To date, if you unlocked the bootloader from a mobile of Sony, you lost access to the camera and other functions. However, the upgrade to Android 9 Pie solves this problem and gives users more freedom.
The problem to date: DRM codes were erased when unlocking the bootloader
Unlock the bootloader It is in many occasions a necessary step to gain control of our mobile and power root it. By doing so, we gain access to those settings that manufacturers do not want us to touch. And as a result, sometimes something breaks while doing it. As an example, what happens with mobile phones Xperia from Sony. To date, if you unlocked the bootloader, the access to the camera was broken.
Why was this happening? One of the partitions of Sony mobiles contains DRM keys that allow the use of proprietary content. By this we mean the company's own audio systems, Widevine to watch Netflix in HD and others camera access. These are therefore necessary for the device to function properly. Without those DRM keys, those functions cannot be used. If you delete them by mistake, they cannot be recovered unless you had a backup already made.
And how could they be erased? That is what happened when unlocking the Xperia mobile bootloader. There was a erasing the partition containing the keys and access to the chamber was broken. You could take photographs, but they came out with green colors or directly or did not come out. However, it seems that the times in which this happened are over, since Android 9 Pie eliminates this error by unlocking the bootloader.
Android Pie solves it: unlock the bootloader of a Sony mobile without breaking the camera
In the video above you can see a Sony Xperia XZ Premium rooted and with Android 9 Pie. The bootloader is unlocked and the camera is perfectly functional. Therefore, custom ROMs or stock ROM can be used and pictures can be taken without problems. Of course, you have to take into account what works and what doesn't. Most of what doesn't work is proprietary to Sony, although you won't be able to watch Netflix in HD either.
- It works: Color Profiles, Camera (no longer takes photos in green), White Balance, Camera2API (Totally for the rear camera, but without RAW; limited to the front).
- It does not work: X-Reality Video Enhanced, DSEE HX, ClearAudio +, Widevine L1.
