Installing a custom recovery on your Sony Xperia C3 should let you root your device which in turn lets you install your favorite root-requiring apps on your device.

All that starts with flashing a custom recovery. Here’s how you can do that:

Sony Xperia C3

Files You Need

1. Your bootloader must be unlocked before you can install a custom recovery on your device. Please head to the official Sony website to unlock your bootloader.

2. This should install ClockworkMod Recovery on your device.

3. You must have a Windows computer to be able to do this tutorial.

4. Download Flashtool to your computer. It is the tool that will help you flash a recovery on your device.

5. Download CWM Recovery to your computer. It will be installed on your device.

Installing a Custom Recovery on the Sony Xperia C3

1. Right-click on CWM Recovery and select Extract here to extract files.

2. Double-click on Flashtool setup file and install the tool on your computer.

3. Double-click on Flashtool executable to open it.

4. Turn off your device.

5. Hold down Volume UP and plug in your device to your computer with the help of a USB cable.

6. Click Thunder icon in the Flashtool.

7. Select Fastboot mode from the options available on your screen.

8. Click Select kernel to flash and select CWM Recovery available on your computer.

9. Wait for the tool to flash recovery on your device.

10. When it’s done installing recovery, reboot your device.

11. You’re all set!

ClockworkMod Recovery is now up and running on the recovery partition on your shiny Sony Xperia C3.

Now that your device has a custom recovery, you can go ahead and root the Sony Xperia C3 smartphone running on the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop software updates by flahsing the SuperSU by Chainfire.

A custom recovery image is used for a bunch of different reasons. Some people choose to install a custom recovery image such as ClockworkMod Recovery so they can do nothing more than start taking NANDroid Backups because it is their favorite way of taking a data backup thanks to its ease of use.

What many people might not know though is that the NANDroid feature wasn’t included in the custom recovery images just to try to give people a better way of backing up. The real reason the NANDroid Backup feature is there is so that people can take backups quickly in between the flashing of new ROMs.

The number one reason for the custom recovery image existing is to give individuals a way that they can install custom ROMs and custom kernels to take them away from the stock version of Android that comes with the device when they first open it out of the box. One of the things you should always do when flashing a new ROM is wiped the data and clear the cache and that creates a problem: you will lose any data that you did not save. To take away much of the hassle of flashing new ROMs, the NANDroid Backup feature was included into the custom recovery image.

In addition to flashing new custom ROMs, a custom recovery image such as the work from ClcokworkMod Recovery is also used for getting root access. The most common way people get root access in the world is by flashing the SuperSU by Chainfire from the custom recovery image. It’s another feature that you don’t get with the stock recovery partition. The same way you flash a zip file for the custom recovery image is the same way you flash the zip file for the SuperSU that grants the rooting permissions over the operating system.