Install TWRP Recovery and Root Xperia XA

Sony Xperia XA was released last year equipping mid-range specifications. The phone has a 5-inch 720 x 1280p display with 294 ppi. Xperia XA has the MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 CPU accompanied by Mali-T860MP2 GPU. Xperia XA has a 2 GB RAM with 16 GB internal storage. At the back, this phone has a 13 MP camera while there is an 8 MP camera on the front. Xperia XA runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. Unfortunately, this device didn’t make it to the top of the list for Sony. It’s one of the devices that have been put aback in the huge competition going on between different smartphone manufacturers.

If you are Xperia XA owner and you haven’t had a chance to expand the features on your phone, you may do it now. A TWRP recovery is available for all the variants of Sony Xperia XA. You can flash the TWRP recovery and begin customizing your smartphone by installing custom ROMs and other modifications. The greatest utility of installing a TWRP custom recovery on your phone is the root access. You can easily flash a tool like SuperSu to root your Xperia XA right after you’ve installed a TWRP recovery.

The TWRP recovery for Xperia XA is not an official build. It’s an unofficial TWRP recovery, but it seems to be working fine and well. To flash the custom recovery, you need to have an unlocked bootloader on your phone. Once the bootloader has been unlocked, you can run a few commands via Android ADB and Fastboot command window for the installation procedure. The step-by-step guide to install TWRP recovery and Root Xperia XA is given below. Follow the instructions to get this done now.

Note: You’re going to do this at your own risk. Incase of a mishap, the recovery developer or TechBeasts may not be held responsible. Flashing a custom recovery and rooting your phone can void the warranty.

Preparations

• This guide is only for the Xperia XA F3111, F3113, F3115, F3112, and F3116. Do not try this on any other variant or phone. Check your phone’s model number under Settings > About device section.
• Backup your Contacts, Call Logs, SMS Messages and Media Content. This is very important as we have to unlock the bootloader and it will wipe your phone.
• Charge your phone good enough to ensure that it lasts during the recovery installation process.
• Enable USB Debugging mode on your Xperia XA.
• Enable OEM Unlocking on your Xperia XA.
• Unlock the bootloader of your Sony Xperia XA.

Required downloads & installations

1. Download and install Sony USB drivers.
2. Download and install Minimal ADB & Fastboot drivers.
3. Download latest SuperSU.zip file: SR1-SuperSU-v2.82-SR1-20170608224931.zip
4. Download the recovery and boot file according to your phone.
   1. XA-Dual-sim[F3112/F3116]
   2. XA-Single-sim[F3111/F3113/F3115]
5. Rename the downloaded file to recovery.img only.

How to install TWRP Recovery on Sony Xperia XA

1. Make sure that you’ve downloaded and installed Minimal ADB & Fastboot drivers on your Windows PC or installed Mac ADB & Fastboot for Mac.
2. You will get a Minimal ADB and Fastboot folder in your Windows installation drive’s Program Files. Navigate to the Program Files or Program Files x86 > Minimal ADB and Fastboot > copy the recovery.img file files here.
3. Connect your phone to your PC now.
4. Now open Minimal ADB & Fastboot.exe from your desktop. If you do not have this file on your desktop, then go to your Windows installation drive i.e. C drive > Program Files > Minimal ADB & Fastboot > Press and hold Shift Key + Right-click on an empty area with the open folder > click “Open command window here”.
5. Connect your Xperia XA to your computer now. If the phone asks for any permission, allow it the connection with your computer.
6. Now in the command window, enter the following commands one by one.
   1. adb devices
   2. If the phone is connected successfully, you should see a code here with the list of devices attached.
   3. adb reboot bootloader
   4. This will reboot your phone into the bootloader mode.
   5. fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
   6. This will flash the TWRP recovery.img file on your phone.
   7. adb reboot recovery
   8. This will reboot your phone into the newly installed TWRP recovery.

How to Root Sony Xperia XA

1. Copy the downloaded SuperSU.zip file to your phone’s internal or external SD card.
2. Reboot your Sony Xperia XA into TWRP Recovery.
3. In TWRP Recovery, tap Install > Locate the SuperSU.zip file and flash it.
4. After flashing the file, you can reboot your phone. Find SuperSU in the App Drawer now. That’s all.

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