Sony SupportMobile Phones & Tablets

Article ID : SX067602 / Last Modified : 11/06/2024Print

Will I lose my data during a software repair?

    When you perform a software repair using the Xperia® Companion application, the internal storage of your Xperia device gets overwritten. Photos, videos, music, and documents stored on an external SD card are not erased during a software repair.

    If possible, back up photos, videos, and other personal content stored on the internal memory to a non-internal memory, for example, an online backup service that saves your data to online servers (the cloud). You can do this using Settings →System → Backup and Xperia Backup & restore (Android 8.0) or Settings → Backup & reset (other Android™ versions). Alternatively, you can backup to a computer using the Xperia Companion computer application.

    To perform a software repair, you have to use the Xperia Companion computer application.

    The following are examples of data that gets overwritten if stored on the internal storage:

    • Contacts
    • Calendar items
    • Notes
    • Messages (sent via SMS, MMS or email)
    • Applications and application data, including game high scores
    • Settings
    • Bookmarks
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Music

    Note: Before performing a software repair, make sure you know the username and password of the Google™ account you've added to your Xperia device. Depending on your security settings, you may need to enter them to start up the device after a software repair. If you don't remember your Google™ account username and password, you can't unlock the device yourself.

    Tip: If you don't remember your Google™ account username and password, you can try to recover them using the Google Account Recovery page at Account recovery. For the Xperia X series, the Xperia Z5 series, the Xperia L1, and the Xperia E5, you must be aware that when you receive a new Google™ username or password, you can't use it to log in to and recover your device for 24 hours.