Android 5.0 Lollipop AOSP Custom ROM for Sony Xperia L

Sony did not add the Xperia L in the list of Xperia smartphones which will get Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade when it becomes available. Although the smartphone will not receive official firmware from Sony, it can still be updated to the latest Android version via custom builds.

Recognised XDA developer, varun.chitre15 has released an AOSP build of Android 5.0 for the Xperia L, which is currently in the alpha version and is expected to have bugs. Here is a list of working and non-working features in this build.

Working:

Display
Touchscreen
Hardware Acceleration
System audio
Hardware Media Decoding/Playback - Audio and Video
All sensors - Auto brightness, magnetic, accelerometer etc
Headset
Vibrator
Camera - Front and Back
GPU Rendering
Internal Storage
External Storage
LEDs

Not working:

Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
RIL and GPS

If you want to give the alpha version of the AOSP ROM a try, head over to the installation guide below.

Key points

Before following the installation guide, ensure that you have backed up all important data of the phone. This procedure will completely wipe out the internal storage of the device.
The bootloader of Xperia L should be unlocked.
The phone should have above 80% charge.
Check the model number of Xperia L and install custom firmware accordingly. Flashing this in an incorrect variant might brick the device.
Rooting the device to install custom ROM will void the warranty of the Android device.
IBTimes UK will not be responsible for any damage to the device.

Download files

Android 5.0 AOSP ROM [File name: c2105_alpha1_android-5.0.0_r2_fastboot.zip]

Fastboot and ADB files [File name: adb_and_fastboot_files.zip]

How to install Android 5.0 AOSP ROM on Sony Xperia L

Step-1: Extract c2105_alpha1_android-5.0.0_r2_fastboot.zip in a folder on your PC to get the following files

boot.img
system.img
userdat.img

Step-2: Extract adb_and_fastboot_files.zip in a separate folder on the PC

Step-3: Copy the files which you have got in step-1 to the ADB and Fastboot folder

Step-4: Do the following to boot Xperia L into Fastboot mode

Switch off the Xperia L
Press the Volume Up button
Connect the phone to the computer using USB cable while holding the Volume Up button
Note: Before plugging the USB cable on Xperia Z1 ensure that the other end is connected to the computer.
Xperia L should now be in the Fastboot Mode and the LED light of the phone should turn to blue.

Step-5: Open the folder where all the files are extracted. Open a command window inside the folder. For this press Shift+Right Click in an empty space inside the folder and select Open command window here for the menu

Step-6: Type in the following commands in an orderly manner to install Android 5.0 on Xperia L. This step might take some time