One of the most interesting custom ROMs out there that combines both the functionality of a tablet while remaining as compact as a smartphone is the ParanoidAndroid ROM. Owners of the Sony Xperia Arc LT15i who have always wanted to have a tablet UI can take the advantage of the ParanoidAndroid ROM because it makes efficient use of the phone's screen for displaying more information and allowing the scaling applications' display into different interface sizes.

Not only will you receive a completely different ROM in terms of user interface; ParanoidAndroid also inherits the speed and stability of Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean by bringing new features to the table like a smooth buttery interface, offline typing, voice recognition by Google, faster web browser, and whole lot more. Keep in mind this is still a work in progress so don't be surprised if you manage to stumble upon some bugs.

This guide shows you how to upgrade the Xperia Arc LT15i to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean via ParanoidAndroid custom ROM.

Warning

• The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the Sony Xperia Arc, model number LT15i. Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
• The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
• Use these instructions at your own risk. We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
• Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.

Requirements

• Rooted Sony Xperia Arc with unlocked bootloader and with ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
  • You may unlock your phone's bootloader by heading to Sony’s official bootloader unlocking page.
  • Need help with rooting and installing ClockworkMod Recovery? You can refer to these guides:
    • Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc LT15i: Root and custom recovery
    • Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc LT15i: How to root Android 4.0 ICS firmware 4.1.A.0.562
• Android Debug Bridge (ADB) installed on your computer. You can get ADB by installing the Android Software Development Kit (SDK).
  • Check out our guides on how to flash Android SDK and how to set up and use ADB on your computer.
• Enable USB debugging on your handset.
• Download the following files and save them to your computer.
  • ParanoidAndroid ROM for Xperia Arc (pa_anzu-2.11-10SEP2012-182008.zip, md5sum: 6a17a18946cf2b0c9634e5db870c84cd)
  • GApps (Google Apps) package (gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip, md5sum: f62cfe4a827202899919fd932d5246d7)
  • Fastboot package (Fastboot.zip, 252.78 kB)
• Fully charged battery or at least 70% battery left.
• Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
  • For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.

Instructions

1. Extract the Fastboot.zip file on your computer. You will get a folder named Fastboot with 4 files inside.
2. Open the ROM ZIP file and extract the boot.img file. Copy the file into the Fastboot folder. You will now have 5 files inside the folder.
3. Copy the ROM and GApps package ZIP files to your phone's SD card.
4. Switch off your phone.
5. Reboot your phone into Fastboot Mode. To do this, first connect one end of your USB cable to your computer. Press and hold down the Menu key of your phone, and connect the other end of the USB cable to your phone. The LED should light up on your phone to indicate a successful connection.
6. On your PC, open a command prompt and change directory to the Fastboot folder.
7. Enter the following commands at the command prompt and press Enter to flash the boot.img file:
   • fastboot flash boot boot.img
   • NOTE: If you get a “waiting for device” message in the command prompt window, try the command fastboot -i 0x0fce flash boot boot.img to flash the kernel on your mobile phone.
8. Once the kernel is successfully flashed on your phone, you will get a “Finished/Okay” message. Your phone will automatically turn off. Disconnect your phone from your computer.
9. Switch your phone on and it will show you the kernel logo. As soon as the blue LED lights up, repeatedly press the Back button on your phone until Recovery Mode boots.
   • NOTE: Use the Volume buttons to navigate and Home button to select an option in recovery.
10. Select Wipe data/Factory reset and confirm the action on the next screen.
11. Select Wipe cache partition and confirm the action on the next screen.
12. Go to the main menu and select Advanced. From there, select Wipe Dalvik cache and confirm the action on the next screen.
13. Go to Mounts and Storage and select Format /system.
14. Select Install ZIP from SD card, then select Choose ZIP from SD card. Browse for the ROM file and select it. Confirm the installation by selecting Yes on the next screen. The ROM should now be installed on your phone.
15. Repeat step 14, but this time around select the gapps-jb-20120726-signed.zip to install the Google Apps package.
16. After the installation is complete head back to the main recovery menu by selecting Go back.
17. Reboot your phone by selecting Reboot system now.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the ParanoidAndroid ROM based on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean on your Sony Xperia Arc LT15i.