How to update using LInux

[Leona23]

Ok so its really close now to being able to see ICS on our phones, excited.

But for those of us not using Windows or Mac, how can we update?

Would it be possible to provide an update Rom to place on our SD cards, so enable us to update that way, as we can do with other phones?

Just wondering that is all.

[#2]

Please wait for 2-3 days, everything will be fine

So, what was it, that we should be waiting for?

It's so hypocritical vending a phone with a Linux-kerneled OS on it, but not offering a GNU/Linux-version of the support-software ...

[Nabeel]

That was about the problems people were facing while updating to ICS

[lilruchira]

I'am also a linux user and we need linux version of PC companion.

[Leona23]

I've got fed up waiting for Sony to release the Rom for the UK and the lack of Linux support, so have taken matters in to my own hands, and have managed to update my Phone to ICS, without unlocking the boot loader or using Windows!

How did I do it? well, I headed over to the XDA Developers forum, I searched and found a tool to flash the phone using JAVA! (you know that cross platform open source language, you might have heard of it! 'Looking at you Sony!').

The tool is called FlashTool, easy to find and easy to use.(there is Windozes version too).

Also on the XDA Forum is the Official Sony Firmware. (with locked bootloader you can only flash the official firmware, but that is all I wanted to do).

Download the tool, unpack it, (as of writing latest version 0.9.5)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000012

Download the firmware and unpack that.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1642480

Install Java and configure your 'java_home' plenty of 'how tos' for this, google it. (very easy in Ubuntu)

I couldn't get the udev stuff to work so I just ran FlashTool with Root 'sudo ./FlashTool'

This is loaded a java application, you can now drop the .ftf file onto the app, this will give you the rest of the instructions you need to flash it. (btw for reference the picture they show for getting in the flashmode is a little confusing, just remember its the 'back' button you press, on the Pro that's on the left, the picture shows it on the right, that confused me for a while).

15 minutes later, you have a nice new ICS on your phone, all legit and legal!

Isn't it a shame that Sony couldn't come up with this, with all their resource and knowledge, it wouldn't have taken them long to knock up such an app, but no, its left to the community to figure it out, well done to the great developers at XDA!

Good luck and enjoy ICS!

[skeptic]

Maybe the reason for Sony's standing in the market can at least in part be attributed to technology issues like this one.

TEN BIGGEST SMARTPHONE MANUFACTURERS BY UNIT SALES IN Q1 2012

Rank . Maker . . . . . . Units . . . Market Share . . . . Was in Q4 of 2011

1 . . . . Samsung  . . . 44.5 M . . 30.6 % . . . . . . . . ( 22.8 %)

2 . . . . Apple . . . . . . 35.1 M . . 24.2 % . . . . . . . . ( 23.9 %)

3 . . . . Nokia . . . . . . 11.9 M . . . 8.2 % . . . . . . . . ( 12.6 %)

4 . . . . RIM . . . . . . .  11.1 M . . . 7.6 % . . . . . . . . (   9.1 %)

5 . . . . HTC . . . . . . . . 7.9 M . . . 5.4 % . . . . . . . . (   6.1 %)

6 . . . . Sony . . . . . . .  7.3 M . . . 5.0 % . . . . . . . . (  5.8 %)

7 . . . . Huawei  . . . . .  7.0 M . . . 4.8 % . . . . . . . . (  4.8 %)

8 . . . . LG . . . . . . . . . 5.5 M . . . 3.8 % . . . . . . . . (  4.5 %)

9 . . . . Motorola . . . . . 5.1 M . . . 3.5 % . . . . . . . . (  3.4 %)

10 . . . ZTE . . . . . . . .  5.0 M . . . 3.4 % . . . . . . . . (  3.5 %)

Others . . . . . . . . . . .  4.8 M . . . 3.3 % . . . . . . . .  (  3.5 %)

TOTAL  . . . . . . . . . 145.2 M

[you]

I don't know if anybody is still reading this thread; it's a tad old. But it's still important: we need a gnu/linux version of the update software!!! And to those that propose using wine: please note that it's also the fact that both Windoz and Mac are not free (in either sense of the word ;-D) and to buy Wondoz just in order to be able to update the phone is absurd.

I bought the acro S and like it, but this total neglect of gnu/linux customers re OS update is insulting. If I had known before (this is my first "smart" phone) I would have looked for a company that did respect gnu/linux.

Or is Google to blame??

And why in the world not over the air updates? I have a notification that I can update but when I click the download arrow it says only "Pending network" and gets stuck. I went on a chat with Sony customer service, which led nowhere.

But a question to other members here please: has anybody tried the method that Leona23 so kindly posted, and if so have you had any "issues" since updating???

[Faron]

HELLO?!  Number of Linux have been on rise and still is.  Statistic shows that 2014 number of Linux users are now a match to number of Mac users 5 years ago.  It's already rising and we are not too far from matching to Mac users, but only by 4-5% shy.  Come on - dont opt us out!

[RobSmi]

It's ironic that while Android is based on a linux kernel you only allow updates from Windows or Macs.

Come on Sony, sort it out!

[WorMzy]

I have a Xperia C1905 which is telling me that I have to connect to a PC to update to 15.4.A.0.23. Well, I've connected it to my PC, which happens to be running Arch Linux, and it's still not letting me update. Sony, sort yourselves out, please. It's pretty pathetic that you still don't support Linux even after all this time. 😕

[Plex]

I also use (Arch) Linux as my PC operating system.

Sony, please don't restrict updates to Windows and OSX users only!  At the very least, make the roms downloadable from the support page.