How to Root Xperia Z (C660, C6602 and C6603) on Firmware Version 10.3.1.A.0.244/2.67

The Xperia Z, one of Sony’s best-selling smartphones, has been in the market for months. If you have this device and are still thinking of rooting it, we have come with a guide for you. Actually, it is our fourth guide on rooting the Xperia Z  (C660, C6602 and C6603). The reason for several rooting guides for the same device is the differences in the firmware versions. The manufacturer releases a firmware, our developers find an exploit to gain root and then Sony again patches up that loophole. It’s a kind of game between Android OEMs and the developer community that keeps going behind the scenes.

Prior to firmware version 10.3.1.A.0.244/2.67, Xperia Z used to have a loophole called “pref_event exploit” that allowed injecting SuperSU and Busybox and thus achieve root. However, with the new firmware update for the device, Sony sealed that hole and, as a result, the exploit stopped working. Anyway, as you know, in all such hide and seek games it is always out talented developers who win and come with a working solution, so that we might keep enjoying root access on our phone.

When it comes to rooting a Xperia device, DooMLoRD is probably the most known name. In the past, he has released a number of root toolkits for Sony devices. And this time he has managed to gain root privileges on Sony Xperia Z on firmware versions 10.3.1.A.0.244 / 10.3.1.A.2.67. If you have any of this firmware on your phone and you are facing issues with rooting it, this is just a perfect place to stop and take a relieving breath. The rooting method works on devices with locked and unlocked bootloaders both.

Preparations Before Rooting:

• Download the root compatible kernel for the Xperia Z: XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.A.0.423_Generic_NL.f tf
• Download the Easy Rooting Toolkit for Xperia Z and extract it on your desktop: Easy-Rooting-Toolkit_v18_perf-event-exploit.zip
• Download one of the following files depending on your phone’s firmware version:
  • XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.1.A.2.67.ftf 
  • XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.1.A.0.244_BE.ftf
• Download Sony Flash Tool and install it on your computer: Click Here
• Download and install Sony USB Drivers on your computer: Click Here
• Enable USB Debugging on your device. If you do not how to do it, read this tutorial.

Rooting Xperia Z on 10.3.1.A.0.244/2.67:

Having made the preparations, let us now move on to the rooting steps.

1. Launch Sony Flash Tool and install the following Kernel file on which the exploit works: XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.A.0.423_Generic_NL.f tf
2. When the kernel is flashed to your device, reboot it.
3. Make sure that USB Debugging is turned on and then connect the phone to computer via USB cable.
4. Open the Easy Root Toolkit folder and double click the runme file, depending on your computer’s OS. For example, if you use Windows, launch the  runme_win.bat  file.
5. You’ll now see a cmd window, asking you to press a key. Obey it.
6. Doing this will run the rooting script and your Xperia Z will be rooted. Open your phone’s app drawer and look for the SuperSU app. To verify root, install and run the Root Checker app from Google Play.
7. When root access is verified, you can now install the original Kernel back.
8. Launch the Sony Flash Tool again and this time, install one of the files, corresponding to your phone’s firmware version.
   • XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.1.A.2.67.ftf 
   • XperiaZ_C660X_KernelOnly_10.3.1.A.0.244_BE.ftf

You can now disconnect the USB cable and start enjoying the advantages of owning a rooted phone. Cheers!

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