How to Install TWRP on Sony Xperia XA2

Sony has a lot of proprietary apps that come preloaded with the Xperia smartphones. Although these apps provide different functionality that makes the Xperia devices unique, they also make the devices slow over time. Moreover, most of the users never usually use all of the preloaded apps. You can either remove the bloatware or try entirely new custom ROMs and mods. To do all these, the first thing you need to do is to install TWRP on Sony Xperia XA2.

Coming to the device specifications. the XA2 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor coupled with 3GB RAM. It boasts a 5.2-inch Full HD display with 16:9 aspect ratio. The camera department has an impressive 23 MP sensor at the rear and an 8 MP sensor on the front. The device runs Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box and now you can update to the latest versions using custom ROMs.

TWRP for Sony Xperia XA2

TWRP recovery is a custom touch-based recovery which is loaded on a special partition on your device. The recovery partition runs parallel to the Android OS and can be accessed by booting into the recovery mode. So, even when your device got corrupted or locked out of it, you can simply go into the TWRP recovery. There are a number of hacks and scripts that will perform different functions. To name some, you can bypass a locked android screen, remove bloatware using flashable scripts, flash custom ROMs and mods.

Another important feature is the ability to take nandroid backups. A nandroid backup is a complete backup of your Android OS, much like a snapshot of your entire device at a particular instant. So, if anything goes wrong when you’re flashing custom ROMs or doing any advanced stuff, you can simply restore your device to an earlier point. Sony Xperia XA2 has the official support for TWRP, so you will have a stable custom recovery with regular updates. So, without any further ado, let’s see how to install TWRP on Sony Xperia XA2 smartphone.

Prerequisites

1. This guide is only for the Sony Xperia XA2. Do not try this on any other phone.
2. Charge your phone good enough so that it doesn’t go dead during the installation process.
3. Backup your call logs, contacts and SMS messages. Also backup your media content. This is important since unlocking the bootloader will completely wipe your phone.
4. Enable OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging mode on your device.
5. Use the OEM data cable to connect your phone to your PC.
6. Unlock your bootloader

Downloads

1. Download and install Minimal ADB and Fastboot drivers on your computer.
2. Download the latest TWRP image file from here. Rename this file to recovery.img and copy it to the ADB and Fastboot folder.

How to Install TWRP on Sony Xperia XA2

1. Navigate to the folder where you have installed ADB and fastboot files on your computer.
2. Connect your device to the PC using a USB cable.
3. Open a command prompt window from the ADB and Fastboot folder [Press shift key + right-click on any blank space of the folder] and then select “Open command window here” from the context menu.
4. Execute the below command to reboot to bootloader.

   adb reboot bootloader

5. Make sure the “recovery.img” file is in the fastboot folder and execute the below command to flash it on your device.

   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

6. It will take a couple of seconds for the TWRP recovery image to flash.
7. Once the flashing process is complete, reboot the device.

That’s all. You have successfully installed TWRP on your device.