Rooting the Sony Xperia Z1c with the Towelroot app is probably the best method available. Towelroot is for hardcore Android users who want complete root access to the device so it can be heavily modified. You can easily install a custom recovery after rooting with the Towelroot app.

It’s important you head over to the Google Play Store and install the SuperSU application on your device if you want to root it with Towelroot. The Towelroot method doesn’t automatically give your device the SuperSU app by default. When we root our devices, we rely on the SuperSU or the Superuser to block apps unless we give apps permissions to have root access. When you don’t recognize an app name, don’t grant the root permission and your device remains safe. Without that SuperSU installed, your device is more vulnerable to a malware or virus attack.

Sony Xperia Z1

Files You Need

  1. You must install the Towelroot app on your device during the guide. Use the following link when it says during the guide: http://towelroot.com.
  2. The following guide roots the Sony Xperia Z1C running Android KitKat. You can downgrade your device to Android KitKat and a kernel version made before June 3 2014 if you want to root the device using this Towelroot application.
  3. You are voiding the Xperia warranty when you rooting using this one-click rooting tool. You can unroot the Xperia Z1C later and get that warranty working again.

Rooting the Sony Xperia Z1C

  1. Start by checking the Unknown Sources option is enabled on your device by heading to the Menu > Settings > Security > Unknown Sources.
  2. Open any web browser app such as the Google Chrome app on your device so you can open webpages.
  3. Type the Towelroot domain you can see from the files section above and load the official website.
  4. Tap your finger over the red Lambda symbol you should see roughly in the middle of the homepage.
  5. Wait as that red Lambda now downloads the Towelroot application on your device.
  6. Follow the prompts to finish installing the app and then tap to open the Towelroot app.
  7. From the apps main page once you open it up will be the rooting button.
  8. Tap the “Make it Ra1n” button to root the device.
  9. Wait until you get to the confirmation screen that looks like this: “you should have root, no reboot required” before exiting the app.
  10. You are ready to start installing your apps. However, you should install the SuperSU application first because your device doesn’t have it yet.
  11. Open the Google Play Store and search for the SuperSU application made by Chainfire.
  12. Install the SuperSU app and agree to the SU binary updates if you are prompted to do that.
  13. Open the Google Play Store app once more and install the root checker app to see how you wet. Accept any SuperUser conditions the app wants you to grant and it will then let you know if your device is rooted.

Now you have rooted the Sony Xperia Z1C, you are ready to start installing your root-requiring apps.