By the title, you can assume the situation is not very pretty and this poor individual needs some help. You would be correct in your assessment. This was me yesterday, freaking out after the new OTA update crippled my device and made me fear the worst (bricking). As a new Rom developer/flasher, I certainly worry about bricking my device, but have luckily not…yet. I certainly won’t deny the amount of tinkering that I do with my phone and flashing custom Roms, which might have assisted in my near meltdown, however, I thought it may be a good idea to share this experience (issue + solution) with the rest of the community, to hopefully save someone long periods of stress and research.
Note: I am only assuming the OTA is what caused the problem, but this could be incorrect, feel free to correct me.
Key Factors:
Custom Recovery: TWRP
Custom Rom (at the time of meltdown): Google Play Edition
Device: Verizon HTC One m8
OTA update ran.
Decided I wanted to go back to something closer to Sense and noticed that the ViperOne rom was getting some awesome reviews.
Downloaded Rom
Attempted to go into Recovery, but was greeted by the following error message:
HBoot
Model ID incorrect
Update failed
Press power to reboot
Downloaded Flashify and was able to get into recovery.
I knew I would need to deal with this error eventually, but thought maybe flashing the new Rom would assist in that area.
Flashed ViperOne rom, flash failed.
I swiped to unlock and the phone rebooted…
Then the real fun began.
My phone would boot to HTC logo with the read development disclaimer at the bottom:
“This build is for development purposes only. Do not distribute outside of HTC without HTC’s written permission. Failure to comply may lead to legal action.”
I freaked out for a bit, researched a ton and finally began to put the bits and pieces together:
At this screen it is possible to reboot, but then you will just boot into Hboot error, so pretty pointless (from what I know, feel free to chime in If you know of a way to get into recovery/fastboot from here).
I downloaded the latest version of TWRP
While on the HTC One screen, I plugged my phone into the computer and entered: adb devices.
At first, the command yielded no results, but after about 3 minutes, the device was recognized, but offline.
After 4 minutes, the device was recognize and looked to be available.
I then issued the following command:
Adb reboot bootloader
Success! This booted me into the fastboot usb method, which gave me a huge glimpse of hope.
Next, I ran the command to reflash the custom recovery:
Fastboot flash recovery [insert recovery file name here].
I received a successful message flash, however, after a reboot, I experienced the same problem as before.
I attempted to boot into recovery from the menu UI, but the option was not available. The journey continues:
I attempted the steps outlined above and then flashed the TWRP recovery image to boot instead of as recovery:
Fastboot flash boot [insert recovery file name here].
reboot-bootloader
This time, I was able to select “Recovery”, and booted into TWRP.
I then installed the GPE Rom again.
After the GPE rom installed, I rebooted into TWRP and checked to see if my restores were available, and luckily enough they were still in the same place (phew!).
This little article will hopefully help someone, as all the information I found for this issue was scattered throughout the web and I was luckily able to piece it together for my specific issue.
Ultimately, typing the ADB and Fastboot by themselves and reading through the commands in the CMD prompt, helped me figure out the commands needed to be successful in my endevours.
This would have been deeply helpful for me a week and a half ago. I actually bricked my device during the process of S-Off and unlocking the bootloader, after which, my device wouldn't be recognized on my computer (I missed a step in the process). Luckily for me, Verizon gave me an exchange, even though the phone was rooted and the only screen that'd boot up was TWRP. Apparently since I was in the 14-day return window, rooting or unlocking your device doesn't disqualify you from doing an exchange.
The first ROM I flashed after getting the new device and unlocking it was the same Google Play Edition. I had some issues getting in to recovery. I reflashed TWRP and have been fine ever since. I'm thinking it may be a bug in that ROM that causes devices to lose discoverability or for recovery to fail.
Hello,
Pretty new to rooting, tried to root my HTC Vivid to install some apps which are "incompatible" with my device. Unlocked bootloader and rooted successfully by installing TWRP recovery and installing the supersu zip. After copying the build.prop file to another folder I proceeded to make some minor changes to the build.prop file with ES File Explorer. Essentially changing the model ID of the phone to another device to try to prompt Google Play to show the incompoatible apps, didn't touch anything boot-related or anything else. Phone was working fine at that point, rebooting ok, but Google Play still showed the apps as incompatible, so I temporarily brought back the old build.prop file by copy/pasting it from the folder I made. The system indicated the copy was made successfully, and I tried to reboot once more. That is where the problem started.
When the power button is pressed for a second or so, the phone vibrates once and shows the starting splash screen (HTC) as it did when working, and then the screen goes blank, although the LED backlight is still on (so phone has power). Nothing comes after, no "HTC quietly brilliant" logo nor the chime that indicates it's booting up. At that point it stops responding to any stimulus except the removal of the battery, at which point the LED backlight finally goes off. Waiting for ~10min solved nothing, still blank black screen with backlight on. Upon reinserting the battery, the phone once again responds to the power button, with the same results.
I can boot to recovery by holding down Vol down and pressing power, and there I get the usual options including Fastboot, Recovery, etc. I tried doing a factory reset. It gives a bunch of error messages along the lines of "can't mount emmc", then says it's starting the reset, and gives a successful completion prompt after half a minute or so. However, that seems to do nothing at all to fix the problem (tried 4x times, with SD card in and out).
The only change that comes to mind is the last replacement of the build.prop file I did, which should have just restored the original. Assuming the factory reset doesn't actually reset that file (where would it get a copy to do so?) perhaps it being broken is preventing me from booting after the reset. Just my theory though, and could be something else.
From what I understand I could try putting a recovery image on the micro sd from a PC, then doing a recovery rather than a factory reset from the TWRP menu to replace all the files, including the potentially problematic build.prop. However, I didn't make a backup of the system before this happened (learning experience) and have no such image. Could anyone perhaps point me to a clean image for the Vivid that I could download and flash to my phone with recovery? Or otherwise shed some light on what could be causing the problem? I also realize there are various unbricking tutorials online, but after many hours of this I'm a bit too exhausted to follow all of those just to see if they work or not.
Edit: Upon further research I realize I can try to flash a new rom to the Vivid, but no matter how much I search I can't find a working link for a stock ICS .zip. There is a RUU .exe file from HTC but my phone can't get past fastboot, so I'd need to do this with a zip file. Anywhere I can get a working one? I could also try a custom rom, I just have 0 knowledge of those so don't know which would be a safe bet.
Would appreciate any help, and hope the post isn't overly long. Tried to give as much info as I could. I already spent a ton of time on both the root procedure and trying to fix this and would really like to hear professional opinions before breaking anything else. Thanks for reading.
Hi, thank you for using XDA Assist. The best place to get help is in your device's specific forum here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-vivid They are the experts on your device. You may have already seen this but it's a good place to start, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1486024 If it were me I'd return the device to stock and start over. If you're messing with your phone you will want to be comfortable on how to return it to stock as you'll probably have to do that more than once as you learn more about your device.
jd1639 said:
Hi, thank you for using XDA Assist. The best place to get help is in your device's specific forum here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-vivid They are the experts on your device. You may have already seen this but it's a good place to start, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1486024 If it were me I'd return the device to stock and start over. If you're messing with your phone you will want to be comfortable on how to return it to stock as you'll probably have to do that more than once as you learn more about your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice, I basically got into rooting from scratch a day ago, so many resources I don't know about. Trying to return to stock, but I need a rom of the stock in .zip form since the phone can't get past recovery, and having trouble finding that. Perhaps due to age of phone, but most links to those seem to no longer be functional.
rohanreddy277 said:
Actually u shouldnt have rooted with that zip file containing supersu u actually should have done it with kingo root. anyway, the best waty to revive it is to install cyanogenmod. download the version for ur device and google how to install cyanogenmod. this will give a new life to ur phone. hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, I basically learned as I went along for this root, haven't even heard of kingo before. I was very careful, but apparently something still went wrong. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try that mod and see if it works.
Edit: I'm only finding a nightly build for the Vivid on the CyanogenMod website, with no stable versions. Nightly build is dated two years ago, so clearly no stable versions coming. While I'm in no position to be picky, and I'll try it if needed, I'd rather not break what's still functioning in my phone. Any mods out there that are stable for the Vivid?
Edit2: the nightly cyanogen build seems to have brought the phone back online, but besides the different look and feel from what I'm used to, it doesn't seem to have Google Play... so I can't download anything. It also isn't seen by HTC Sync so I can't run the RUU from there, but I did successfully extract the rom.zip file using some instruction on this forum from the stock ICS RUU .exe. However, installing that from twrp recovery fails as it cannot open the zip, and an attempt to use the "fastboot flash zip rom.zip" command fails saying it's not allowed. Integrity of zip fail is tested to be ok with an archiver program. The zip file extracts properly, and I can flash things like boot.img and recovery_signed.img to the phone, yet system.img cannot be flashed (data length too large error). Not sure what to try next.
Thread closed.
It seems no matter how much this topic gets discussed, people still use old methods and they either fail, or they break something like WiFi, Mobile Data, infinite bootloop, or getting stuck on the boot logo... THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN and it IS repairable, usually without reflashing the entire image. The problem comes from using an old method, outdated SuperSU, or incorrect method. This guide will help you correct most issues, or help you to flash root correctly the FIRST time.
I have written rooting guides for multiple Moto device, and I have owned many Moto devices as well, so I have some idea what I am saying and I have tested these methods extensively, they work.
------------------------
This guide covers ALL Moto X 2015 models that can be bootloader unlocked and have TWRP available, it doesn't matter if it is the XT1575 or XT1572, the method is identical (untested on Chinese XT1570, but it should work). In fact, this method will work on all 2015 and 2016 series Moto phones running Marshmallow, including the Moto E, X, G3, G4, and Z with the appropriate TWRP image.
Please read completely and make sure you understand each step and how to do it, if you don't get something search the thread or ask an open question, no offense, but do not PM me with a question because you think it is too stupid to ask in public (we all started as noobs), or because you want me to hold your hand and do it for you, I will politely tell you no and ask you to post in the thread.
If you are coming here because you followed an old guide where you used a special boot.img file and now you have no service (WiFi and/or mobile data) and you don't have a TWRP backup to restore first, well, the RIGHT way to fix it is to reflash the current stock firmware image and start over... why? Because the various "help" people give to have you flash the radio files that match the kernel (ie. boot image) that was patched for the old style root method, has now put you in a mismatched firmware environment and could potentially brick on the next OTA. If you are in this situation and don't know for to properly fix it... go to the FAQ section in post #3 below (WIP-incomplete).
If came are coming here to root the first time, or you just thought you could flash SuperSU and reboot and now stuck in either a bootloop or stuck on the boot logo... Your in luck, read on, because we can fix that in a jiffy!
tl;dr version for advanced users: Skip to "How to do it" section to root, or "Do the prep" section to fix a bad root.
I am writing this tutorial because there are still lots of failed root attempts using older "standard" methods that do not work on this device. I also do not like the "one click" root methods, because they can and do fail (KingoRoot will brick a Moto X P/S, regardless of what it's web page says), and when they do people have no idea how to fix it. The manual way is not difficult, and it teaches you how to work on, fix, and use your device on a level above that of the average smartphone user.
I will only cover the details of rooting, the prerequisites are covered elsewhere in detail and I will link to reliable sources for the information. Specifics of the prerequisites are outside of the scope of this tutorial, but are open for discussion in this thread.
Prerequisites:
1) Device must have an unlocked bootloader. See Moto - Unlocking the Bootloader for more info.
NOTE: Performing this prerequisite will give you all the tools (fastboot) and drivers needed to continue, and wipe your device, meaning erase all your information and programs. Make sure to backup any important data first. This step will also permanently void your warranty once an unlock code has been issued by Moto, it doesn't matter if you even use it, your warranty is done.
2) You need to have TWRP installed or one-time booted via fastboot. CWM and other recoveries will NOT work at this time. See the official TWRP pages for clark here. I will NOT teach you how to use TWRP in this thread, if you are going to root you need to understand that your self, but if you get in a real bind I may knudge you in the right direction. I will tell you that there are two modes, flashed or booted, the later is much better if you plan to take an OTA later as long as you don't do something stupid like flash Xposed.
3) You need a copy of the latest STABLE SuperSU ZIP from Chainfire's site on the internal storage or SD card of your device, you can always fine the latest stable version here: https://download.chainfire.eu/supersu/ As of this posting update UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.82-20170528234214.zip (version 2.82) is the current stable version and it has been tested and verified to work.
NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, do not use a beta version for rooting Moto devices. SuperSU versions with even numbers are stable versions, while odd numbered versions are beta editions.
4) Reboot and start TWRP recovery, the method you use to do this doesn't matter (boot or flash).
5) Backup your device with TWRP to your SD card, even if you just unlocked and the phone is as blank as a printed page from a 1988 HP DeskJet printer with it's original cartridges still installed, backup... You will always have a good point to return to if the worst happens.
Do the prep:
Note that the hidden Do the prep section is ONLY for repairing a bad flash, SuperSU has been updated and as of version 2.79 the hidden section should no longer be needed for general purpose root on a working device, you just flash SuperSU. If you flashed an older version and are bootlooped, perform this section and continue.
Now, the procedure is the same whether you are trying to root the first time, or you did it the old way just flashing SuperSU and are now not able to boot...
In TWRP, when you have your backups and are ready to root, first go to Advanced and open the Terminal, in the terminal type this EXACTLY as shown:
Code:
echo SYSTEMLESS=true>>/data/.supersu
Now press ENTER (there is no confirmation returned). You can verify this worked correctly by entering 'cat /data/.supersu' in the terminal and see if it returns "SYSTEMLESS=true", if not, you did it wrong, try the echo command again. Now press exit/back and press the HOME key.
After you have successfully entered the command in the TWRP Terminal you may continue
How to do it:
Go to Install and select the SuperSU zip file you downloaded from Prerequisite #3 and swipe to flash it and reboot. No need to clear caches or anything else but you are welcome to if you wish. You can install SuperSU updates normally through the app going forward (as of this posting).
Why do I have to do this???
Again, this is somewhat dated information and only applies to fixing a bootlooping device when improperly rooted.
For whatever reason, the install script for SuperSU does not recognize that this device (like many others) requires a systemless root installation. By creating /data/.supersu in the TWRP recovery environment, the SuperSU install script parses the file and sees "SYSTEMLESS=true" and ignores what it auto-detects and forces a systemless root installation.
Hope this is helpful to someone!
As always, if this is the first time you have booted TWRP or attempted root... BACKUP IN TWRP FIRST!!! Once the system is modified, it cannot be undone (easily) and you will always have a known good starting place if the worst happens.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for anything that happens... Your device, your responsibility, no matter what happens... Although all the information here has been tested and is known to work with no issues except where noted, things occasionally can and do go wrong and we cannot foresee every possible scenario or circumstance.
If you need assistance, we need detailed information about what what's going on and what you have tried to do... Please provide details including:
1) Device model number and Android version
2) TWRP version
3) SuperSU version
4) Output of 'cat /data/.supersu' from TWRP terminal
And a copy of recovery.log if possible, and any other pertinent information you can think of. Without specific information there is nothing that I can do to assist you and request for help may be ignored.
EDIT: Photos added showing what a proper command and flash should look like. Note that in picture 1 the exit command is not needed, you can just back out. In pictures 2 and 3 a proper flash of SuperSU is shown, note that system-less mode is specified and the boot image is patched, this is what should occur. It is normal for it to loop once or twice, but that is it, first boot could take 10 minutes plus.
NOTE: I no longer own this device, but will help where I can and will keep this thread open to assist users where ever possible, but I no longer have a device to test/verify things with.
Alternate Method #1
Some users have noted that the above method doesn't seem to work, we don't know why as it seems inconsistent but we can't pin it down specifically to user error, certain model number or build, or anything else, as it works 98% of the time...
But if the above method fails, the alternative is to download and copy to SD card or internal storage SuperSU 2.62-3 ßeta version available here and flash it through TWRP like normal.
Reserved - FAQ (oops, guess I already did that)
I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been procrastenating fixing my phone because of all the crappy methods. This one very easy to follow!
But still can't manage to get my WiFi working
I don't get it. But somehow my nandroid backup failed too, because it's only some 2.X MB big and I don't seem to recover anything....
So I guess I'll have to keep trying..
FYI:
1) Moto X Style 6.0
2) TWRP 3.0.2-0
3) Tried both 2.78 and 2.62. Currently running 2.62
4) SYSTEMLESS=true
Jorinde123 said:
I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been procrastenating fixing my phone because of all the crappy methods. This one very easy to follow!
But still can't manage to get my WiFi working
I don't get it. But somehow my nandroid backup failed too, because it's only some 2.X MB big and I don't seem to recover anything....
So I guess I'll have to keep trying..
FYI:
1) Moto X Style 6.0
2) TWRP 3.0.2-0
3) Tried both 2.78 and 2.62. Currently running 2.62
4) SYSTEMLESS=true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Find the latest rom image for the version you have installed, and flash the radios with fastboot.
acejavelin said:
Find the latest rom image for the version you have installed, and flash the radios with fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your quick reply. Tried that, didn't work.. The ROM i'm currently running is MPH24.49-18 btw... I'm now trying it the hard way, just reverting everything step by step. But the first step (flashing gpt.bin) is already giving me the preflash error. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought and it's been too long since I've been flashing these things.
Used to flash my Moto Milestone and my Sony X10, can you imagine.
Jorinde123 said:
Thanks for your quick reply. Tried that, didn't work.. The ROM i'm currently running is MPH24.49-18 btw... I'm now trying it the hard way, just reverting everything step by step. But the first step (flashing gpt.bin) is already giving me the preflash error. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought and it's been too long since I've been flashing these things.
Used to flash my Moto Milestone and my Sony X10, can you imagine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because you are not on 49-18, if you were on the latest OTA for 6.0 you were on 49-18-4. Pre-flash validation failure confirms your using the wrong version. Look in my sig for the return to stock thread, there are links to current roms and discussion of the 'preflash validation error'.
Wasn't systemless method only intended for not altering the system partition in such way not to break compatibility with Android Pay and such apps that don't allow root?
Maybe I got it wrong when I first saw the appearance on the scene of systemless root. From what you are saying the auto detect it's supposed to detect with which method the device is compatible (not only detects if system was already modified? let's say like by TWRP).
I wasn't able to flash SuperSu newest stable versions either, all ended up stuck at boot, except for the 2.62 version (updatable later through playstore and binaries thorugh app via normal update). Honestly I haven't tried systemless as for me I through it was a waste (as said I through it wasn't meant for other purpose).
ATM I'm using CM's own root, but I will report as soon as I will try SU again. I never had problems with modem/wifi with SU, only that it didn't boot on newer stable builds.
Got the Moto X Pure a few days ago. It came with 6.0. This procedure works. Thank you!
ban.codrut said:
Wasn't systemless method only intended for not altering the system partition in such way not to break compatibility with Android Pay and such apps that don't allow root?
Maybe I got it wrong when I first saw the appearance on the scene of systemless root. From what you are saying the auto detect it's supposed to detect with which method the device is compatible (not only detects if system was already modified? let's say like by TWRP).
I wasn't able to flash SuperSu newest stable versions either, all ended up stuck at boot, except for the 2.62 version (updatable later through playstore and binaries thorugh app via normal update). Honestly I haven't tried systemless as for me I through it was a waste (as said I through it wasn't meant for other purpose).
ATM I'm using CM's own root, but I will report as soon as I will try SU again. I never had problems with modem/wifi with SU, only that it didn't boot on newer stable builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, although that was one thing we thought we would gain (which we didn't), Systemless root is to get around Marshmallow security. Root is detected by SafetyNet API, and it detects pretty much any system modification, systemless or not
Currently Using TWRP 3.0.2.0 . Just unlocked bootloader and haven't done anything else . Recovery flash went well during the initial process of unlocking . Now Im trying to make a backup of the stock Rom , everytime I try to make one I keep getting failed at the end of the process ? Is this a known bug ? I have been doing google searches for the past hour and still unable to find anything to indicate anyone else is having this problem . Unless I didn't use the correct terms while searching . Any help would be appreciated
SouthernEvo said:
Currently Using TWRP 3.0.2.0 . Just unlocked bootloader and haven't done anything else . Recovery flash went well during the initial process of unlocking . Now Im trying to make a backup of the stock Rom , everytime I try to make one I keep getting failed at the end of the process ? Is this a known bug ? I have been doing google searches for the past hour and still unable to find anything to indicate anyone else is having this problem . Unless I didn't use the correct terms while searching . Any help would be appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not a known issue... Where are you storing the backup, internal storage or SD card?
acejavelin said:
It is not a known issue... Where are you storing the backup, internal storage or SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was backing up to the SD Card . Been messing with it and now its working for some weird reason . I appreciate your quick response though
I used windroid to unlock the bootloader and install twrp( don't reboot system but rather boot into recovery to make twrp stick) , from there I just flashed supersu and I was good to go. Many methods out there but this worked for me.
Thank you so much for this guide. I have to say, as a new Motorola user coming from Samsung phones exclusively, this whole process made me feel like a real noob again.
I made the switch from iOS to Android back when the Galaxy S2 came out because I grew tired of the jailbreak cat and mouse games on the iPhones and iPads. Learning to root and flash ROMs on all my subsequent Samsung devices was fairly simple and very enjoyable. This Moto X Pure though was a real tasker for me. I honestly never knew about the extra steps you had to take to unlock, twrp and root this phone. I really wish manufactures would help us make this much easier.
Anyway, thank you again for your help. I'll be seeing y'all around the forums as a new MXPE user!
acejavelin said:
No, although that was one thing we thought we would gain (which we didn't), Systemless root is to get around Marshmallow security. Root is detected by SafetyNet API, and it detects pretty much any system modification, systemless or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for clarifying a misconception I had on systemless root
(I intentioned to reply to you earlier, but the mad busy week made me forget about my intent )
I'm going to try right now the latest stable with systemless method (rather than flashing the older version) on a full wiped clean stock to see if it works. (Even tho I see lots of feedbacks here inspiring me to believe it would)
In what order?
acejavelin said:
It seems no matter how much this topic gets discussed, people still use old methods and they either fail, or they break something like WiFi, Mobile Data, infinite bootloop, or getting stuck on the boot logo... THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN and it IS repairable, usually without reflashing the entire image. The problem comes from using an old method, outdated SuperSU, or incorrect method. This guide will help you correct most issues, or help you to flash root correctly the FIRST time.
I have written rooting guides for multiple Moto device, and I have owned many Moto devices as well, so I have some idea what I am saying and I have tested these methods extensively, they work.
------------------------
This guide covers ALL Moto X 2015 models that can be bootloader unlocked and have TWRP available, it doesn't matter if it is the XT1575 or XT1572, the method is identical (untested on Chinese XT1570, but it should work). In fact, this method will work on all 2015 and 2016 series Moto phones running Marshmallow, including the Moto E, X, G3, G4, and Z with the appropriate TWRP image.
Please read completely and make sure you understand each step and how to do it, if you don't get something search the thread or ask an open question, no offense, but do not PM me with a question because you think it is too stupid to ask in public (we all started as noobs), or because you want me to hold your hand and do it for you, I will politely tell you no and ask you to post in the thread.
If you are coming here because you followed an old guide where you used a special boot.img file and now you have no service (WiFi and/or mobile data) and you don't have a TWRP backup to restore first, well, the RIGHT way to fix it is to reflash the current stock firmware image and start over... why? Because the various "help" people give to have you flash the radio files that match the kernel (ie. boot image) that was patched for the old style root method, has now put you in a mismatched firmware environment and could potentially brick on the next OTA. If you are in this situation and don't know for to properly fix it... go to the FAQ section in post #3 below (WIP-incomplete).
If came are coming here to root the first time, or you just thought you could flash SuperSU and reboot and now stuck in either a bootloop or stuck on the boot logo... Your in luck, read on, because we can fix that in a jiffy!
tl;dr version for advanced users: Skip to "How to do it" section
I am writing this tutorial because there are still lots of failed root attempts using older "standard" methods that do not work on this device. I also do not like the "one click" root methods, because they can and do fail (KingoRoot will brick a Moto X P/S, regardless of what it's web page says), and when they do people have no idea how to fix it. The manual way is not difficult, and it teaches you how to work on, fix, and use your device on a level above that of the average smartphone user.
I will only cover the details of rooting, the prerequisites are covered elsewhere in detail and I will link to reliable sources for the information. Specifics of the prerequisites are outside of the scope of this tutorial, but are open for discussion in this thread.
Prerequisites:
1) Device must have an unlocked bootloader. See Moto - Unlocking the Bootloader for more info.
NOTE: Performing this prerequisite will give you all the tools (fastboot) and drivers needed to continue, and wipe your device, meaning erase all your information and programs. Make sure to backup any important data first. This step will also permanently void your warranty once an unlock code has been issued by Moto, it doesn't matter if you even use it, your warranty is done.
2) You need to have TWRP installed or one-time booted via fastboot. CWM and other recoveries will NOT work at this time. See the official TWRP pages for clark here. I will NOT teach you how to use TWRP in this thread, if you are going to root you need to understand that your self, but if you get in a real bind I may knudge you in the right direction. I will tell you that there are two modes, flashed or booted, the later is much better if you plan to take an OTA later as long as you don't do something stupid like flash Xposed.
3) You need a copy of the latest STABLE SuperSU ZIP from Chainfire's site on the internal storage or SD card of your device, you can always fine the latest stable version here: https://download.chainfire.eu/supersu/ As of this posting SR4-SuperSU-v2.78-SR4-20161115184928.zip is the current stable version and it has been tested and verified to work.
NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, do not use a beta version for rooting Moto devices. SuperSU versions with even numbers are stable versions, while odd numbered versions are beta editions.
4) Reboot and start TWRP recovery, the method you use to do this doesn't matter (boot or flash).
5) Backup your device with TWRP to your SD card, even if you just unlocked and the phone is as blank as a printed page from a 1988 HP DeskJet printer with it's original cartridges still installed, backup... You will always have a good point to return to if the worst happens.
How to do it:
Now, the procedure is the same whether you are trying to root the first time, or you did it the old way just flashing SuperSU and are now not able to boot...
In TWRP, go to Advanced and open the Terminal, in the terminal type this EXACTLY as shown:
Code:
echo SYSTEMLESS=true>>/data/.supersu
Now press enter (there is no confirmation returned), then exit and press the Home key. You can verify this worked correctly by entering 'cat /data/.supersu' and see if it returns "SYSTEMLESS=true", if not, you did it wrong, try the echo command again.
Go to Install and select the SuperSU zip file you downloaded from Prerequisite #3 and swipe to flash it and reboot. No need to clear caches or anything else but you are welcome to if you wish. You can install SuperSU updates normally through the app going forward (as of this posting).
Why do I have to do this???
For whatever reason, the install script for SuperSU does not recognize that this device (like many others) requires a systemless root installation. By creating /data/.supersu in the TWRP recovery environment, the SuperSU install script parses the file and sees "SYSTEMLESS=true" and ignores what it auto-detects and forces a systemless root installation.
Hope this is helpful to someone!
As always, if this is the first time you have booted TWRP or attempted root... BACKUP IN TWRP FIRST!!! Once the system is modified, it cannot be undone (easily) and you will always have a known good starting place if the worst happens.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for anything that happens... Your device, your responsibility, no matter what happens... Although all the information here has been tested and is known to work with no issues except where noted, things occasionally can and do go wrong and we cannot foresee every possible scenario or circumstance.
If you need assistance, we need detailed information about what what's going on and what you have tried to do... Please provide details including:
1) Device model number and Android version
2) TWRP version
3) SuperSU version
4) Output of 'cat /data/.supersu' from TWRP terminal
And a copy of recovery.log if possible, and any other pertinent information you can think of. Without specific information there is nothing that I can do to assist you and request for help may be ignored.
EDIT: Photos added showing what a proper command and flash should look like. Note that in picture 1 the exit command is not needed, you can just back out. In pictures 2 and 3 a proper flash of SuperSU is shown, note that system-less mode is specified and the boot image is patched, this is what should occur. It is normal for it to loop once or twice, but that is it, first boot could take 10 minutes plus.
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I really appreciate the help, but I have one question. Do I flash SuperSu and then type the command into the terminal, or do I type the terminal command first?
Thanks again for your help,
Matt
Iglooian said:
I really appreciate the help, but I have one question. Do I flash SuperSu and then type the command into the terminal, or do I type the terminal command first?
Thanks again for your help,
Matt
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First, a little etiquette lesson, please don't quote long posts (especially the first post) for no reason, at the very least edit it down to only show the relevant parts so people don't have to scroll through a long meaningless quote.
And to answer your question, you enter the terminal command first, then install SuperSU, that is how it is ordered in the first post instructions. If you read the entire first post, it explains what the command does, and logic therefore lets you know it must be done first.
acejavelin said:
First, a little etiquette lesson, please don't quote long posts (especially the first post) for no reason, at the very least edit it down to only show the relevant parts so people don't have to scroll through a long meaningless quote.
And to answer your question, you enter the terminal command first, then install SuperSU, that is how it is ordered in the first post instructions. If you read the entire first post, it explains what the command does, and logic therefore lets you know it must be done first.
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Actually, it was unclear what order I was supposed to do it in; we call that a clarifying question, but thanks anyway.
Iglooian said:
Actually, it was unclear what order I was supposed to do it in; we call that a clarifying question, but thanks anyway.
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Fair enough... I will edit the "How to do it" section to make it more clear.