My Xperia theft protection!

June 10, 2015, by Santiago

You never know when it might happen, so as a precaution, users tend to activate the lock screen on their phone so that, in case of theft, the thief cannot use the device. Some even install and use apps like Android Device Manager or Cerberus App to remotely locate and ring the phone when it is lost or stolen.

They are good preventive measures and in fact they work in many cases, but they are not enough. A little job on the part of the thief (un simple RESET, for example) clears any conventional locks and removes all apps, leaving the device as new and ready to use or sell.

My Xperia is an exclusive feature of Sony’s Xperia line of devices, currently offering an anti-theft protection system that can lock and make a cell phone “useless” of this brand, something similar to what Google’s Device Protection offers. Sony calls this protection «My Xperia Theft Protection” The MXTP.

The “trick” behind this lockdown deep is where MXTP is integrated into the device’s bootloader, a software that manages the startup of the device and that is independent of the Android operating system. Due to this, it is not erased or canceled if the cell phone undergoes a factory reset or is flashea (procedures related to the operating system). Current anti-theft applications are installed within the Android system, so they are removed if the thief uninstalls them or performs a simple reset.

To unlock an Xperia cell phone with MXTP lock, simply enter the Google account username and password which was used to activate MXTP (Settings > Security > My Xperia Protection > Activate). It is not the only way because, apparently, it is also possible to request the unlocking from a Sony technical service, as long as you have the purchase invoice for the device. The other way is for the user to turn to Google to help him recover his account, in case he has forgotten it.

MXTP blocking is automatically activated if the following happens:

• When performing a master reset
• When performing a software repair using PC Companion, Bridge for MAC, or other flashing tools.
• By deleting the Google account used to activate MXTP.
• Trying to disable MXTP in settings or incorrectly entering Google credentials 5 times.
• When trying to remove MXTP or when trying to remove your administrator rights.
• By remotely locking the phone from the My Xperia website, using the * CORRECT * login details. If the device does not have internet access, the MXTP block will be set the next time it is connected.

Supported Models
Currently MXTP only works on the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, Xperia Z4 Tablet Y Xperia C4. Apparently this feature is part of the Android Lollipop 5.0.2 update.

It should be noted that if the device’s bootloader is unlocked, this feature will be disabled.

After a robbery, the most common scenario is that the thief turns off the phone, removes the SIM, resets it or even modifies the Android software. The owner will lose the ability to locate their phone due to this (My Xperia also offers remote locating) but at least the MXTP lock will be activated automatically (or manually from myxperia.sonymobile.com) so that the phone cannot be used or sold. More details about MXTP can be found on the Sony Mobile blog.