Android 4.4 KitKat has been launched relatively recently, but so far, only a handful of devices have been officially confirmed for an update. Unfortunately, the Sony Xperia Go will not receive the official Android 4.4 KitKat update due to hardware limitations. The good news however, is that owners of the Xperia Go can still experience the Android 4.4 goodness by applying a custom ROM.

CyanogenMod 11 is one of the most popular custom ROMs out there, and it's based on Android 4.4. The ROM features vanilla KitKat features, but also includes a ton of improvements, tweaks and extra features of its own. In fact, CyanogenMod is so popular mainly because it's generally bug-free, and increases performance.

This guide will teach you how to apply the unnoficial CM 11 port on your Sony Xperia GO.

IMPORTANT: This is not an official CyanogenMod 11 release for the Xperia Go. It's a ROM that has been ported on the Go by XDA developer "Munjeni". Users have reported that the ROM has certain bugs surrounding Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a few other features. These bugs will be sported, as new builds will be released, but don't expect a flawless build right now. To get more information on these issues, on how to fix them and to discuss about the ROM's bugs, visit Munjeni's thread over at XDA.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING

  • In order to be able and apply this guide, you will need to have a rooted Sony Xperia Go running the latest CWM recovery. Don't follow the steps below if your smartphone doesn't meet these two prerequisites
  • While CM 11 is generally speaking a very bug-free platform, this is still not an official release. It may be even better than the official Android 4.4 KitKat update, but you may run into minor bugs as well
  • Please note that, once you have a rooted device running on CM 11, you will not be able to receive official Over-The-Air updates any more. You will only be able to apply official updates manually
  • Before proceeding, make sure that your smartphone's battery level is at least 60-70%
  • Before proceeding, you will need to enable USB Debugging. Go to "Menu" > "Settings" > "Developer options" and mark the "USB Debugging" check box
  • This guide requires you to factory reset your smartphone. Create backups if necessary
  • You can use the "Helium" app to backup app data; the "SMS backup & restore" app to backup messages; and the "APN Settings Backup & Restore" to backup APN settings
  • Use your Gmail account to create a backup of your contacts, if necessary
  • Do not skip any steps!
  • This is an advanced guide. If anything goes wrong and you brick or damage your phone, or you lose data, you cannot hold the CM 11 developers, or anyone else responsible

Flashing Android 4.4 KitKat CyanogenMod 11 on the Sony Xperia Go:

  1. Download the CM 11 KitKat ROM by visiting this link. From the list, make sure you download a CM 11 file that has been released more recently
  2. Since CM 11 does not include Google apps, you will need to download them separately. Visit this link to get the Gapps zip file
  3. Once the files have been downloaded, connect your Sony Xperia Go to your computer using the USB cable
  4. Copy the zip files and paste them onto your phone's SD storage
  5. After the transfer is complete, disconnect your Xperia Go from your computer
  6. Turn off your smartphone, wait a few seconds and boot into CWM recovery mode
  7. You should now create a NANDROID backup before proceeding. This will create a restore point for your current ROM. If CM 11 doesn’t work out for you, you can restore your current ROM. To create a backup, select "backup and restore" and save the file
  8. In the main recovery screen, select "wipe data / factory reset"
  9. Go back to the recovery screen and select "wipe cache partition"
  10. Return to the recovery screen and select "advance" > "wipe dalvick cache"
  11. Now that your smartphone's memory is wiped, you will start flashing the CM 11 ROM. Select "install zip from SD card" and select "choose zip from SD card". Browse for the CM 11 zip that you have downloaded at step 1 and select it
  12. After the flashing process is complete, choose to install zip from SD card again, but this time select the Google Apps file that you have downloaded at step 2
  13. Once both files have been flashed, return to the recovery screen, select "+++go back+++" and then "reboot system now". NOTE: this first reboot may take a while. Don't press any buttons during the process. If rebooting takes way too long or if your smartphone is stuck in a boot loop, then you need to start over. Don't skip any steps
  14. Congratulations!

NOTE: Remember that, if the CM 11 ROM is not what you were looking for, you can use the NANDROID backup created at step 7 in order to rollback to your previous ROM.

› See More: Sony Xperia Go: Install Android 4.4 KitKat CyanogenMod 11