White paper
June 2014
TM
Xperia Z2a
Note: Screen images are simulated.
White paper | Xperia™ Z2a
Table of contents
Device-to-device communications (local) .............................................................9
Bluetooth® wireless technology.......................................................................10
Wi-Fi®...............................................................................................................11
Positioning – location based services .................................................................14
Provisioning (OMA CP) ........................................................................................14
Web browser .......................................................................................................17
Memory in Android™ devices .............................................................................18
Trademarks and acknowledgements ..................................................................22
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Product overview
Xperia™ Z2a
• A large 1/2.3 inch 20.7 MP Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor, Sony’s G Lens, and intelligent
BIONZ™ for mobile image processing engine. Video mode in 4K resolution with Steadyshot™ technol-
ogy.
• A high level of waterproofing (IP58 and IP55). Durable, sleek and super stylish.
• 5.0 inch Full HD TRILUMINOS™ display with Live Colour LED and X-Reality for mobile.
• Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-core 2.3 GHz processor, 3 GB RAM and a high capacity 3000 mAh bat-
tery with STAMINA mode
The new waterproof* Xperia™ Z2a combines new video modes such as Timeshift video, Steadyshot™,
and 4K recording with the large 1/2.3 inch 20.7 MP Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor, Sony’s award-
winning G Lens and intelligent BIONZ™ for mobile processing engine. It also features an expanded range
of Xperia™ Camera apps that provide new and creative ways to record and share content.
The all new 5.0 inch display is built with the latest Sony technologies, including TRILUMINOS™ Display for
mobile with Live Colour LED and X-Reality for mobile, for a stunning viewing experience, as close to reality
as possible. To match the display, we have also added new and improved stereo speakers and support
for noise cancelling headphones to give you an experience that only Sony can offer.
Powered by the latest Snapdragon Quad-core processor and a high capacity battery, the Xperia™ Z2a
makes sure you don't get left behind. Perform faster and smarter than ever before.
* In compliance with IP55 and IP58, this smartphone is protected against the ingress of dust and is
waterproof. Provided that all ports and covers are firmly closed, the phone is (i) protected against low
pressure jets of water from all practicable directions in compliance with IP55; and/or (ii) can be kept under
1.50 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes in compliance with IP58. Find out more at
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Facts – dimensions, weight, performance and
networks
Operating system
Processor
Google™ Android™ 4.4 (KitKat)
2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-core
Adreno 330
GPU
Size
137 x 72 x 11 mm
Weight
163 grams
Available colours
SIM card
Black, White, Turquoise
micro SIM
Main screen
Colours
16,777,216 colour TFT
Full HD 1920x1080 pixels
5.0 inches
Resolution
Size (diagonal)
Input mechanisms
Text input
On-screen QWERTY keyboard
Capacitive
Touch screen
Touch gesture
Memory
Yes – multi-touch, up to 10 fingers supported
RAM
3 GB
Flash memory
Expansion slot
Camera
Up to 16 GB*
microSD™ card, up to 128 GB (SDXC supported)
Camera resolution
Digital zoom
Photo light
20.7 MP
8x
Yes – Pulsed LED
Yes – 4K2K
Video recording
Front Camera
ISO
Yes – VGA
ISO 3200 maximum in manual mode
100 mm
Minimum Focus distance
Sensors
Accelerometer
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Yes
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Barometer sensor
Yes
Yes
Game rotation vector
Geomagnetic rotation vector Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Magnetometer
Step counter
Step detector
Significant motion detector
Proximity sensor
Networks
D6563
UMTS HSPA+ 850 (Band V), 900 (Band VIII), 1900 (Band II),
2100 (Band I) MHz
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28)
Data transfer speeds
GSM GPRS
Up to 107 kbps
GSM EDGE
Up to 296 kbps
HSUPA (upload)
Cat 6, up to 5.8 Mbps
Cat 24, up to 42 Mbps
Cat 4, up to 50 Mbps
Cat 4, up to 150 Mbps
Up to 13 hours**
HSDPA (download)
LTE (upload)
LTE (download)
Talk time (GSM)
Standby time (GSM)
Talk time (UMTS)
Standby time (UMTS)
Standby time (LTE)
Music listening time
Video playback time
Battery (Embedded)
Up to 700 hours**
Up to 19 hours**
Up to 770 hours**
Up to 710 hours**
Up to 120 hours**
Up to 11 hours**
3000 mAh minimum
* Memory comprises approximately 4GB of firmware, plus 12 GB of “Internal storage” for music, pictures
and movies, and downloaded applications and their data. For more details about memory, see “Memory in
** Values are according to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique as performed in con-
trolled laboratory conditions. Actual time may vary.
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NOTE: The battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and
device usage.
NOTE: Performance metrics were all measured under laboratory conditions.
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Categorised feature list
Internet
Music
Camera
Bookmarks
3D Surround Sound (VPT)
Album art
20.7 MP camera with Sony Exmor
RS® for mobile image sensor
8x digital zoom
AR Effect
Google Chrome™*
Google Play™*
Google™ search*
Google Voice™ Search*
Google Maps™ for Mobile with
Street view*
Info-eye™*
Pan & zoom
Sony Select
Xperia™ Home
Web browser (WebKit™)*
Bluetooth® stereo (aptX®, A2DP)
ClearAudio+
Clear Bass™
Clear Phase™
Clear stereo
Dynamic normaliser
High definition audio
Low power audio playback***
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow™ service*
SensMe™
Auto focus
Background Defocus
Burst mode
Creative effects
HDR for photos and movies
Face detection
Flash/Pulsed LED
Flash/Photo light
Front-facing camera (VGA)
Geotagging
Stereo speakers
TrackID™ music recognition*
“WALKMAN” application
xLoud™ Experience
Image stabiliser
Object tracking
Picture Effect
Quick Launch
Red-eye reduction
Scene recognition
Self-timer
Send to web
Smile Shutter™
Social live*
SteadyShot™
Superior Auto
Sweep Panorama
Timeshift burst
Timeshift video
Touch capture
Touch focus
Video recording (4K2K)
Vine*
White balance
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Design
Auto rotation
Communication
Call list
Messaging
Conversations
Battery STAMINA mode
Direct touch
Face Unlock
Facebook™ application*
Google+*
Hangouts™*
Noise suppression
Polyphonic ringtones
Slow talk
Smart call handling
Speakerphone
Email
Google Mail™*
Handwriting recognition
Instant messaging
Multimedia messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Gesture input
IPX5 and IPX8 (waterproof)**
IP5X (Dust protected)
On-screen QWERTY keyboard
Stylus pen support
Screenshot capturing
Small Apps
Throw
X-Reality™ for mobile
Touch screen
Text messaging (SMS)
Talk equaliser
Twitter™ application*
Voice enhancement
Xperia™ Socialife*
Triluminos™
Voice input
Wallpaper
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Connectivity
Organiser
Airplane mode
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Entertainment
3D games
Media browser
Motion gaming
PlayMemories
PlayStation® Certified
Radio (FM radio with RDS)
Reader mode
SensMe™ slideshow
Sony Entertainment Network*
TV launcher
3.5 mm audio jack Digital Noise
Cancelling (DNC)
ANT+™ sport, fitness,
health support
aGPS*
Bluetooth® 4.0 wireless
technology
DLNA Certified®
GLONASS
MHL 3.0 support + 5-pin support
Media Go™
Media Transfer Protocol support
Micro USB support
Native USB tethering
NFC
Contacts
Document readers
eCompass™
Setup guide
Sketch
Stopwatch
Tasks
Video streaming
YouTube™*
Timer
PC Companion
Screen mirroring
Smart Connect
Synchronisation via Facebook™
Synchronisation via Google™*
Synchronisation via SyncML™
Synchronisation via Exchange
ActiveSync®
USB charging
USB High speed 2.0 support
USB Host
Xperia Link™
Wi-Fi®
Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality
Wi-Fi® Miracast
* This service is not available in all markets.
** In compliance with IP55 and IP58, this smartphone is protected against the ingress of dust and is
waterproof. Provided that all ports and covers are firmly closed, the phone is (i) protected against low
pressure jets of water from all practicable directions in compliance with IP55; and/or (ii) can be kept under
1.50 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes in compliance with IP58. Find out more at
*** This feature is only available when you play music using the "WALKMAN" application.
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Technologies in detail
NOTE: The information outlined below is general and levels of compliance to standards and specifications
may vary between products and markets. For more information, contact Sony Mobile Developer World or
your Sony contact person where applicable.
Device-to-device communications (local)
ANT+™ wireless technology
Connectable devices
Frequency band
Data transfer rate
Encryption
ANT+™ devices require download of a supporting application
2.4 GHz
Up to 60 Kbps
AES-128
Topologies
One To Many, Many to One, Peer to Peer, Star, Practical Mesh
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Bluetooth® wireless technology
Bluetooth® profiles supported
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile v1.2
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile v1.3
Device Identification Profile v1.3
Generic Attribute Profile Client/Server over LE
Handsfree Profile v1.6 (Wide band speech)
Headset Profile v1.2
Health Device Profile v1.1
HID over GATT Profile v1.0
Human Interface Device Profile, Host role v1.1
Messaging Access Profile v1.0
Object Push Profile v1.1
Personal Area Networking Profile v1.0
Phonebook Access Profile v1.1
Serial Port Profile v1.1
Core version and supported
core features
Version 4.0
Bluetooth Low Energy
Other supported features
aptX® CD quality audio streaming over Bluetooth®
connection
Connectable devices
Products support at least one of the Bluetooth® profiles
listed above.
Bluetooth® 4.0 accessories generally require installation
of a supporting application.
More information:
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Wi-Fi®
Supported standards
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Wi-Fi®
Wi-Fi Direct™, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, Wi-Fi Certified
Passpoint, Wi-Fi Certified Miracast
Connectable devices
Wi-Fi® access points
Wi-Fi Direct compatible devices
Frequency band
Data transfer rate
Security
2.4 GHz/5 GHz
Up to 433 Mbit/s
Open Authentication
Shared Authentication
EAP-SIM
EAP-AKA
EAP-TLS
EAP-TTLS/MSCHAPv2
PEAPv0/EAP-MSCHAPv2
PEAPv1/EAP-GTC
WPA Personal and WPA2 Personal
WPA Enterprise and WPA2 Enterprise
Encryption
Power save
QoS
WEP 64 bit, WEP 128 bit, TKIP and CCMP (AES)
WMM-UAPSD
WMM
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DLNA Certified® (Digital Living Network Alliance)
Supported Device Classes
M-DMS – Mobile Digital Media Server
Media Types: images, music and video
Summary: The digital media server exposes the media
files in your device to a Wi-Fi® network. The files can
then be accessed from other DLNA Certified® clients.
+PU+
Media Types: image, video and music
Summary: Play media in your device on another device,
such as a TV or a PC using 2 box push technology. +PU+
is integrated in the Album, Movies and "WALKMAN"
applications.
M-DMP – Mobile Digital Media Player
Media Types: image, video and music
Summary: Play content stored on another device, for
example, a server or a PC, directly on your device.
+DN+
Media Types: video and music
Summary: Download content stored on another device,
for example, a server or a PC, and play the downloaded
content directly on your device.
Supported Bearers
DRM Support
Wi-Fi®
Wi-Fi® Direct
The DLNA Certified® implementation does not support
DRM-protected content.
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Messaging
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
According to OMA Multimedia Messaging Service v1.0 + SMIL
Email
Bearer type (IP)
Character sets
GPRS, EGPRS, UMTS
BIG5 Traditional Chinese
GB18030
ISO-2022-JP Japanese
ISO-8859-1
ISO-8859-2 Eastern Europe
ISO-8859-5 Cyrillic
ISO-8859-7 Greek
ISO-8859-9 Turkish
ISO 8859-11
KOI8-R Cyrillic
Shift_JIS Japanese
US-ASCII
UTF-16
UTF-8
Windows® 874
Windows® 1251 Cyrillic
Windows® 1252
Windows® 1254 Turkish
Windows® 1258 Vietnamese
Protocols
POP3 and IMAP4
Push email
Secure email
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS)
SSL/TLS, both port methods (POPS/IMAPS) and
STARTTLS
HTML mail
Yes (read only)
More information:
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Positioning – location based services
Supported standards:
• OMA Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) v1.0 & v2.0
• 3GPP™ Control Plane location (incl. Emergency location)
• Qualcomm® GPSOneXtra™
Supported satellite systems:
• GPS
• GLONASS
NOTE: GPS and GLONASS are used together to calculate the position. Positioning is more robust and
accurate in most conditions if both systems are active. The benefits of using GLONASS are automatically
available for all applications using the Satellite Positioning API (referred to as "GPS Provider" in Android
terminology).
Provisioning (OMA CP)
OMA CP version 1.1
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Multimedia (audio, image and video)
Audio Playback
Decoder format
Supported in file format
AAC (AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+
AAC-ELD)
3GPP (.3gp, 3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4a), ADTS (.aac)
AMR-NB, AMR-WB
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4a), AMR (.amr, .awb)
FLAC
MIDI
FLAC (.flac), Matroska (.mka)
SMF (.mid), XMF (.xmf), Mobile
XMF (.mxmf), OTA (.ota), RTTTL
(.rtttl), RTX (.rtx), iMelody (imy)
MP3
MP3 (.mp3)
PCM
WAV (.wav)
Vorbis
OGG (.ogg), Matroska (.mkv)
ASF (.wma)
WMA
Audio Recording
Image Playback
Encoder format
AAC (AAC-LC, AAC+, AAC-ELD)
Supported in file format
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4a)
AMR (AMR-NB, AMR-WB)
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4a), AMR (.amr)
Decoder format
BMP
Supported in file format
BMP (.bmp)
GIF
GIF (.gif)
JPEG
JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
PNG (.png)
PNG
WebP
WebP (.webp)
Windows bitmap
Encoder format
JPEG
BMP (.bmp)
Image Capture
Supported in file format
JPEG (.jpg)
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Video Playback
Decoder format
Supported in file format
MPEG-4
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4v)
Matroska (.mkv), AVI (.avi), Xvid
(.xvid)
H.263
H.264
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4v)
3GPP (.3gp, .3gpp), MP4 (.mp4,
.m4v), Matroska (.mkv)
H.265*
MP4 (.mp4, .m4v)
VP8
WebM (.webm), Matroska (.mkv)
WebM (.webm)
VP9
Video Recording
Encoder format
MPEG-4
H.263
Supported in file format
3GPP (.3gp), MP4 (.mp4)
3GPP (.3gp), MP4 (.mp4)
3GPP (.3gp), MP4 (.mp4)
H.264
Audio/Video Streaming
DRM
Streaming transport
HLS
HTTP progressive streaming
MPEG-DASH
RTSP
DRM (Digital Rights Management) – OMA DRM v1.0
features the rights and copy
Marlin DRM
protection of downloaded content
Widevine Level 3
PlayReady DRM (available in
specific regions)
* NOTE: H.265 is not available in all markets.
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Synchronisation (OMA DS, EAS, Google Sync™)
OMA Data Synchronisation protocol versions 1.1.2 and 1.2
OMA Data Formats: vCard 2.1, vCalendar 1.0
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol version 2.5
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol version 12
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol version 12.1
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol version 14
Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® protocol version 14.1
Google Sync™
Related information:
Web browser
Google Chrome™ for Android™ is pre-installed in markets/regions where no restrictions apply.
Related information:
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Memory in Android™ devices
To use Android devices efficiently, users should be aware of the different types of device memory. This
knowledge is important in order to understand, for example, where music, photos and videos are saved;
how many apps can be downloaded from Google Play™; and how photos can be copied to a PC.
The below information is also of interest to developers who want to optimise their programs to make the
best possible use of the resources in the device.
Generally, all Android devices share the same basic memory setup. What differs is how much memory is
available to you via the different types of memory, and whether your device uses an external SD card or an
internal memory chip. Any information specific to the particular device model described in this White
Paper is noted as such.
Types of memory
The types of memory described and numbered below are consistent with the terminology used in Sony
mobile device menus and in other content relating to 2014 Xperia™ devices:
1. Dynamic Memory (also known as RAM) is used by applications that run when the device is turned on.
The amount of Dynamic Memory influences how many applications and operating system services can
run at the same time. The Android operating system automatically closes applications and services
that are not being used.
However, such automatic functionality has limits. For example, if a lower amount of free RAM is
available to applications after a new release of the operating system (due to increased capabilities in
the system), device speed will eventually be impacted. This is the main reason that a device cannot be
indefinitely upgraded to newer releases of Android™.
If you experience problems with RAM, for example, if the device runs slower than usual or if the Home
application restarts frequently when you leave an application, you should minimise the use of apps that
run all the time. Such apps could include, for example, applications that frequently download social
networking service updates. You could also consider using a static wallpaper instead of a live
wallpaper.
To see which apps and services are currently active, go to Settings > Apps > Running. You should
have at least 50 MB, and ideally 100 MB or more, of free RAM to avoid slowdowns and application
restarts.
You should also be aware that if you update the device to a later Android release, the load on the built-
in Dynamic Memory will increase due to the addition of more features, as mentioned above. As a
result, the device may run slower after an update.
The Xperia™ Z2a has about 3 GB of RAM available to the Android OS and applications, of which about
200 MB is already used out of the box.
2. System Memory (also known as “System partition” or “/system”) is used for the Android OS and for
most applications that are pre-loaded from the factory. This type of memory is normally locked, and
can only be changed through a firmware upgrade. There is usually some free space available in this
section of memory. However, since it is locked, you cannot save apps, photos or any other content to
this memory. System Memory is reserved for future firmware upgrades, which almost always need
more memory than the original firmware. You cannot see or influence the use of this memory.
3. Internal Storage is memory used as” working” memory. It can be compared to the C: drive on a PC
or to the startup disk on a Mac.
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This type of memory is used to store all application downloaded from the Google Play™ Store (and
other sources) as well as their settings and data (such as emails, messages and calendar events, for
example). All applications have an allocated area which no other applications can access and where
the application data can be stored.
Some game applications also store content such as game music and game level information outside
their own designated area. In most cases, an application can choose to save its data in a location of its
own choosing (outside the protected application settings area). Generally, such content is not deleted
when an application is uninstalled; it must be removed manually by connecting the device to a
computer with a USB cable, or by using a file manager application.
Internal Storage is also used for all user content added, for example, as a result of the user taking
photos with the camera, downloading media files, and performing file transfers. Typical user content
includes:
• photos
• movies
• music
• downloaded documents (as email attachments, for example)
Internal Storage will tend to fill up as a result of normal usage. Examples of such usage are the saving
of data by applications; the downloading and installation of new applications; the downloading of free
or paid content; and the shooting of pictures and movies. Therefore, the larger this memory is from the
start, the more applications you can download and use, and the more pictures and movies you can
shoot.
If the Internal Storage starts to get full, the device slows down, and in some cases it might no longer be
possible to install more apps. You should always ensure that you have at least 100 MB of free Internal
Storage. If not, you should consider removing some apps that you seldom use, or move content that
you do not frequently access to safe storage.
You can see approximately how much Internal Storage is free in Settings > Storage > DEVICE
MEMORY. You can also view more detail about how much memory is used by applications in
Settings > Apps. In the Xperia™ Z2a, about 12 GB of Internal Storage is available out of the box.
Please note that in Sony Mobile 2014 products, “Internal Storage” is now the combination of what was
previously known as “Device Memory” or “Phone Memory” (for applications and their data – also
previously known as “/data”) and “Internal Storage” (for user’s content – also previously known as “/
sdcard”). The reason for this change is to make the use of available memory more flexible, and also to
enable the optional encryption of user’s content.
Memory card slot
In some products you may find both a large internal memory and a memory card reader slot. However, on
the current Android platform, the card reader slot does not work in the same manner in a device with a
large internal memory as it does in a device with ONLY a memory card slot.
Generally, since most applications expect only a single location for storage, such applications will not
generally allow you to SAVE anything to the memory card (i.e., they do not offer the option to choose a
storage location). However, some applications (for instance, the Sony Mobile “Camera” application) may
actually allow you to do so. Other applications, for example, backup applications such as the Sony Mobile
“Memory” application, will by definition be configured to copy content from the Internal Storage to the
external SD card.
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On the other hand, when it comes to reading from an external SD Card, you will be able to access content
(for example, videos, photos and music) on a memory card inserted in this slot without any special
consideration since the Android system searches all available memory for content. Therefore, such
products may be regarded as supporting a fourth type of memory, called “External Card” or “SD Card”.
4. SD Card (known as “/sdcard1” from a programmer’s point of view, or by other names in other Android
products) is the name for the removable SD memory card in all 2014 Sony Mobile products. As
described above, this External Card memory is generally more limited in that any application can read
from it, but many applications cannot save to this card. Only a few applications, including backup
applications and file manger applications, have the capability to save to this card.
Backing up data to different memory types
Generally, you should not save photos, videos and other personal content solely on the internal memory
of a device. If something should happen with the hardware, or if the device is lost or stolen, the data
stored on the device’s internal memory is gone forever.
In a device where an SD card reader is the main memory, it is relatively easy to take the card out and copy
all content to a PC or Mac, or to an entertainment device with a memory card slot. In a product featuring
Internal Storage as the main memory, it is not possible to physically remove the memory. Instead, any
critical or high-value content must either be copied to an external SD card by a special backup
application, transferred to remote storage over a network (mobile or Wi-Fi), or to a computer via a USB
cable.
To facilitate the transfer of data via a cable, the Xperia™ Z2a supports the Microsoft standard, Media
Transfer Protocol (MTP), which makes it possible to easily transfer content back and forth between your
device and a Windows PC. For Apple Mac computers, a special application called Sony™ Bridge for Mac
is available with built-in support for MTP. This application can be downloaded from the Xperia™ Z2a
Support page.
Note that you do not need to back up or make a copy of applications that you have downloaded from the
Google Play™ Store. They can normally be downloaded again after you have set up your Google account
to work in a new device (or in a device where the memory has been completely erased).
Note 1:
As noted above, some Android devices, including Sony Mobile devices from 2012 and Sony Ericsson
devices from 2011 and earlier, do not use a single “Internal Storage” for both applications (and their data)
and user content. Instead, these devices use either an external SD card for user content, or a
corresponding area of internal memory to reproduce the functionality of an SD card. In such devices, there
is a fixed limit between the application area (“/data”) and the user content area (“/sdcard”), with the result
that user content can build up and reach this limit. The consequence of such a limit being reached, for
example, for the camera application, would be that no new pictures could be taken even if there was still a
considerable amount of free space in the application area (or in the user content area). In such an
instance, the download and installation of new applications would also not be possible, even if there was
enough free memory in the content area.
Note 2:
Some devices with integrated storage have abandoned the distinction between the application area and
the content area when it comes to a Factory Data Reset. As a result, there is no option in such devices to
perform a Factory Data Reset and preserve content. In such devices, all content is mandatorily and
completely deleted from the device when a reset is performed.
In contrast, Sony Mobile’s memory integration solution makes it possible to preserve user content in this
situation. Therefore, when performing a Factory Data Reset, the default action will still be to only remove
applications and their data, and an option box must be checked if all content is to be removed as well (as
might be desirable when selling the device second-hand, for instance).
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Note 3:
For a developer, it is important to note that from a programming point of view the location names used to
refer to the different memory areas described in Note 1 are still valid, i.e., the area used for applications (“/
data”) is still present, as is the area used for content (“/sdcard”).
In reality, “sdcard” is a so-called “symbolic link” to “/data/media”. However, from inside an Android
application, “/sdcard” can still be used. For example, you can use “sdcard/DCIM/100Android” to find all
camera images. The continued use of “/sdcard” to access the content area ensures compatibility across
different products and Android releases in this regard.
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Trademarks and acknowledgements
All product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. All other trademarks are property
of their respective owners.
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