it out later.
I’m aware of that @petefoth it’s just that I was trying to seperate out the one’s that are known to be relockable as I had already put forward the idea of them being possible alternatives for those that don’t want to buy a pixel phone purely because it can be relocked.
This is why I described it as a ‘possible alternative’ earlier as despite Sony saying you will not be able to restore the lock, some guys on XDA claim to have done it and still received updates for Sony’s official release too. Another guy claims that it is possible to save the DRM keys as well before unlocking and describes his methodology too, but the thing is that XDA isn’t always a 100% reliable source. As is often the case with CR’s, uncertainty is always lurking in the background, so someone would need to test the theory.
This phone I have (XQ-BT52), only cost me £40 and it’s a minter still in its original box too, so no great loss if it didn’t work out, but bearing in mind I would want to keep the XA2 anyway, selling it on with an unsupported iode version would probably be nigh on impossible even if it did work. Hence the reason as to why I’m in two minds.
The 5G Android smartphone Sony Xperia 10 III (XQ-BT52) was delivered with Android 11 at launch and currently runs stock Android 13.
With the introduction of Android 11, Goolag LLC has obliged device manufacturers to implement A/B partitions ( dynamic “super” partitions) that enable updates to the operating system in the background with a subsequent reboot - so-called Seamless Upgrades. If a manufacturer does not adhere to this requirement, the Vendor Test Suite will fail and Google’s services will not be available. This means there is a very good chance that you will be able to degoogling and massively upgrade your Xperia 10 III (XQ-BT52) with iodéOS GSI + OTA update.
Ok… you have convinced me! Just been on to the Sony site and got me the unlock code for the XA3. I first went on using my Linux PC’s and on both occasions I got turned down with the response “Unknown Reason”. Was downstairs in the lounge later bored with some crazy drama my partner was watching, saw her Windows tablet on the couch and thought… I wonder? and as if by magic the “Unknown Reason” problem was resolved.
So!! Another caveat, if you choose to explore this option is you will need to get your hands on a Windows box or a Mac to get your hands on the unlock code.
You’ve to decide: either bootloader unlock or keep using your XQ-BT52 with stock Android.
The unlocking process at Sony is exemplary simple and only requires you to enter the Sony model and IMEI, IDIS or MEID. Everything is clearly explained step by step on the website. So, now it’s up to you …
