PSA: Don’t use Sony’s My Xperia app if you have an unlocked booloader
Beware My Xperia on unlocked devices. Photo: Sony
If you’ve unlocked the bootloader on your Sony Xperia smartphone, then you should avoid the company’s My Xperia Theft Protection. Using it “might cause the device to malfunction,” Sony says.
My Xperia is a pretty terrific service. Not only will it help you locate and lock lost and stolen devices, but also factory reset them remotely, so that no one else can gain access to your data. If you have a Sony smartphone, then, you should use it — unless you have an unlocked bootloader.
If you’ve already started using My Xperia, and your bootloader isn’t unlocked yet, then you don’t have anything to worry about. In fact, using My Xperia will actually prevent you from unlocking your bootloader. But if your device is already unlocked, then listen up.
“After unlocking your device, you should not enable My Xperia (found in the settings menu under security on some devices running Android 5.0) as this might cause the device to malfunction,” Sony announced in a statement this week.
The company doesn’t tell us exactly what happens when its handsets “malfunction.” It could mean certain features are broken, or it could mean that your device ends up being an expensive brick. But either way, you don’t want to be the one who finds out.
