Installing Android 4.2.1 CM10.1 On Xperia Arc

The Sony Xperia Arc is still officially locked to Android 2.3, but the CyanogenMod is more than eager to deliver some Jelly Bean goodness to your legacy handset.

This guide will walk you though the installation process for CM10.1 on the Sony Xperia Arc. As always, DroidReport assumes no liability for the firmware installation. Proceed with caution.

Before Getting Started

Do not use this guide for any device other than the Sony Xperia Arc. Flashing this ROM onto any other device will most probably result in a bricked phone.

You must have your Sony Xperia Arc rooted, with a recovery utility like ClockworkMod installed. As always, you want to backup your device and charge it to at least 80 percent.

Finally, enable USB Debugging mode by navigating to Settings -> Developer Options.

Updating Sony Xperia Arc to Android Jelly Bean 4.2.1 via CM10.1 ROM

1) Download the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean CM10.1 ROM, as well as the Google Apps package, which can be found here and here.

2) Using your USB cable, connect your Sony Xperia Arc to your computer.

3) Copy CM10.1 custom ROM and the Google Apps package to the root folder of your handset’s SD card. Do not extract either.

4) Restart your phone into Recovery mode by holding the Volume Down and Power buttons.

5) Before a Nandroid backup of your device in case you need to restore to your previous firmware.

6) In CWM recovery, navigate to “Format system” in the Mounts and Storage submenu, and then press “Yes.” Next, navigate to the Advanced submenu and select “Wipe Dalvik Cache.” Select “Yes” when prompted.

7) Navigate to “Install Zip from SD card” and select the ROM file copied earlier. Repeat the same step to install the Google Apps package.

8) After the installation is complete, press “Go back” and then select “Reboot system now” to restart your phone. This may take some time.

9) After restarting, your Sony Xperia Arc will officially be running Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean CM10.1 ROM. Kudos.