Carbon ROM builds are back, as their developers have released the first Android 7.1 Nougat based custom ROM for the Sony Xperia Z2 users. The official update for your Xperia Z2 is no longer supported by Sony. If you want to test the Android 7.1 Nougat OS experience on your Xperia Z2 then the Carbon ROM is the one you should install on your device. This latest custom ROM is based on the AOSP Android 7.1 official releases. The Carbon custom firmware brings default Nougat features and also some extra features and customizations for your Xperia Z2. This ROM is not officially announced by Sony or Google but just a custom ROM, developed by the third-party devs.
By following this step by step guide, you can update your Xperia Z2 to Carbon custom ROM Android 7.1 Nougat. Your device must be rooted, and a custom recovery like TWRP or ClockworkMod (CWM) should be already installed on it because without a custom recovery you will not be able to flash Carbon custom ROM on Xperia Z2. Carbon custom ROM comes with tones of latest features and changes for your device. Before proceeding keep in mind to take a full backup of all your valuable data. As, while flashing this custom ROM your entire data will be wiped and the phone will look like a brand new. If you are interested in installing Carbon custom ROM Android 7.1 Nougat on your Sony Xperia Z2 then go ahead and follow the given steps.
Note:
This given guide containing the Carbon Android 7.1 Nougat ROM is only working with Sony Xperia Z2. Do not apply this guide on any other or incorrect variant, as a result, the device might get bricked. You can verify the model number of your device by going to Settings > About Phone.
Warning:
AndroidBlog will not be responsible for any damage occurred to the device during or after the installation of this Carbon Android 7.1 Nougat ROM on your Xperia Z2. Proceed at your risk.
Pre-Requirements:
- Take a proper backup of all your important data like your SMS, MMS, APN Settings, Call Logs, Contacts and media files, etc. with a recommended custom recovery such as TWRP recovery. In case anything goes wrong then you’ll be able to restore your data.
- Download and configure ADB and Fastboot on your PC. Get the full Android SDK from here.
- Download and install Sony Xperia Z2 USB Drivers on your PC.
- Enable USB debugging on your Xperia Z2 by going to Settings > Developer Options.
- Make sure that you have at least 80% of battery charge on your device before proceeding to the installation guide.
Required Files:
- Download Carbon Android 7.1 ROM
- Download Google Apps
Steps to Update Sony Xperia Z2 to Android 7.1 Carbon Nougat Custom ROM:
Step No 1: – First, download Carbon Android 7.1 ROM on the desktop of your PC for Sony Xperia Z2.
Step No 2: – Extract boot.img from the zip file separately.
Step No 3: – Now, plug your phone with PC using its USB data cable and mount its mass memory.
Step No 4: – Transfer the downloaded Android 7.1 ROM zip and Google Apps package .zip files to the root folder of your SD card on the phone.
Step No 5: – Also, copy/paste the boot.img file to android-sdk-windows\platform-toolsdirectory on your PC.
Step No 6: – Power OFF the device to boot into Bootloader Mode.
Step No 7: – Power ON the Z2 by pressing and holding Volume Up button while connecting it again with the USB cable. The phone LED will turn blue, and it will get into the Bootloader Mode.
Step No 8: – While the phone is in Fastboot Mode, go to android-sdk-windows\platform-tools directory on the PC and within the folder, open Command Prompt.
9: – Type the following command and press Enter.
fastboot flash boot boot.img
Step No 10: – Next, type this command and hit Enter.
fastboot reboot
Step No 11: – Once in the Recovery Mode. Turn ON the Xperia Z2 while pressing the Volume Up or Volume Down buttons a few times till the LED light turn pink or any other color.
Step No 12: – Once you are in ClockworkMod Recovery, select perform a full data wipe by selecting “wipe data/factory reset” as shown below. Use the Power button to select everything while in the Recovery Mode.
Step No 13: – Perform a cache wipe by navigating to “wipe cache partition”.
Step No 14: – Its recommended to perform a wipe of your Dalvik cache. Wipe Dalvik cache will help to prevent facing boot loops or any other errors.
CWM Recovery -> Advanced -> wipe dalvik cache.
Step No 15: – Go back to the main menu of Recovery, select “install zip from SD card”. Now select “choose zip from sd card”. You can use volume keys to navigate to the Android 7.1 ROM zip file that you have already transferred to the root folder of your SD card. Select it using the Power button and confirm the installation to begin.
Step No 16: – Repeat the above-given process to install Google Apps package on your Z2.
Step No 17: – Once the installation is completed, navigate to “+++++Go Back+++++” and reboot the phone by selecting “reboot system now” from the recovery menu.
Let us know in the comments area below if you have any question or trouble while following the above detailed guide.
