What is my Xperia Theft Protection (MXTP)?
Today, most people carry around a device in their
pocket valued several hundred dollars in retail value. This has caused
personal theft to increase massively and it's no wonder: A quick “job” and a
thief has a device worth at least a few hundred on the shady market. The
fact that you can easily wipe said device clean makes it even easier to resell
the device. My Xperia Theft Protection (MXTP) is our solution to the
problem.
What are the improvements compared to
existing solutions?
There are several different existing solutions which
enable consumers to protect their Android phones or tablets. Most prominent
for Xperia devices are:
Using a screen lock or pattern
Using the current My Xperia implementation
Using the Android device manager While these solutions protect the data on
a device quite reliably they do not solve the issue of theft: You can bypass
all mentioned locks by flashing the Android operating system using PC
Companion, Bridge for Mac or a third party flash software. MXTP will enable
you to render your device completely useless for a thief, to ensure, that he
will not be able to use or sell the stolen device.
How exactly does my Xperia Theft Protection work?
Existing security solutions are usually a part of the
Android operating system. This means, that by swapping the operating
system (for example by performing a software repair) the security feature or
application is deleted.
My Xperia Theft protection is integrated much deeper in the structure of an
Xperia device: It is added to the bootloader of Xperia devices. The
bootloader is needed to start the operating system of your device, and it is
not part of the operating system itself. So if you delete the operating
system, MXTP will stay active and your device will still be protected.
Which phones or tablets support my Xperia Theft Protection?
At the moment the following devices support MXTP.
• Xperia M4 Aqua
• Xperia Z4 Tablet
• Xperia C4
How do I setup MXTP?
You may already have setup MXTP since its part of our
setup guide but in case you have missed or skipped the part about my
Xperia in the setup guide you can still configure this via the Settings menu.
Open Settings and scroll down and tap Security > Tap Protection by my Xperia
Tap Activate in the my Xperia screen > Agree to the Sony Mobile Privacy
Policy by checking the checkmark and tapping Accept .
In the confirmation screen tap Back or Home to leave my Xperia.
How do I deactivate MXTP?
If you wish to deactivate MXTP you need to authenticate as the legal
owner of your Xperia device.
Open Settings > Security > Protection by my Xperia.
Tap Deactivate > Confirm that you wish to disable the protection > Sign in
with the Google account you have used to activate MXTP.
Please note: If you fail to provide the correct login
credentials five times, your device will automatically enter lockdown.
Lockdown – What is Lockdown?
To protect your Xperia device against unauthorized access and to render it
completely useless for a thief it can enter a mode called Lockdown.
What triggers Lockdown?
Lockdown will activate when a serious exception to the normal use
patterns are detected.
Example of such exceptions are:
• Performing a master reset.
• Performing a software repair using PCC or B4M (or third party flash tools).
• Deleting the Google account used for enabling MXTP.
• Trying to disable MXTP in the settings and failing to provide the correct
login credentials 5 times.
• Trying to delete MXTP or removing the administration rights of MXTP.
• Triggering Lockdown using MyXperia in a web browser (with the correct
login credentials).
What happens in Lockdown?
Essentially, Lockdown will render the device completely useless unless
you have the correct Google credentials to validate the device:
• All running applications are stopped.
• You can no longer maximize the notification panel.
• Incoming calls are sent to voicemail (if available).
• Outgoing calls (except emergency calls) are blocked.
• The USB port will only be available for charging. It will not be possible for
a PC or Mac to detect the device.
This also applies to a software repair or flash. Lockdown will remain in
effect until the user has validated the device. Reloading software, rebooting
the device or manipulating the persistent storage will not disable the service.
How to exit Lockdown?
If lockdown was triggered you can unlock your Xperia device by
authenticate as the valid owner of the device by signing in to the Google
account which was used to activate My Xperia.
Exit lockdown using mobile data.
Most likely scenarios:
• You have deleted the Google account used to activate MXTP
• You failed to provide the correct login info when trying to deactivate MXTP
• You accidentally tried to delete MXTP
• You have locked your Xperia device remotely using My Xperia in a browser
To unlock:
Tap Authenticate in the lockdown screen > Enter the login credentials you
used for sighing up for MXTP and tap Sign in > Wait until your account is
validated.
Exit lockdown using a Wi-Fi connection.
Most common scenarios:
• You have performed a master reset of your device
• You have performed a software repair using PCC or B4M
• You have erased your data using My Xperia in a web browser
To unlock:
Tap Wi-Fi settings in the lockdown screen > Connect to a Wi-Fi network
and tap the back button > Tap Authenticate in the lockdown screen.
The following authentication is exactly as it is using a mobile data
connection.
Good to know: If you tap Authenticate without connecting to Wi-Fi network
you see a prompt informing you that you need to have a connection.
Today, most people carry around a device in their
pocket valued several hundred dollars in retail value. This has caused
personal theft to increase massively and it's no wonder: A quick “job” and a
thief has a device worth at least a few hundred on the shady market. The
fact that you can easily wipe said device clean makes it even easier to resell
the device. My Xperia Theft Protection (MXTP) is our solution to the
problem.
What are the improvements compared to
existing solutions?
There are several different existing solutions which
enable consumers to protect their Android phones or tablets. Most prominent
for Xperia devices are:
Using a screen lock or pattern
Using the current My Xperia implementation
Using the Android device manager While these solutions protect the data on
a device quite reliably they do not solve the issue of theft: You can bypass
all mentioned locks by flashing the Android operating system using PC
Companion, Bridge for Mac or a third party flash software. MXTP will enable
you to render your device completely useless for a thief, to ensure, that he
will not be able to use or sell the stolen device.
How exactly does my Xperia Theft Protection work?
Existing security solutions are usually a part of the
Android operating system. This means, that by swapping the operating
system (for example by performing a software repair) the security feature or
application is deleted.
My Xperia Theft protection is integrated much deeper in the structure of an
Xperia device: It is added to the bootloader of Xperia devices. The
bootloader is needed to start the operating system of your device, and it is
not part of the operating system itself. So if you delete the operating
system, MXTP will stay active and your device will still be protected.
Which phones or tablets support my Xperia Theft Protection?
At the moment the following devices support MXTP.
• Xperia M4 Aqua
• Xperia Z4 Tablet
• Xperia C4
How do I setup MXTP?
You may already have setup MXTP since its part of our
setup guide but in case you have missed or skipped the part about my
Xperia in the setup guide you can still configure this via the Settings menu.
Open Settings and scroll down and tap Security > Tap Protection by my Xperia
Tap Activate in the my Xperia screen > Agree to the Sony Mobile Privacy
Policy by checking the checkmark and tapping Accept .
In the confirmation screen tap Back or Home to leave my Xperia.
How do I deactivate MXTP?
If you wish to deactivate MXTP you need to authenticate as the legal
owner of your Xperia device.
Open Settings > Security > Protection by my Xperia.
Tap Deactivate > Confirm that you wish to disable the protection > Sign in
with the Google account you have used to activate MXTP.
Please note: If you fail to provide the correct login
credentials five times, your device will automatically enter lockdown.
Lockdown – What is Lockdown?
To protect your Xperia device against unauthorized access and to render it
completely useless for a thief it can enter a mode called Lockdown.
What triggers Lockdown?
Lockdown will activate when a serious exception to the normal use
patterns are detected.
Example of such exceptions are:
• Performing a master reset.
• Performing a software repair using PCC or B4M (or third party flash tools).
• Deleting the Google account used for enabling MXTP.
• Trying to disable MXTP in the settings and failing to provide the correct
login credentials 5 times.
• Trying to delete MXTP or removing the administration rights of MXTP.
• Triggering Lockdown using MyXperia in a web browser (with the correct
login credentials).
What happens in Lockdown?
Essentially, Lockdown will render the device completely useless unless
you have the correct Google credentials to validate the device:
• All running applications are stopped.
• You can no longer maximize the notification panel.
• Incoming calls are sent to voicemail (if available).
• Outgoing calls (except emergency calls) are blocked.
• The USB port will only be available for charging. It will not be possible for
a PC or Mac to detect the device.
This also applies to a software repair or flash. Lockdown will remain in
effect until the user has validated the device. Reloading software, rebooting
the device or manipulating the persistent storage will not disable the service.
How to exit Lockdown?
If lockdown was triggered you can unlock your Xperia device by
authenticate as the valid owner of the device by signing in to the Google
account which was used to activate My Xperia.
Exit lockdown using mobile data.
Most likely scenarios:
• You have deleted the Google account used to activate MXTP
• You failed to provide the correct login info when trying to deactivate MXTP
• You accidentally tried to delete MXTP
• You have locked your Xperia device remotely using My Xperia in a browser
To unlock:
Tap Authenticate in the lockdown screen > Enter the login credentials you
used for sighing up for MXTP and tap Sign in > Wait until your account is
validated.
Exit lockdown using a Wi-Fi connection.
Most common scenarios:
• You have performed a master reset of your device
• You have performed a software repair using PCC or B4M
• You have erased your data using My Xperia in a web browser
To unlock:
Tap Wi-Fi settings in the lockdown screen > Connect to a Wi-Fi network
and tap the back button > Tap Authenticate in the lockdown screen.
The following authentication is exactly as it is using a mobile data
connection.
Good to know: If you tap Authenticate without connecting to Wi-Fi network
you see a prompt informing you that you need to have a connection.
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