Root Xperia M C1904/1905 on 4.3 with TowelRoot [Locked Bootloader]

The Xperia M (C1904/C1905) shipped in 2013 and ended its update life on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean — which is exactly why TowelRoot became the rooting method of choice for it. TowelRoot exploits a kernel vulnerability and needs no unlocked bootloader, no PC for the root itself, and no data loss. This guide keeps the original method intact and adds what's changed since: where to safely get the APK in 2026, the remount fix for full root, and the risks worth knowing before you touch a twelve-year-old phone.

Quick Answer: TowelRoot still roots a stock Xperia M C1904/C1905 on Android 4.3 with a locked bootloader, because Sony's final firmware for the phone never patched the 2014 kernel bug it exploits. Install TowelRoot from the official site, tap "make it ra1n", then apply the remount fix from the XDA thread for full root. No data loss, but you do it at your own risk.

What TowelRoot Actually Is

TowelRoot is a one-click root tool released in 2014 by George Hotz (geohot — the same person behind the first iPhone unlock). It exploits CVE-2014-3153, a futex-system-call bug reported by researcher Pinkie Pie, and works on nearly any Android device running a kernel built before June 3, 2014. It made headlines for rooting carrier-locked Galaxy S5 units, but it became a favorite in the Xperia community because the Xperia M's last firmware (15.4.A.x on 4.3) shipped with an unpatched kernel and never received a fix.

The official source still exists: towelroot.com, geohot's original page, where the lambda (λ) link downloads `tr.apk`. Only use that source. A decade of dead APK mirrors has grown around this tool, and random-mirror copies of exploit apps are a classic malware vector — if a site isn't geohot's, don't install from it.

One honest caveat before the steps: TowelRoot alone gives partial root on the Xperia M — enough to be recognized, not enough to edit or mount system files. The remount fix below completes it.

Full Development Guides for Sony Xperia M C1904/C1905

If you're working through this phone's whole development path, start here:

• Full Development Guide for Sony Xperia M C1905/1904 — The Ultimate Tutorial — unlock, recovery, and memory-swap in one place.

Disclaimer

Rooting may void any remaining warranty (moot for a phone this old) and carries a real, if small, risk of bricking. This method applies to the Xperia M C1905/C1904 running stock 4.3 — don't try it on other devices. You follow this at your own risk; TechBii isn't responsible for damage.

Pre-requisites

1. Your phone is on stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (the final Xperia M firmware).

2. No data loss occurs in this method — files stay intact — but back up anything precious anyway. It's 2026 and this phone's backups exist nowhere else.

3. Charge the phone to at least 30%.

4. Enable USB debugging from Developer Options (tap Build Number seven times in About Phone if the menu is hidden).

5. A Windows PC with adb working, for the remount fix only.

How to Root Xperia M on 4.3 with TowelRoot [Locked Bootloader]

1. Download `tr.apk` from towelroot.com (the official page — avoid mirrors), transfer it to the phone, and install it. You'll need "unknown sources" enabled.

2. Open TowelRoot and tap make it ra1n. The phone reboots — root is now partial.

3. Install SuperSU from the Play Store (or sideload it if the Play Store has given up on Android 4.3 on your unit).

4. Install BusyBox the same way.

5. Get the remount reboot fix package from the original XDA thread (credit to XDA member ananthtcr for the method) and extract it on your computer.

6. Connect the phone to the PC with USB debugging enabled.

7. Run `install.bat` from the extracted folder.

8. Choose SuperSU (option 1), press Enter, grant the root permission prompt on the phone, then reboot. Done.

After the reboot, SuperSU can grant root to apps and system mounts behave properly — that's full root on a locked bootloader, achieved without Sony's unlock path.

Should You Still Do This in 2026?

Honest take, since the phone is now twelve years old:

• Why bother: the Xperia M runs 4.3 permanently, TowelRoot is the only bootloader-free root it ever had, and for a drawer-king retro device it's a fun weekend project. I keep a couple of dead-era Android phones around for exactly this kind of tinkering, and watching a 2014 exploit still land on untouched firmware never gets old.
• Why it still works: the vulnerability lives in the Linux kernel, Sony never shipped a patched kernel for the Xperia M, so nothing has changed on the device side since 2014.
• What to avoid after rooting: don't install apps from outside the Play Store casually — a rooted Android 4.3 device has no modern security patches, no TLS upgrades, and unpatched WebView. Treat it as an offline or Wi-Fi-only toy, not a daily phone. Banking or mainstream apps won't run properly on 4.3 regardless.
• The alternative: Sony's official bootloader-unlock route (via Sony's developer site) allows flashing custom recoveries, but it wipes data and wasn't available for all carrier variants — that's why TowelRoot was the popular answer for locked units.

FAQ

Does TowelRoot still work on the Xperia M in 2026?

Yes. The exploit targets the Linux kernel, and the Xperia M's final firmware never received a kernel patch for CVE-2014-3153, so a stock Android 4.3 unit remains vulnerable to it — in a good way. This assumes stock firmware; if the kernel has somehow been replaced or patched, TowelRoot will simply fail with no harm done.

Where can I safely download TowelRoot now?

Only from towelroot.com, geohot's original site, which is still online and still serves the original `tr.apk` via the lambda link. Avoid every APK mirror site — copies of exploit tools on third-party mirrors are a well-known way to get malware installed with root privileges. If towelroot.com ever goes offline, treat the tool as unavailable rather than hunting mirrors.

Is rooting the Xperia M with TowelRoot safe for my data?

The root step itself is non-destructive — TowelRoot exploits a running kernel bug rather than flashing anything, so photos and files are untouched. The risk isn't data loss; it's that the exploit leaves the same kernel hole open for anyone else to use, and a rooted 4.3 phone can't be hardened with modern patches. Keep such a device offline or on trusted Wi-Fi only.

Why do I need the remount fix after TowelRoot?

TowelRoot grants root privileges but the Xperia M's /system partition mounts read-only in a way that ignores the new privileges, so file edits and mount operations fail. The remount reboot fix (from the XDA thread) reconfigures the mount behavior via adb, after which SuperSU and root apps get full system access. Skip it and you'll have root that can't actually modify anything.

Will this work on Android 4.1 or on dual-SIM variants?

The method here targets stock 4.3 Jelly Bean, the Xperia M's final official firmware, on both the single-SIM C1905 and dual-SIM C1904. On earlier 4.1 firmware, older one-click methods applied, and TowelRoot may also work since those kernels predate June 2014 — but the remount fix and this guide were written against 4.3. Don't use this procedure on other Xperia models.

Can I unroot the Xperia M afterwards?

Fully, via reflash: use Sony's official firmware package (FSC/flashtool with the 15.4.A.x stock ROM) to return the phone to factory stock, which removes SuperSU and root. Since TowelRoot modified nothing persistent, an unroot via SuperSU's full unroot plus a reboot also returns things close to stock — the kernel exploit remains present either way, as it always was on this firmware.

Related Reading

• Full Development Guide for Sony Xperia M C1905/1904 — unlock, CWM recovery and memory swap for this phone.
• How to Root Galaxy Note 3 N900 on Official Jelly Bean 4.3 — the same 4.3-era one-click story on Samsung hardware.
• How to Uninstall System Apps Without Root on Android — if you only wanted bloat gone, you may not need root at all.
• How to Root Any Android Phone Without PC (KingRoot) — the alternative one-click route, with its own caveats.

(Two older Xperia M posts linked here previously were removed in this 2026 refresh — their URLs no longer resolve.)

Still running an Xperia M in 2026, or rooting one for the first time? Tell us how it went in the comments.