I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader of my Moto X and I have a few questions. I hope you guys can help me.
1. At the moment I'm using PwnMyMoto, which means I dont have the stock recovery. Will this be a problem to unlock the bootloader using 'Motorola website' method? i.e. is this method stock recovery dependent? Do I have to go back stock using RSDlite first?
2. After unlocking the bootloader I will probably install a custom recovery (maybe TWRP). As far as I know, when using a custom recovery we should not install OTA, right? It will bootloop. Can anyone confirm this?
3. When using TWRP, is it possible to flash a ROM using RSDlite and keep the custom recovery? i.e. only flash system. This way I could backup my actual ROM before I flash the new one, and if anything goes wrong I can restore it.
Thank you all!
xitake said:
I'm thinking about unlocking the bootloader of my Moto X and I have a few questions. I hope you guys can help me.
1. At the moment I'm using PwnMyMoto, which means I dont have the stock recovery. Will this be a problem to unlock the bootloader using 'Motorola website' method? i.e. is this method stock recovery dependent? Do I have to go back stock using RSDlite first?
2. After unlocking the bootloader I will probably install a custom recovery (maybe TWRP). As far as I know, when using a custom recovery we should not install OTA, right? It will bootloop. Can anyone confirm this?
3. When using TWRP, is it possible to flash a ROM using RSDlite and keep the custom recovery? i.e. only flash system. This way I could backup my actual ROM before I flash the new one, and if anything goes wrong I can restore it.
Thank you all!
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Click to collapse
1. Fastboot the stock recovery. You will likely have problems unlocking as it performs a factory reset.
2. Don't take OTAs with a custom recovery. You will bootloop. Wait for a flashable zip or fastboot back to stock to get the OTA.
3. You flash ROMs in recovery. You shouldn't need to use fastboot (or rsdlite) unless you want to return to stock or you run into serious phone issues.
Sent from my Moto X.
So im 4.4 on my Moto x, and im a bit unsure of the procedure to root my phone and how to back it up. I know how to unlock my bootloader and I've done that already. but how do I backup my /system and stock recovery? I want to have a way to revert back to get OTA's
Kittiesoncrack said:
So im 4.4 on my Moto x, and im a bit unsure of the procedure to root my phone and how to back it up. I know how to unlock my bootloader and I've done that already. but how do I backup my /system and stock recovery? I want to have a way to revert back to get OTA's
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Click to collapse
After you unlock the bootloader you probably flashed the TWRP .img? At that point you should have made a backup of system, data, and boot. So know you have a backup of stock everything except for recovery. You could have performed a recovery dump via ADB/Fastboot before the TWRP flash.......BUT, under system/ is a file at the bottom called recovery-from-boot.bak. At any time you can remove the .bak and when you reboot to recovery, you should be in stock recovery. If you need TWRP again you have to fastboot flash it again. :good:
Alright, this is my first full day with my new contract-free Moto X on Sprint. It runs Android 4.4, and the system 143.44.8.ghost_sprint.Sprint.en.US. I already have the necessary drivers and adb installed on my Windows computer.
I am trying to root my phone. Having come from the original Epic 4G, I am used to doing my research quite thoroughly. From what I have seen, while Sprint CLAIMS that the bootloader is unlocked, you actually have to get the unlock code from Sprint. Fine, the phone has now been unlocked, but still not rooted. The two prevailing lines of research are to either run SlapMyMoto (this the phone is already on 4.4), but that only seems to serve Verizon and AT&T devices, and line 2 is to flash a recovery like TWRP (official, but I've never used) or CWM (unofficial, but used on Epic 4G). I've tried two different .img files for TWRP: twrp-2.6.3.1-ghost-4.4.img and openrecovery-TWRP-TEST#3-ghost.img, but attempting to enter Recovery from Fastboot simply displays a persistent black screen. Still no root.
What am I still missing in regards to installing a recovery software? I already have SuperSU v1.93 copied over to the phone, but I can't get anywhere without the recovery software to install it. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
Dante of the Inferno said:
Alright, this is my first full day with my new contract-free Moto X on Sprint. It runs Android 4.4, and the system 143.44.8.ghost_sprint.Sprint.en.US. I already have the necessary drivers and adb installed on my Windows computer.
I am trying to root my phone. Having come from the original Epic 4G, I am used to doing my research quite thoroughly. From what I have seen, while Sprint CLAIMS that the bootloader is unlocked, you actually have to get the unlock code from Sprint. Fine, the phone has now been unlocked, but still not rooted. The two prevailing lines of research are to either run SlapMyMoto (this the phone is already on 4.4), but that only seems to serve Verizon and AT&T devices, and line 2 is to flash a recovery like TWRP (official, but I've never used) or CWM (unofficial, but used on Epic 4G). I've tried two different .img files for TWRP: twrp-2.6.3.1-ghost-4.4.img and openrecovery-TWRP-TEST#3-ghost.img, but attempting to enter Recovery from Fastboot simply displays a persistent black screen. Still no root.
What am I still missing in regards to installing a recovery software? I already have SuperSU v1.93 copied over to the phone, but I can't get anywhere without the recovery software to install it. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Why are you even bothering with SlapMyMoto when your bootloader is unlocked? I don't understand why people continually ask about how to root when they've already unlocked their bootloader...SlapMyMoto works for all Moto X variants, not sure where you got the impression that it only works for VZW and ATT.
Flash a recovery (CWMR or TWRP) using "mfastboot flash recovery recovery.img", use VOL- to scroll down to recovery then VOL+ to select. Once in recovery, "adb push su.zip /sdcard/" then flash it from within the recovery. From there, you can select reboot from within the recovery or type "adb reboot".
okay...so if i'm running the 4.4 update on my Sprint Moto X, and have unlocked the bootloader, I just need to flash a recovery image and flash the SU zip through the custom recovery, correct? No mucking around with downgrading to 4.2.2 post-cam update etc?
mrao said:
okay...so if i'm running the 4.4 update on my Sprint Moto X, and have unlocked the bootloader, I just need to flash a recovery image and flash the SU zip through the custom recovery, correct? No mucking around with downgrading to 4.2.2 post-cam update etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Any luck on this? I have a Sprint one and have unlocked my bootloader as well. However, after pushing TWRP recovery and trying to boot into it, I'm unable to flash SU.zip. After a normal reboot, TWRP recovery no longer exists (seems like a persistency issue?).
Anyway, after unlocking my bootloader, what are the next steps?
Out of all the Android phones I've had, rooting this one has been the most difficult by far...call me a noob.
CartlandSmith said:
[STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS] Unlocking and Rooting a Dev Ed Moto X Running Kit Kat
Works for any unlocked bootloader Moto X running kit kat, not just dev eds.
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Worked - thank you!
I was running a rooted rom and my bootloader is unlocked.
But i wanted to flash the 5.1 ota.
So I was trying to flash the stock image so that I could unroot and flash the 5.1 ota.
I used the Moto X Multitool and used option 4:
flash back to total stock unrooted rom and recovery-full-wipe
How do I flash a rom? It doesn't matter what. I don't want to send it back to Motorola.
Adb is working but fastboot is not working.
EDIT:
I rebooted into the bootloader and flashed TWRP.
Everything is working perfect again
Now I'm stuck in this recovery screen:
Can you get back into the bootloader and did you try doing a factory reset?
hello, I want to complete the last ota update, but I have custom recovery, bootloader and root, Can someone give me the stock recovery from moto x 5.1 please? I read that is not the same that 4.4.
If I use stock recovery I could to apply the ota update right?
Is there a guide to installing a custom recovery and ROM to the XT1096 now after the official bootloader unlock? I just did it and wanna play around with new ROMs now.
Before you do anything with your phone, download and keep the stock firmware for it, in case something goes wrong, or you lose signal:
https://mega.nz/#F!ow8igZRL!Z7vmN8GOpez2bVMYDvEKkg
I guess there's only stock 5.1 for the XT1096 (Verizon?).
You will also need ADB and Fastboot to flash custom recovery or stock firmware.
The Moto X 2014 is called Victara, this is the TWRP custom recovery for it:
https://dl.twrp.me/victara/
You flash it in Bootloader Mode, using Fastboot, like this:
fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.0-0-victara.img
(This is just an example, you might want to flash a different version, or recovery)
Then you boot into recovery immediately after flashing it, so it doesn't get overwritten by the stock firmware.
Then you can copy the ROM and Gapps zip files to the phone, and flash them by tapping Install in TWRP.