Xperia Companion is Sony’s desktop application for Windows and macOS that reinstalls the operating software on Xperia smartphones and tablets over a USB cable. Its job today is recovery. When an Xperia device freezes, restarts in a loop, will not start after an update, or is locked behind a forgotten PIN, password or pattern, Xperia Companion downloads the device software. It then writes that software back onto the phone or tablet.
From phone manager to repair tool
Xperia Companion once handled several everyday tasks, including software updates, backup and restore, content transfer, music syncing and file browsing. Sony has withdrawn those functions. The program can no longer make backups, and its software update function is no longer available for newer Xperia models. Software repair is now the only supported function, so the program works as a recovery utility rather than a sync or management suite.
How software repair works
The user starts a repair from the Software repair option under the “Manage your Xperia” area of the main screen. Xperia Companion then guides the user through connecting the device. It fetches the software package for that model from Sony over the internet and reinstalls it on the phone or tablet. The process usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
When the device is running normally, Xperia Companion first tries to communicate with it over MTP. Android uses this same USB file-transfer mode for browsing a phone’s storage. If that link works, the device stays switched on and charges from the computer while the software downloads. This lowers the chance of the battery running out partway through the repair.
Devices that will not start
Xperia Companion can still repair a phone that cannot boot or that the computer cannot recognise. In that case the user switches off the device before connecting it, and ticks My device cannot be detected before continuing. Xperia Companion then performs the reinstall without relying on the running Android system. The user ticks the same checkbox for the Sony Smartwatch 3, which also needs this special handling. Sony asks for at least 80% battery when repairing a switched-off device this way.
Effect on data and accounts
A software repair with Xperia Companion overwrites the device’s internal storage. The repair deletes apps, photos, settings and other user data kept in internal memory. It leaves files on an external SD card in place. Users must back up internal data by other means first, since the program no longer creates backups.
Depending on its security settings, an Xperia device may lock itself after the reinstall. It stays locked until the user signs in again with the Google account previously used on it. Xperia Companion also asks for these Google account details during the operation. Without the account email address and password, its owner cannot unlock the repaired phone.
Forgotten screen locks
Because the repair replaces the software and clears internal storage, it also removes the screen lock. This makes Xperia Companion one of the two routes Sony gives for an Xperia phone whose PIN, password or pattern has been forgotten. The other is Google’s remote device tools.
Connection problems
Most detection failures in Xperia Companion come from the USB link rather than the program. Xperia devices connect in charging-only mode by default. Users must therefore select file transfer (MTP) from the notification shade each time, with the screen unlocked. Windows N and KN editions lack MTP support until Microsoft’s Media Feature Pack is added. Security software can also block the connection. For a device that will not boot at all, the “cannot be detected” path described above avoids the MTP requirement entirely.
