HOWTO: Install Missing Android Market on XPERIA X10 Mini

[diadroid]

Thanks,
I successfully installed the market in my mini pro, rooting with z4root was the solution
however, i noticed that there are some apps missing from the market
for example: skype, google earth, the moron test.
any idea whats going on?

 

[imageisstyle]

Great job crazydip! You're instructions were great, I had to reread a few times, but got it going. I did have to use z4root, but from there it was straight. I know have the Market and it is great! I recently received my new LiveView, but could not get the plugins, but now it is awesome since the Market is active on my phone.
Also, for everyone else, I have the X10i Mini Pro, and crazydip's directions do work, you just need z4root.apk, which I just went ahead and attached to this post. I love my Xperia X10i Mini Pro, and now with the Market and LiveView, it's even more of an awesome Android! Thanks again crazydip.

 

[ibosslady]

step 6 keeps failing for meee...what should i do?
oh and i have the sony ericsson x10 mini pro android 2.1

 

[ibosslady]

step 6 keeps failing for meee...what should i do?
oh and i have the sony ericsson x10 mini pro android 2.1

OMGGGG i got it 2 WORK!!! i used the z4root!....I LOVE EVERYBODY IN THIS FORUM (no homo) lol..thanks a milli

 

[nabeelally]

Awesome dude it works on my x10i with 2.1 kudos

 

[kaaaydeee]

Hay buddy,
I have installed 2.1 ver in my X10, but it's not working. Help me to find the way to instal Market in my xperia x10 to feel real touch of my phone...

Thanks

 

[drunkboy_bg]

Hi,

Thanks for the great description, I've managed to install the market on Mini Pro running on version 2.1. From my experience I can say that it seems that Universal AndRoot doesn't do the job with the root, it doesn't seem compitable with 2.1. I have used z4root and it worked as exected.

Thanks again

 

[mellz]

I tried both on my Flytouch 2 10.2" tablet running Android 2.1
Each would install, but when I tried to run, Market opened and instantly force closed.

If you have a phone with the Android Market missing, this post is for you. For some unexplained reason, some phones, even new ones, came without the Android Market. Mine did, and I was not happy. I found an easy solution, and hope that it will help other's in the same situation.

This thread applies to every Android phone, but specific information is based on the XPERIA X10 Mini. If you have another phone, please read this HOWTO fully before applying the steps.

THINGS TO NOTE:

1. This howto explains how to install the missing Android Market. This is NOT for people who are having problems installing apps. If you have Android Market but are having problems with it, this post is NOT for you.
2. This was done with Android 1.6.
3. Do NOT upgrade to 2.1 before fixing your market issue as it may cause you to have to hunt down newer versions of software, which is more difficult to find.
4. That said, this method should work on 2.1 but you will have to find newer versions of apps. If you are on 2.1, DO NOT USE THE Vending.apk provided by me. Find ones that work with 2.1 - especially the Android Market.
5. This should work for any Android 1.6 phone, but you will need to find your own Vending.apk made specifically for your phone model.

HOWTO:

- 1 -
First reboot your phone. Just turn it off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Once on your home screen, wait 1 to 2 minutes for everything to load.

- 2 -
Charge your phone. I recommend having at least 50% battery power, 100% would be best.

- 3 -
Allow installation of foreign apps by checking "Unkown Sources":
Settings -> Applications -> Unknown Sources

- 4 -
Copy Android Market file (Vending.apk) to your phone's SD card.

Use the USB cable and select "Connect to phone" and mount it if it was not mounted already by dragging down the top notification bar and selecting "USB Connected" and hitting "mount".

Now copy Vending.apk using your favorite file manager from your computer to your phone. Unmount/eject your phone on your computer.

Unmount your computer by dragging down the top notification bar and selecting "Turn off USB storage" and hitting "unmount". Take out the USB cable from the phone.

- 5 -
Install UniversalAndRoot which you can find at (direct link to 1.6.2beta5 - may not be the newest version when you read this, see below):
http://bit.ly/9wAKC5

Or for the newest version, go here:
universalandroot ????

If you decide to go to the blog, note that the author is from Taiwan, so it's not all in English. But just select the newest (probably top-most) Universal AndRoot released post and towards the bottom will be a direct download link. Download the apk file and copy it to your SD card just like you did with Vending.apk from above.

- 6 -
Soft root with Universal AndRoot. Launch Universal AndRoot and before you hit "Root phone", select the option "Soft root".

Soft root means that the root will only hold until you restart the phone. This is your best and easiest option. Otherwise you will have to got back and unroot your phone after you are done.

NOTE: read what it says when your soft root your phone. If it fails, try again. Mine failed the first time. Second time it worked. Just remember to select "soft root"!

- 7 -
Install SlideMe market place which you can find here:
SlideME | Android Community and Application Marketplace

- 8 -
Download and install AndRootFile from SlideMe. If you need help with SlideMe, just read their help section.

- 9 -
Open AndRootFile on your phone and gain root permission. You do this by clicking the "super user" icon.

Now find your the Vending.apk you copied previously and copy it to /system/app/ which you do by clicking on your Vending.apk file and selecting copy. Next you go to your root directory by clicking the [ / ] button. If this button is not available, just go up in the directory structure until you cannot go any further. You will see the /system/ and /sdcard/ folders. Now navigate to your /system/app/ folder and paste the file there.

- 10 -
Install /system/app/Vending.apk by clicking on it inside AndRootFile.

- 11 -
Exit AndRootFile and see if the Market app is installed. It should show up in your list of apps. DO NOT OPEN the Market app. If the Market installation was a success, restart your phone. Just turn it off, then turn it back on.

DONE!

BONUS:
For your convenience, I have provided the Vending.apk file for Android 1.6 that I know works. I have also provided a Vending.apk for Android 2.1. See the attachments below.

Just extract it from the provided .zip file. This Vending.apk file was copied from another X10 Mini phone which had it pre-installed. The provided Vending.apk files are for XPERIA X10 Mini and Mini Pro running Android 1.6 or 2.1 ONLY! If you have a different phone or Android version, you MUST get a Vending.apk made for your phone model and Android version.

PLEASE NOTE: I have not tested if the Vending.apk for Android 2.1 works. Use at your own risk.

Hope this helps all those people that received a phone without Android Market.

 

[manzanofab]

Hi I hope anyone can help me with the following i have done most of the steps,but when i do the soft root it looks like nothing happens (show over the selection of superuser for android 20 - 22)
failed!--fu goo --
them if i go to androotfile if i try to move or do step 9 it shows me the following message
"could not acquire root access. you need a rooted phone to run androotfile, if your phone is already rooted please make sure androotfilehas enough permissions to execute su command"
please some help i feel that i am too close to give up!

thanks

 

[crazydip]

Updated the guide to reflect some of the comments given in this thread - especially the ones about 2.1. Now the guide will guide both 1.6 and 2.1 users.

If you have installed the Market but have noticed a few applications missing, this is because some applications are not compatible with Xperia X10 Mini due to its screen size (resolution).

Anyway, thank you everyone for all of your comments and encouragement! Big thank you to everyone who gave additional advice and helped their fellow Android owners.

manzanofab,
What Android version are you using? If 2.1, reread the guide because I have updated it with new root instructions. If rooting does not work, search for a different root app.

WARNING: The latest 2.1 update (2.0.2.A.0.24) DISABLES rooting!! If you install this version, you will not be able to root your phone. You will not be able to install the Android Market. DO NOT UPGRADE TO 2.0.2.A.0.24 before installing the Android Market!!

 

[calipm]

Can anyone confirm that updating to 2.0.2.A.0.24 will not wipe the Android Market off with no future way of restoring it? Has anyone actually tried it? I'm scared to update now that I finally got things working pretty well. Many thanks.

 

[gniygnil]

How to copy the vending.apk file?

 

[djuma82]

Hi! I live in Serbia, and when I bought this phone (x10 mini pro), I didn't have the android market. I had version 1.6, and I update it few days ago to the 2.1 version (2.0.2.A.0.24). And it ended up terrible for my phone, it's a complete mess now. So, I want to know can I install android market after installation 2.1 IF it is version (2.0.2.A.0.24), which you mentioned in your warning, when you said that after installation 2.1 I can not install the android market? Can I find something new to fix my phone? And, is it possible to reverse my phone to 1.6, because 2.1 screwed my phone. Or should I do an installation 2.1 again? (maybe this time my phone will be ok) tnx a lot!!!

 

[janice_ying]

I had installed my android market but I cant open my it. When i press it, it keep on pop out a thing say 'The application market has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again.' What can i do?

 

[janice_ying]

Where can I find the directory structure?

 

[crazydip]

calipm,
Works without problems. Just make sure your Android Market works BEFORE you upgrade. If it works, it is OK to upgrade. I did and everything is working great!

janice_ying,
You may have to remove the cache of Google Services and the Market. I explain how to do this in a post above.

 

[nsujith]

calipm,
Works without problems. Just make sure your Android Market works BEFORE you upgrade. If it works, it is OK to upgrade. I did and everything is working great!

janice_ying,
You may have to remove the cache of Google Services and the Market. I explain how to do this in a post above.

I had installed Market following your instructions before and it has been working well till today when I was prompted to upgrade to 2.0.2.A.0.24 after which the Market app disappeared from the homescreen

What do?

 

[genre]

Hi guys im stock in running the z4root so many times it always prompted;
Sorry! "The application z4root (process com.z4mod.z4root) has stop unexpectedly please try again." i got x10 mini 2.1 by the way. please help thanks in advance!

 

[nsujith]

Hi guys im stock in running the z4root so many times it always prompted;
Sorry! "The application z4root (process com.z4mod.z4root) has stop unexpectedly please try again." i got x10 mini 2.1 by the way. please help thanks in advance!

That's because you might have upgraded to the latest firmware build number 2.0.2.A.0.24. You would not able to root using z4 if you have.

So, for rooting follow the instructions on this page, and then come back here to install Market.

It should work.

 

[big67]

Thanks for this great info! I have tried all of the steps above, got the marketplace installed. But when I try and download apps, it just says "starting download" and goes nowhere.
I also get a blue screen that says "The application Market(process com.android.vending) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again."
What do I do?

 

[EphraimD]

That's because you might have upgraded to the latest firmware build number 2.0.2.A.0.24. You would not able to root using z4 if you have.

So, for rooting follow the instructions on this page, and then come back here to install Market.

It should work.

Hi. does it mean that if i follow the link you've given to root my phone(2.0.2.A.0.24) I can now get my phone an AM?

 

[faregon]

2 times installed Android market trough this guide ! Wonderful work man Thx alot Hope Google comes to mind soon and makes the application open aswell

 

[crazydip]

If you successfully installed Android Market but it crashes or will freeze during download or install, then make sure you:
1) disable root - I had to unroot my phone for the Market to work and restart your phone
2) clear your Google cache by following my instructions in post #25.

 

[EphraimD]

If you successfully installed Android Market but it crashes or will freeze during download or install, then make sure you:
1) disable root - I had to unroot my phone for the Market to work and restart your phone
2) clear your Google cache by following my instructions in post #25.

@crazydip

So i can root my phone to get android market and unroot it and still get the android market?

 

[EphraimD]

thanks alot crazydip! I've manage to install the market on the latest x10 firmware.