topic Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2?? in XPERIA archive

Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Nigelelliott — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 12:22:24 GMT

So I'm really not liking the 4.2.2 upgrade. It's the phone UI on a tablet..... A tablet is NOT a phone. I want the soft buttons back in the corner so landscape is more thumb friendly and notifications back where they were so I don't have an added black bar along the top. The new features I'm not bothered about as I don't use them, so is there a way to reflash 4.1.2 on my Australian wifi edition??

Thanks.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

jjj.123 — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 12:35:54 GMT

I would like to echo the above comments...I didn't buy a phone...it's a tablet...now it appears I need thumb extensions to use a 10inch tablet with the home/back buttons in the middle & the battery is draining at a rate of knots..
I would like to downgrade also...

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

JoeFourMan — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 15:23:59 GMT

Can we get a response to this please. I agree the new interface is considerably worse and we now have two black bars, top and bottom that are persistent across all apps. This update has effectively removed screen resolution/ real estate from the tablet. Please provide an immediate avenue for reversing this update.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

RealityDysfunct — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 17:03:55 GMT

i agree, changes are pretty ridiculous. especially the black bands...

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Kuba5262 — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 07:06:15 GMT

i think, that the only way is to Flash it under Flash tool.

You can't do it by official flashing software (update service or pc companion)

Search the web please

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Piya — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 08:54:28 GMT

I have to agree as well.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

sub7even — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 10:39:33 GMT

Same by me. I cant even reach the Buttons by thumb. Did anyone try the new Version bevor release? I don't think so...

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Ilian — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 15:01:31 GMT

Same here! The fact the tablet is waterproof does not mean it's going to be used by an octopus!
Please restore the interface as it was at the time I purchased the tablet! And while you are at it, fire your usability team, they are clueless!

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

randomstring — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 15:03:22 GMT

I really wish I could downgrade as well. After the upgrade it feels like a big phone. I hardly use it anymore.

I get it that they want to send out updates faster this way, but the stock android experience on larger tablets is just broken.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

pottyday — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 19:36:00 GMT

I also don't like the buttons in the middle and at the top as they are hard to reach. They were fine before, this is a tablet not a phone. Can we please have them back where they were?

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Samoluke — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 01:47:25 GMT

Ehi Sony support can you please give us a reply?
Apart all the above also is now no more possible to lock the screen in portrait mode !!!
I want to go back to previous firmware

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

RealityDysfunct — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 13:03:48 GMT

did anyone managed to downgrade it using flashtool? is it straighforward or?

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

JediWill71 — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 23:10:54 GMT

I agree. The botton layout is clumsy at best. Also netfilx is not working properlay after the upgrade. SOny you need to fix this and give us back our the old firmware. This is a deal breaker for me. I will return it and get the Samsung Galaxy tablet. I have alot of sony products in my hoem and have been very happy with them. But this uprade is lousey.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

messican — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 01:47:18 GMT

I agree. Since update getting very slow performance and bad battery drain among other things. If not fixed soon I will have to return the tablet for a nexus 10. Very disappointing.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Cammy — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 06:42:10 GMT

I agree 100% I hope they create a similar interface to what we had before the update and relaunch asap.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Nigelelliott — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:42:43 GMT

OK after some searching around, im back to happy with my tablet, after NO help from Sony. I upgraded? my tablet back to 4.1.2 using this guide.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2240614

It was actually very easy, so dont be afraid of doing it.....although it does wipe EVERYTHING! so backup up your stuff somewhere!!! the one thing i forgot to backup was my nova launcher stuff so i had to reposition my home screens again, and you know what its like, you can never remember perfectly.

the only slight hassle i had was finding a rom file, I ended up downloading a jap one, which is totally fine once you select english. things actually seem quicker than they originally did.

Im not sure on the rules of this forum, so i wont post a link to the rom files, but im sure with a little bit of google help searching for 4.1.2 ftf files, you will find one.

hope that helps anyone....I would have prefered Sony to actually give an answer, but they probably have a standard answer of, we dont support this method. so if you brick it, its your own fault.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

JTG_6 — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 19:57:53 GMT

I have to agree - I don't like how I've lost some screen real estate and now it really does feel like an over-sized phone.

Please Sony, put the soft buttons and notifications back where they were in 4.1.2.... the new layout is just awful.

I wish I hadn't upgraded.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

JoeFourMan — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:10:22 GMT

Can we please get a Sony representative acknowledge the UI issues in this update and give us an indication that they will be fixed for the next update? The silence is deafening. Making great hardware is not enough in such a saturated market, software and customer service is just as important.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

SJ — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:19:31 GMT

Feedback from Sony on downgrade and addressing UI:

"Im sorry to hear about the issues with the Sony Xperia Z Tablet regarding downgrading the Software. Unfortunately we have no feature or way to downgrade this software as this is a decision made by the developers of the android software.

This may be changed in future updates and can only apologise for any inconvenience this has caused."

So there's no 'supported' way to downgrade. Hoping Sony will take feedback and look at reviewing future upgrades.

If any has Uk version of ftf file for SGP311, please post.

Re: Can I downgrade back to 4.1.2??

Nigelelliott — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:39:32 GMT

Thanks for the feedback. Pretty much exactly what I thought they would say, I would have liked them to actually respond on here so we could all have seen their reply. Their response to you does have some hints of a possible future change to us, which could be promising.