How to install Sailfish X on Xperia™ 10

The instructions provide you step-by-step guidance how to install Sailfish X on Xperia™ 10.
During this process you will install fastboot driver, download Sailfish X and necessary software binaries, unlock the bootloader of the phone, and last but not least, flash Sailfish X to your phone.
The process will take an average of 25 minutes.

1   What you need to begin

  • Xperia™ 10 or Xperia™ 10 Plus, either single or dual SIM variant
  • Your phone should run Android 9, do not update to Android 10 in case it is offered.
    You can see the Android version in Settings app > System > About Phone. If it already has Android 10, you can downgrade it to Android 9 with the Emma tool on Windows.
  • Computer running macOS
  • Internet connection for your phone and computer
  • USB-C data cable, with one end always connected to the computer
  • Purchased Sailfish X licence

2   Test key functions of your Xperia 10 running Android

  • Please use your Xperia™ 10 running Android for a while prior to flashing Sailfish X.
  • Use the same SIM card(s) as you will use with Sailfish X. Check that you can make and receive phone calls, and that you can hear the other person speaking and you can be heard during a phone call.
  • Browse a few web pages using mobile data connection while the WLAN is turned off.
  • Browse also web pages using WLAN as data connection.
  • Open the camera app and shoot a few photos.
  •         Use GPS and find the location of your phone on a map.
  • If everything works normally then please proceed.

3   Install or update the Fastboot driver to your computer


Homebrew is required to install the fastboot driver. If you don’t have homebrew on your Mac, you can install it here.

brew tap caskroom/cask

brew cask install android-platform-tools

4   Get Sailfish X

4.1  Get the latest Sailfish X software from Jolla’s software download page. There, look for your phone variant, Xperia™ 10 or Xperia™ 10 Plus, either single or dual SIM variant, and then download the related software. Download from here.
4.2  Extract the contents of the zip file to a folder.

5   Get the Sony software binaries

5.1   Download the Sony Software binaries for AOSP
SW_binaries_for_Xperia_Android_9.0_2.3.2_v9_ganges.zip
Download from here.
5.2   Extract the contents of the zip file to a folder
5.3   Copy the files to same folder as in chapter 4.2

6   Enable developer options on your phone

6.1   Ensure that the phone has an internet connection
6.2  On the phone, go to Settings app > System > About Phone, write down the IMEI number for later use. If there are two IMEI numbers, then only mark the IMEI of the sim slot 1.
6.3  Tap on Build number multiple times to enable Developer options.
6.4  Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer options, and enable OEM unlocking (use the slider even if it appeared greyed out) and USB debugging.

7   Unlock the bootloader<e

7.1  Take your computer
7.2  You need an unlock code from Sony web page. Please read the instructions carefully. See the Sony web page.
7.3  Proceed to the bottom of the page where it says Select your device.
7.4  Select your phone variant, Xperia™ 10 or Xperia™ 10 Plus.
7.5  Enter the IMEI, from chapter 6.2, into the web page’s input field, acknowledge warranty terms and then click Submit.
7.6   The unlock code will appear. Write it down for later use.
7.7   Switch off your phone and wait until the LED is off.
7.8   Press and hold the Volume up button and connect the other end of the USB cable to your phone and wait for the LED to light up blue. If it turns green then disconnect the cable and try again
7.9   Open Terminal, and use “cd”  to proceed to your Sailfish OS folder the same as in 4.2.
7.10 Enter the following command into the terminal app:

sudo fastboot oem unlock 0x[insert your received unlock code]

7.11  On the terminal, you should see the output similar to this:


sudo fastboot oem unlock 0xF6147ED3A507FBAD
OKAY [ 1.716s]
finished. total time: 1.720s

7.12  Disconnect the USB cable from your phone.

8   Flash Sailfish X

8.1  Make sure your phone is powered off.  The LED must not show any light.
8.2  Hold down the Volume Up button and connect the other end of the USB cable to the phone. The LED next to the speaker on the phone should light up blue.
8.3  On terminal,  use “cd” to proceed to your Sailfish OS folder the same as in 4.2
8.4  Launch the flashing script by entering the command:

           sudo bash ./flash.sh

8.5  Follow the instructions in the console window. The last two lines at the console should be:

Flashing completed.
Remove the USB cable and bootup the device by pressing powerkey.

8.6  Detach the cable after the flashing has finished.
8.7  Reboot your phone into Sailfish X!
If the phone keeps the blue LED lit (so it doesn’t turn off) use this trick. Then use the Power key to turn the phone on.
8.8  First, you will see a reminder of an unlocked bootloader, which can be ignored, and then the Sailfish OS logo.
8.9   Sign in to your Jolla account in order to get the Android AppSupport and other licensed content. The Jolla account must be the same as you used when purchasing the Sailfish X licence.
8.10 Next, you can install more Sailfish apps from the Jolla Store or Android apps from stores like APKPure or Aptoide.
8.11  Please restart your Xperia 10 II once at this point to activate all services and complete the installation.

Happy flashing!