To start off everyone should know that messing with your phone can brick it!! You should not mess with your phone if you are unsure of what you are doing. You will get this (or a similar) warning while following the unlock instructions from Motorola as well. Following these instructions also voids your warranty!
I only use Motorola's official firmware for the moment and these instructions were originally performed on the ASA14 firmware. They should be useful for previous versions of the firmware but I will not be testing those. These instructions may not work for releases after ASA14.
While following this guide you need to be on a Windows PC with the administrator account or an account with administrative privileges. If you do not have these privileges you will likely run into issues. All instructions are written for a PC running Windows 7 as that is the only PC I have access to. If anyone has any instructions using a different version of Windows I will gladly add them in.
Windows commands:
dir - Lists all directories (folders) and files of the directory you are currently in.
cd {directory name} - Moves into the named directory. The directory names are case-sensitive.
cd.. - Moves to the directory before the one you are currently in. For instance if you are in C:\Users\Public and perform cd.. you will move to C:\Users
{Unlocking the Bootloader}
I'm writing this pretty late and formatting takes forever so I'll update this section later with my own set of instructions. For now use this guide which I plan on using for inspiration since I can't really repeat the unlock process.
Below is my work in progress. This is incomplete and will be unhidden when it is completed.
Updated Unlock
1. Download the Android SDK
2. Unzip the file. If you don't have a program to unzip the file 7-zip is great.
3. Move the unzipped folder to a location that is easy to locate. For me I put this in "Documents".
4. Rename the folder to something shorter, that way it's easier to type in later. "ADT" is easy to use and remember.
5. Download the drivers for the phone.
6. Open "MotorolaDeviceManager_2.3.9.exe" and install the drivers.
7. Go here
8. Click "PROCEED ANYWAY"
9. Register an account with Motorola.
10. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
11. Open “Command Prompt”
12. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder.
13. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
14. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
15. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
16. Connect your phone to your PC.
17. Type "fastboot oem get_unlock_data" in Command Prompt.
{Installing a New Recovery}
For the recovery we’re going to install the Photon Q Open Recovery. Every recovery has its advantages and disadvantages. This one is familiar to me and so I chose it for this guide.
1. Download the recovery image
2. Place the image in the Android SDK “platform-tools” folder which is in the "sdk" folder
3. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Connect your phone to your PC
7. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
8. Right-click “Command Prompt”
9. Click “Run as administrator”
10. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder (Unfortunately I cannot tell you where this is as each computer will have it placed differently)
11. Type in “fasboot flash recovery open_recovery_206_05_06_2013.img”
{Getting Root}
1. Download the zip file for rooting
2. Place the file in the root (ie. not within a folder) of your phone’s SD card
3. Turn your phone off
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Recovery” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Select “Apply Update” (In recovery the the controls change. Volume up and volume down move in the list, the camera button at the bottom right of the device selects.)
7. Select the file you placed on your SD card from step 2
8. Wait for the update to apply, it should say that it finished successfully
9. Select “Reboot Phone”
Credit for all of this goes to their respective creators. I will name them all by name at a later date, but the credit can also be found following the linked material. Hopefully that doesn't bother the creators, writers, or hosts.
The Open Recovery port was done by Skrilax_CZ.
SuperSU is hosted by shabbypenguin and developed by Chainfire.
Please don't re-post this how-to without crediting. I've had it happen before and it was a huge disincentive for updating and making new guides.
section "{Installing a New Bootloader}" and "1. Download the bootloader image" below it are actually reffering to recovery (probably the best one out there). Not a bootloader.
Bootloader boots the system. Depending on keys pressed during boot (if any, or if instructed by commands) it can boot to bootloader menu, recovery, system (android)...
Ah, thanks. I would have known that if I rechecked but I haven't had time to.
Edit:
While I was editing I noticed I referenced it as recovery multiple times and was switching between the two as the guide went on!
unlocking bootloader failed
ok so i got the device id went to the motorola site said it was good got the unlock key did the step and typed it in the command prompt and it says
(bootloader) password incorrect
(bootloader) oem unlock failure
FAILED <remote failure>
sorry if this is a noob question usualy dont post first time last time i rooted a fone was on an evo 4g so never really messed with command prompts and unlock keys to much i repeted the whole process 3 times already and i still get the same message
edit: nvm got it to work hahaha forgot to capslock the letter in the key thanks for the write up man
demi_god_619 said:
ok so i got the device id went to the motorola site said it was good got the unlock key did the step and typed it in the command prompt and it says
(bootloader) password incorrect
(bootloader) oem unlock failure
FAILED <remote failure>
sorry if this is a noob question usualy dont post first time last time i rooted a fone was on an evo 4g so never really messed with command prompts and unlock keys to much i repeted the whole process 3 times already and i still get the same message
edit: nvm got it to work hahaha forgot to capslock the letter in the key thanks for the write up man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, unfortunately there's are a few points where unlocking get's confusing. I had to enter my stuff from the command prompt to Motorola's site like 5 times before I figured out where the copy/paste had spaces. It took me a while to figure out I had pasted an extra space at the end. This was the first phone for Motorola's bootloader unlock plan so I'm hoping they improve on it for their future phones.
The OP is updated with some more color-coding, updated credits (though I didn't try to get everyone just yet), and changed the link to an updated SuperSU. This should work on the Jellybean update though I won't know for sure unless someone confirms it in this thread. I've taken a break from messing with my personal phone for a while so I won't be checking the boards as often but I'll still be checking every few days.
Solust said:
The OP is updated with some more color-coding, updated credits (though I didn't try to get everyone just yet), and changed the link to an updated SuperSU. This should work on the Jellybean update though I won't know for sure unless someone confirms it in this thread. I've taken a break from messing with my personal phone for a while so I won't be checking the boards as often but I'll still be checking every few days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI, if you install TWRP it will detect whether you have root or not and offer to install it for you.
Simplifies the guide a bit, and IMHO TWRP is a great recovery - all touch based, no more mashing the volume keys .
Nicely done regardless.
I noticed I was missing a step in the {Getting Root} section. It was an implied step but I added it for clarity.
I also had forgotten to mention that once you get into recovery the buttons used to control things change slightly. You can use the keyboard in addition to the device buttons.
Thanks for the How-to!:good: I was wondering if you would mind if I gave you or added some instructions for Linux users?
xaelith said:
Thanks for the How-to!:good: I was wondering if you would mind if I gave you or added some instructions for Linux users?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that would be fine. PM me the instructions and I'll test them out on my Linux partition. It'll probably take a few days as I have things coming up.
I've updated the links in the OP to Open Recovery 2.06 (changing the name in the command accordingly) and started writing my own set of bootloader unlock steps. They aren't complete yet but if someone is having troubles understanding the first few steps of the linked article mine should be broken down to be a bit easier to digest.
Solust said:
I've updated the links in the OP to Open Recovery 2.06 (changing the name in the command accordingly) and started writing my own set of bootloader unlock steps. They aren't complete yet but if someone is having troubles understanding the first few steps of the linked article mine should be broken down to be a bit easier to digest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open Recovery is on version 2.09 now. Has anyone tried it? I tried it using the posted steps but I got the same result as when I tried cmwrecovery, the phone doesn't boot to it, it boots to an image of the android guy on his back with his belly open and a red exclamation point hovering over him. Any advise? It's a Photon Q using Android version 4.1.2 nand I have successfully unlocked the bootloader.
I never changed versions because most of the updates target Kit-Kat based custom ROMs. Make sure your phone is NOT plugged in when you try to get into recovery. If it doesn't work when not attached to anything re-download the recovery and try installing again.
Entomology onsaboo
Solust said:
I never changed versions because most of the updates target Kit-Kat based custom ROMs. Make sure your phone is NOT plugged in when you try to get into recovery. If it doesn't work when not attached to anything re-download the recovery and try installing again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried to get into recovery both plugged in and not plugged in. I tried downloading and re downloading both CMWrecovery and open recovery 2.09 both.
Are you saying Open Recovery 2.09 is targeted at Kit-Kat custom ROMs and won't work on my phone? Should I try the version in your OP?
It should work in theory regardless of Kit-Kat, but if you've already tried all of that then give the older version a shot. I really post only what I know and have tried in the original post. It's beyond the scope of my thread though so you may have better luck asking in the recovery threads if you can't get any version to work. I'm on my phone for the time being or I would link you to the appropriate threads myself.
Solust said:
It should work in theory regardless of Kit-Kat, but if you've already tried all of that then give the older version a shot. I really post only what I know and have tried in the original post. It's beyond the scope of my thread though so you may have better luck asking in the recovery threads if you can't get any version to work. I'm on my phone for the time being or I would link you to the appropriate threads myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't fine a copy of the older version anywhere.
I understand, and I thank you for your help.
Solust said:
To start off everyone should know that messing with your phone can brick it!! You should not mess with your phone if you are unsure of what you are doing. You will get this (or a similar) warning while following the unlock instructions from Motorola as well. Following these instructions also voids your warranty!
I only use Motorola's official firmware for the moment and these instructions were originally performed on the ASA14 firmware. They should be useful for previous versions of the firmware but I will not be testing those. These instructions may not work for releases after ASA14.
While following this guide you need to be on a Windows PC with the administrator account or an account with administrative privileges. If you do not have these privileges you will likely run into issues. All instructions are written for a PC running Windows 7 as that is the only PC I have access to. If anyone has any instructions using a different version of Windows I will gladly add them in.
Windows commands:
dir - Lists all directories (folders) and files of the directory you are currently in.
cd {directory name} - Moves into the named directory. The directory names are case-sensitive.
cd.. - Moves to the directory before the one you are currently in. For instance if you are in C:\Users\Public and perform cd.. you will move to C:\Users
{Unlocking the Bootloader}
I'm writing this pretty late and formatting takes forever so I'll update this section later with my own set of instructions. For now use this guide which I plan on using for inspiration since I can't really repeat the unlock process.
Below is my work in progress. This is incomplete and will be unhidden when it is completed.
Updated Unlock
1. Download the Android SDK
2. Unzip the file. If you don't have a program to unzip the file 7-zip is great.
3. Move the unzipped folder to a location that is easy to locate. For me I put this in "Documents".
4. Rename the folder to something shorter, that way it's easier to type in later. "ADT" is easy to use and remember.
5. Download the drivers for the phone.
6. Open "MotorolaDeviceManager_2.3.9.exe" and install the drivers.
7. Go here
8. Click "PROCEED ANYWAY"
9. Register an account with Motorola.
10. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
11. Open “Command Prompt”
12. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder.
13. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
14. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
15. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
16. Connect your phone to your PC.
17. Type "fastboot oem get_unlock_data" in Command Prompt.
{Installing a New Recovery}
For the recovery we’re going to install the Photon Q Open Recovery. Every recovery has its advantages and disadvantages. This one is familiar to me and so I chose it for this guide.
1. Download the recovery image
2. Place the image in the Android SDK “platform-tools” folder which is in the "sdk" folder
3. Turn off your phone (power button + volume down if you can't select any options to turn off the phone)
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Fastboot” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Connect your phone to your PC
7. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories
8. Right-click “Command Prompt”
9. Click “Run as administrator”
10. Use the cd commands to navigate to your “platform-tools” folder (Unfortunately I cannot tell you where this is as each computer will have it placed differently)
11. Type in “fasboot flash recovery open_recovery_206_05_06_2013.img”
{Getting Root}
1. Download the zip file for rooting
2. Place the file in the root (ie. not within a folder) of your phone’s SD card
3. Turn your phone off
4. Turn it back on using the power button + volume up + volume down combination
5. Select “Recovery” (volume down cycles through, volume up selects the option)
6. Select “Apply Update” (In recovery the the controls change. Volume up and volume down move in the list, the camera button at the bottom right of the device selects.)
7. Select the file you placed on your SD card from step 2
8. Wait for the update to apply, it should say that it finished successfully
9. Select “Reboot Phone”
Credit for all of this goes to their respective creators. I will name them all by name at a later date, but the credit can also be found following the linked material. Hopefully that doesn't bother the creators, writers, or hosts.
The Open Recovery port was done by Skrilax_CZ.
SuperSU is hosted by shabbypenguin and developed by Chainfire.
Please don't re-post this how-to without crediting. I've had it happen before and it was a huge disincentive for updating and making new guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got an error when I clicked on the recovery image download link. Is there a better method?
EpicSaga said:
I got an error when I clicked on the recovery image download link. Is there a better method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the OpenRecovery thread for a valid link to that recovery... the links are a bit outdated for OR, look near the end of the thread.
I have the link to the Open Recovery thread at the very start of the section about installing recovery. It's there in case links die, someone wants more info on what they're installing, or someone has support questions pertaining to Open Recovery. This thread didn't seem to be very popular compared to one I made for an older phone so I haven't kept it up to date. The phone has been out for some time as well so I likely won't be updating this thread.
Oi guys!
So for now i might be alone on this, but i am certain that some few of you have wondered on how to get Viper4Android to work on the Moto Z without flaws. I am here to give you a small guide, because i figured out how to fairly easy add V4A.
There are 3 simple steps, but they can (in case you haven't done the first one yet) take some time.
If you have already Unlocked your Bootloader, disabled Force_Encrypt (either by manually editing the boot.img or flashing @janjan his ROM), installed a RECOVERY like TWRP and ROOTED your device, then you can skip right ahead to STEP 3.
Also, before you go ahead, do a BACKUP of all your important data, as it will CERTAINLY be lost when unlocking the bootloader (this does not count for inserted microSD cards, but just to be safe, remove the microSD or backup your data somewhere else, like your PC or a cloud service).
One more heads-up: You NEED a USB-C Cable that you can connect to your PC, otherwise this guide will be useless for you. Also, all my commands listed in the upcomming guide are listed with " ", but ignore these when entering the commands in the Command Prompts.
STEP 1:
1: As for every Android phone, you need an Unlocked Bootloader and TWRP (and also ROOT, etc).
-1.1: Download the Motorola USB Drivers HERE, and the ADB Fastboot Driver/Tool HERE.
-1.2: Install the Motorola USB Drivers first, then install the ADB All-In-One Tool after that (When installing the ADB AIO, choose yes for all options).
-1.3: On your Moto Z, enable Developer Options by going into the Phone Settings, then the last "About Phone" option, and then scroll to the bottom where it says "Build Number". Tap that "bar" 7 times until it says that you unlocked the Developer Options menu.
-1.4: Go back into the Main Settings Menu of your Phone, and then right above the "About Phone", should be an option called "{ } Developer Options". Go in there, and right in the beginning is an option called "OEM unlocking". Enable that option (when it asks you for your PIN/Password/Pattern, just enter it).
-1.5: Scroll just a little further down in the Developer Options menu, and you will see a section called "Debugging", in which the first option is called "USB debugging". Enable that option as well.
-1.6: Now put your Moto Z into Fastboot Mode. You can do this either by connecting your Moto Z to the PC, then open a Command Prompt (look in Windows for CMD), and type "adb reboot bootloader", OR by turning your Moto Z completely off, and then turning it back on WHILE holding BOTH the Volume Down and Power Button (if your Moto Z turns off all the time, the second the Phone vibrates, let go off the buttons).
-1.7: Now that your Phone is in Fastboot Mode, you will have to connect it to your PC by a USB-C cable. If you have done that, open a Command Prompt in Windows (again, by typing CMD in the Windows Start Search), and type this: "fastboot oem get_unlock_data"
-1.8: You will end up getting a result that will look a little like this (the numbers do NOT work for you, don't try them for steps required later on):
$ fastboot oem get_unlock_data
(bootloader) 0A40040192024205#4C4D3556313230
(bootloader) 30373731363031303332323239#BD00
(bootloader) 8A672BA4746C2CE02328A2AC0C39F95
(bootloader) 1A3E5#1F53280002000000000000000
(bootloader) 0000000
-1.9: Copy the entire string you just got from the Command Prompt, and put it into any kind of Text Field or Text Editor. Remove the bootloader part, and also everything else, like [Info] or the likes, and same goes for empty spaces. The only thing you should be left with looks like this: 0A40040192024205#4C4D355631323030373731363031303332323239#BD008A672BA4746C2CE02328A2AC0C39F951A3E5#1F532800020000000000000000000000
-1.10: Now you go to THIS website to get the Unlock Code for your Phone (You will have to register at Motorola to be able to get the Unlock Code. It is easier if you just use Google+, it is much faster and you can skip the entire register process). There will be instructions there as well to guide you for how to enter the code, just in case you misunderstood my guide.
-1.11: Once you registered and entered the code, click the blue button below called "Can my device be unlocked?". Once Motorola confirms that your Moto Z can be unlocked, you click the "I agree" option, and then the "Request unlock key" button.
-1.12: You will get a pop-up telling you about it voiding your warranty, click "OK" on that one as well.
-1.13: Now, Motorola will tell you that they sent you the unlock code for your device to the E-Mail you registered with, so go and check your E-Mail account for that code.
-1.14: Copy the unlock code, go back to that Command Prompt (in case you closed it, open a new one), and enter this: "fastboot oem unlock UNLOCK_CODE_HERE" <<<< Where the UNLOCK_CODE_HERE means that you will have to replace this with the unlock key from your E-Mail.
-1.15: Now click ENTER, and your device will be Unlocked. After this, your device SHOULD reboot automatically, but if not, pick the REBOOT option in the Fastboot Mode Menu, and click the Power Button to confirm. From now on, every time you start your Phone, you will be greeted with the Unlocked Warning screen, but that is ok, nothing stopping your Phone from working or the likes.
-1.16: Let your Moto Z fully boot up, and when you have done that, shut it down again, and go back into Fastboot Mode using the above mentioned button combination.
-1.17: At this you will have to download the TWRP Recovery Image. You can find this for the Moto Z HERE, or HERE.
-1.18: Rename the downloaded file to just twrp.img, then go back to your Command Prompt (or open a new one), and enter this: "fastboot flash recovery twrp.img"
-1.19: Now let the RECOVERY be flashed, and then in the Fastboot Menu on your Moto Z, use the Volume Keys to navigate up and down, and navigate to "RECOVERY". Use the Power Button to confirm that option, and let it boot into the TWRP RECOVERY. Once you have done that, in TWRP, pick the Reboot option, and click the "System" button, so that the RECOVERY boots into the normal Android OS.
Congratulations, that was step 1 (and all its detailed sub-steps).
Now to STEP 2:
2: As the Moto Z has its entire storage and OS fully force-encrypted, we have to fix that. There are two ways, but as of now, i recommend the best one, as the other one is a bit hard to do unless you are a bit more tech-savvy.
-2.1: You will have to download the currently only actual ROM for the Moto Z from XDA user @janjan . You can find the download HERE. Download the corresponding US or EU version, depending on where you bought your device.
-2.2: I will have to mention here shortly, that the ROM you are about to install currently has one issue, which its severity depends on how much you currently need that "feature". The developer @janjan is working hard to fix, so you might want to wait in case you are disturbed by that "feature" not working. What is that feature you ask? Moto Mods. Some work, some don't, and the Incipio Battery Pack is one of those that do not work. If you can live with this issue until it is fixed, there is nothing stopping you from installing this ROM, but if you feel that you absolutely cannot live without it, then you might want to stop at this point and return when the issue has been fixed.
-2.3: So if you have decided to continue, then congratulations. To continue, you will have to enter the TWRP RECOVERY. Do NOT set up your Phone, as everything will be Wiped once more. So just enter the RECOVERY through the Bootloader (Fastboot). Shut down the Phone, hold the Volume Down and Power Button, wait for the Fastboot Menu to come up, navigate with the Volume Down Key to the RECOVERY option and confirm with the Power Button.
-2.4: Now connect your Phone to your PC with the USB-C Cable, and then go into the "Mount" menu. There it will let you open your Phone storage like on normal Android through MTP. Find the ROM .zip file you downloaded earlier, and put it somewhere in your Phones storage, like the Download folder, or create a new Folder you can easily recognize.
-2.5: If you have transferred the ROM .zip to your Phone, go back to the Main Menu, and pick the "Wipe" option (upper right). Now just Swipe the blue button to the right to do a full Factory Reset.
-2.6: Once it is done with the Factory Reset, go back to the Main Menu, and pick the "Install" (upper left, first option) option. Now navigate to where you uploaded your ROM .zip file, and then click that file once you have found it. Swipe to the right again to Flash the ROM.
-2.7: When it has finished flashing the ROM, Reboot the device, and you do that either by clicking "Reboot" (button to the lower right) right after the ROM has been flashed, or going back to the Main Menu and using the Reboot option.
-2.8: The Phone WILL take a good while to boot, so give it at least 10-15 minutes. If nothing happens by then, hold the Power Button to turn your Phone off and check the steps again and see if you did something wrong. If it did boot successfully, then take the time to setup your Phone, Language, Login Methods, etc.
And congratulations again, this was step 2. At this point you are done with all the time consuming things.
This is the last step, STEP 3:
3: I recommend that you install XPOSED BEFORE installing Viper4Android, as i found problems doing it the other way around. In case you thought about installing the XPOSED Framework, do that FIRST, NOT after having installed V4A.
-3.1: The only working version of Viper4Android i found is the ViperAtmos Universal Edition. You can download it directly HERE, or check the thread HERE (downloads are in the bottom. Remember to download the "ViPERAtmos 4.8 Sony Beats Universal Edition" .zip file).
-3.2: You will also have to download the SELinuxModeChanger app, with the direct link HERE, or the thread HERE.
-3.3: Now you push/transfer the downloaded files to your Moto Z, either by Cable or Wireless, the way you do it is up to you, but put it somewhere where you will find the files easily, like the Downloads folder.
-3.4: Now on your Moto Z download any file manager, go to the directory you pushed the files in, and install the SELinuxModeChanger.apk file. Open the app, give it full ROOT permissions, and then pick the "Permissive" option. Now reboot your device once, and it will automatically set SELinux to Permissive every time you boot your Moto Z (you can choose to let it notify you when it changes the mode).
-3.5: Reboot your Moto Z into the RECOVERY (steps found above). Here you go directly to the "Install" option, navigate to where you put your ViperAtmos .zip file, and install it by Swiping to the right. Do NOT pick the option to clear cache and dalvik/ART, i had problems with this the last time, and V4A wouldn't work (if you feel for it, then you can try clearing cache and dalvik/ART, but i found out that it works just fine not doing any of that).
-3.6: Reboot your Moto Z into the normal Android OS, and now you are done. Remember to check in the SELinuxModeChanger if the mode is set to Permissive, because if it is not, then Viper4Android (ViperAtmos) will crash your Phone, so make sure that is set.
Now you are done installing Viper4Android using the Universal Edition from ViperAtmos, well done!
If you have found any spelling mistakes in my guide and are absolutely annoyed by it/them, then tell me please!
Ok, have a good one everyone!
Really a GREAT guide...
yanniclord said:
oi guys!
so for now i might be alone on this, but i am certain that some few of you have wondered on how to get viper4android to work on the moto z without flaws. I am here to give you a small guide, because i figured out how to fairly easy add v4a.
There are 3 simple steps, but they can (in case you haven't done the first one yet) take some time.
If you have already unlocked your bootloader, disabled force_encrypt (either by manually editing the boot.img or flashing @janjan his rom), installed a recovery like twrp and rooted your device, then you can skip right ahead to step 3.
Also, before you go ahead, do a backup of all your important data, as it will certainly be lost when unlocking the bootloader (this does not count for inserted microsd cards, but just to be safe, remove the microsd or backup your data somewhere else, like your pc or a cloud service).
One more heads-up: you need a usb-c cable that you can connect to your pc, otherwise this guide will be useless for you. Also, all my commands listed in the upcomming guide are listed with " ", but ignore these when entering the commands in the command prompts.
step 1:
1: As for every android phone, you need an unlocked bootloader and twrp (and also root, etc).
-1.1: Download the motorola usb drivers here, and the adb fastboot driver/tool here.
-1.2: Install the motorola usb drivers first, then install the adb all-in-one tool after that (when installing the adb aio, choose yes for all options).
-1.3: On your moto z, enable developer options by going into the phone settings, then the last "about phone" option, and then scroll to the bottom where it says "build number". Tap that "bar" 7 times until it says that you unlocked the developer options menu.
-1.4: Go back into the main settings menu of your phone, and then right above the "about phone", should be an option called "{ } developer options". Go in there, and right in the beginning is an option called "oem unlocking". Enable that option (when it asks you for your pin/password/pattern, just enter it).
-1.5: Scroll just a little further down in the developer options menu, and you will see a section called "debugging", in which the first option is called "usb debugging". Enable that option as well.
-1.6: Now put your moto z into fastboot mode. You can do this either by connecting your moto z to the pc, then open a command prompt (look in windows for cmd), and type "adb reboot bootloader", or by turning your moto z completely off, and then turning it back on while holding both the volume down and power button (if your moto z turns off all the time, the second the phone vibrates, let go off the buttons).
-1.7: Now that your phone is in fastboot mode, you will have to connect it to your pc by a usb-c cable. If you have done that, open a command prompt in windows (again, by typing cmd in the windows start search), and type this: "fastboot oem get_unlock_data"
-1.8: You will end up getting a result that will look a little like this (the numbers do not work for you, don't try them for steps required later on):
$ fastboot oem get_unlock_data
(bootloader) 0a40040192024205#4c4d3556313230
(bootloader) 30373731363031303332323239#bd00
(bootloader) 8a672ba4746c2ce02328a2ac0c39f95
(bootloader) 1a3e5#1f53280002000000000000000
(bootloader) 0000000
-1.9: Copy the entire string you just got from the command prompt, and put it into any kind of text field or text editor. Remove the bootloader part, and also everything else, like [info] or the likes, and same goes for empty spaces. The only thing you should be left with looks like this: 0a40040192024205#4c4d355631323030373731363031303332323239#bd008a672ba4746c2ce02328a2ac0c39f951a3e5#1f532800020000000000000000000000
-1.10: Now you go to this website to get the unlock code for your phone (you will have to register at motorola to be able to get the unlock code. It is easier if you just use google+, it is much faster and you can skip the entire register process). There will be instructions there as well to guide you for how to enter the code, just in case you misunderstood my guide.
-1.11: Once you registered and entered the code, click the blue button below called "can my device be unlocked?". Once motorola confirms that your moto z can be unlocked, you click the "i agree" option, and then the "request unlock key" button.
-1.12: You will get a pop-up telling you about it voiding your warranty, click "ok" on that one as well.
-1.13: Now, motorola will tell you that they sent you the unlock code for your device to the e-mail you registered with, so go and check your e-mail account for that code.
-1.14: Copy the unlock code, go back to that command prompt (in case you closed it, open a new one), and enter this: "fastboot oem unlock unlock_code_here" <<<< where the unlock_code_here means that you will have to replace this with the unlock key from your e-mail.
-1.15: Now click enter, and your device will be unlocked. After this, your device should reboot automatically, but if not, pick the reboot option in the fastboot mode menu, and click the power button to confirm. From now on, every time you start your phone, you will be greeted with the unlocked warning screen, but that is ok, nothing stopping your phone from working or the likes.
-1.16: Let your moto z fully boot up, and when you have done that, shut it down again, and go back into fastboot mode using the above mentioned button combination.
-1.17: At this you will have to download the twrp recovery image. You can find this for the moto z here, or here.
-1.18: Rename the downloaded file to just twrp.img, then go back to your command prompt (or open a new one), and enter this: "fastboot flash recovery twrp.img"
-1.19: Now let the recovery be flashed, and then in the fastboot menu on your moto z, use the volume keys to navigate up and down, and navigate to "recovery". Use the power button to confirm that option, and let it boot into the twrp recovery. Once you have done that, in twrp, pick the reboot option, and click the "system" button, so that the recovery boots into the normal android os.
Congratulations, that was step 1 (and all its detailed sub-steps).
now to step 2:
2: As the moto z has its entire storage and os fully force-encrypted, so we have to fix that. There are two ways, but as of now, i recommend the best one, as the other one is a bit hard to do unless you are a bit more tech-savvy.
-2.1: You will have to download the currently only actual rom for the moto z from xda user @janjan . You can find the download here. Download the corresponding us or eu version, depending on where you bought your device.
-2.2: I will have to mention here shortly, that the rom you are about to install currently has one issue, which its severity depends on how much you currently need that "feature". The developer @janjan is working hard to fix, so you might want to wait in case you are disturbed by that "feature" not working. What is that feature you ask? Moto mods. Some work, some don't, and the incipio battery pack is one of those that do not work. If you can live with this issue until it is fixed, there is nothing stopping you from installing this rom, but if you feel that you absolutely cannot live without it, then you might want to stop at this point and return when the issue has been fixed.
-2.3: So if you have decided to continue, then congratulations. To continue, you will have to enter the twrp recovery. Do not set up your phone, as everything will be wiped once more. So just enter the recovery through the bootloader (fastboot). Shut down the phone, hold the volume down and power button, wait for the fastboot menu to come up, navigate with the volume down key to the recovery option and confirm with the power button.
-2.4: Now connect your phone to your pc with the usb-c cable, and then go into the "mount" menu. There it will let you open your phone storage like on normal android through mtp. Find the rom .zip file you downloaded earlier, and put it somewhere in your phones storage, like the download folder, or create a new folder you can easily recognize.
-2.5: If you have transferred the rom .zip to your phone, go back to the main menu, and pick the "wipe" option (upper right). Now just swipe the blue button to the right to do a full factory reset.
-2.6: Once it is done with the factory reset, go back to the main menu, and pick the "install" (upper left, first option) option. Now navigate to where you uploaded your rom .zip file, and then click that file once you have found it. Swipe to the right again to flash the rom.
-2.7: When it has finished flashing the rom, reboot the device, and you do that either by clicking "reboot" (button to the lower right) right after the rom has been flashed, or going back to the main menu and using the reboot option.
-2.8: The phone will take a good while to boot, so give it at least 10-15 minutes. If nothing happens by then, hold the power button to turn your phone off and check the steps again and see if you did something wrong. If it did boot successfully, then take the time to setup your phone, language, login methods, etc.
And congratulations again, this was step 2. At this point you are done with all the time consuming things.
this is the last step, step 3:
3: I recommend that you install xposed before installing viper4android, as i found problems doing it the other way around. In case you thought about installing the xposed framework, do that first, not after having installed v4a.
-3.1: The only working version of viper4android i found is the viperatmos universal edition. You can download it directly here, or check the thread here (downloads are in the bottom. Remember to download the "viperatmos 4.8 sony beats universal edition" .zip file).
-3.2: You will also have to download the selinuxmodechanger app, with the direct link here, or the thread here.
-3.3: Now you push/transfer the downloaded files to your moto z, either by cable or wireless, the way you do it is up to you, but put it somewhere where you will find the files easily, like the downloads folder.
-3.4: Now on your moto z download any file manager, go to the directory you pushed the files in, and install the selinuxmodechanger.apk file. Open the app, give it full root permissions, and then pick the "permissive" option. Now reboot your device once, and it will automatically set selinux to permissive every time you boot your moto z (you can choose to let it notify you when it changes the mode).
-3.5: Reboot your moto z into the recovery (steps found above). Here you go directly to the "install" option, navigate to where you put your viperatmos .zip file, and install it by swiping to the right. Do not pick the option to clear cache and dalvik/art, i had problems with this the last time, and v4a wouldn't work (if you feel for it, then you can try clearing cache and dalvik/art, but i found out that it works just fine not doing any of that).
-3.6: Reboot your moto z into the normal android os, and now you are done. Remember to check in the selinuxmodechanger if the mode is set to permissive, because if it is not, then viper4android (viperatmos) will crash your phone, so make sure that is set.
Now you are done installing viper4android using the universal edition from viperatmos, well done!
If you have found any spelling mistakes in my guide and are absolutely annoyed by it/them, then tell me please!
Ok, have a good one everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks very good detailed guide
OK so wait...did I just read a guide on how to get root on the moto z? I've been up all day and am pulling an all nighter at work so I may be delirious, I just want to make sure...lol
Avengeme said:
OK so wait...did I just read a guide on how to get root on the moto z? I've been up all day and am pulling an all nighter at work so I may be delirious, I just want to make sure...lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, there are some better around now but... you are right!
(EDIT)
OneUI 4.1 has finally arrived, if you haven't got your Tab s6 rooted, you can just follow the instructions below. This new part is for the people who followed the guide to root their Tab s6 and now want to update to the new firmware version without losing their data. This guide is inspired in https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...te-rooted-device-whilst-keeping-data.4245989/. But for simplicity of search I have decided to place it here
(END OF EDIT)
I ran into some problems and took some time to figure out how to install TWRP and root the tablet. The normal procedure by which you flash TWRP and then flash Magisk doesn't work as the download mode won't accept non-official files.
Then, once I got my tablet rooted by the patching method of Magisk, I installed TWRP with their app and got stuck in the logo due to not formatting the data.
After some research and quite a lot of time, I managed to get around that and be able to do everything.
Here is a step by step detailed guide of how to do so.
ATTENTION: These modifications void your warranty and may brick your device. I am in no way responsible for any damage you may cause. Follow this guide at your own risk
Requirements:
-> Latest version of the firmware of your model (I used this site which had the latest version and decent download speeds https://galaxyfirmware.com/model/SM-T860)
(To find which version to download, go into the Phone app, and type *#1234#)
-> Latest Magisk.apk file (https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases)
-> Disbale_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt zip file (https://zackptg5.com/android.php#disverfe)
-> Latest TWRP img (https://eu.dl.twrp.me/gts6l (europe) or https://dl.twrp.me/gts6l (americas))
-> Official TWRP tool (Play Store)
-> Samsung drivers (https://developer.samsung.com/android-usb-driver)
-> Latest Version of Odin (https://odindownload.com/SamsungOdin)
-> SD Card or Minimal ADB and Fastboot (https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/tool-minimal-adb-and-fastboot-2-9-18.2317790)
(If SD card)
Copy Magisk, AP file from the firmware zip, Disable_dm zip and TWRP img into the SD card, else, you will have to use adb sideload
0. Create a backup of all your data (we are going to wipe the data of the tablet)
(Tablet)
1. Activate developer settings (go to Settings->About Tablet->Software information, and tap 5 times on build number).
2. Go into developer settings and activate OEM unlocking and USB debugging.
3. Turn off the tablet and turn it back on pressing Power + Vol. Down buttons to enter Device Unlock Mode.
4. Press and hold Vol. Up and in the next menu, press Vol. Up to unlock the bootloader (attention, this will erase all of your data)
5. Run through the setup, but be sure to activate the internet (this will prevent the tablet from relocking).
6. Activate developer settings again, and go into it to check that OEM unlocking is greyed out.
7. Install Magisk
(PC)
8. (No SD) Copy the AP file to the Tablet.
(Tablet)
9. Go into Magisk, press Install->Patch a file->Recovery mode (on)->Select file (The AP file).
10. Copy the patched file back into your computer.
11. Shut down the tablet.
12. Press Vol. Up + Vol. Down and connect the tablet to your computer with a USB to enter download mode.
(PC)
13. Open Odin, it should show that your device is connected.
14. Go to the settings tab and uncheck the Auto-Reboot option.
15. Flash all the files of the latest firmware, using CSC (not HOME_CSC) but substituting the AP file with the patched one. (With the WiFi version, you might not have a CP file, don't worry)
CRITICAL STEP (if not followed correctly, may lead to bootloop)
(Tablet)
16. Once the flashing is complete, press Vol. Down + Power during 7 seconds to restart the tablet. As soon as the screen blacks out, swap to Vol. Up + Power (and keep pressing even though it asks to press power) to enter the recovery.
17. In the recovery, navigate to Wipe data/factory reset with the volume buttons and press power button to select. Confirm and reboot.
18. While rebooting, you need to press Vol. Up + Power during 3 seconds (Until the press power to continue appears). This is due to Magisk being installed in the recovery partition.
19. Run through the setup again, but this time you need to login into your google account to enter the Play Store.
20. You should have the Magisk app installed. Open it and it will configure itself.
21. When it reboots, press again Vol. Up + Power for 3 sec.
22. Download the Official TWRP app.
(PC)
23. (No SD) Copy the latest TWRP image previously downloaded into the tablet.
(Tablet)
24. Go into the TWRP app and give it root permissions.
25. Enter TWRP flash and select the latest TWRP img
26. Go into the reboot menu and select reboot recovery.
27. The phone will reboot into TWRP.
28. Tick don't show this message again and slide to allow modifications.
29. Wipe -> Wipe data, Cache and Dalvik and Format data.
30. Reboot -> Recovery.
31. (SD) Flash Disable_DM-Verity zip, and then flash Magisk zip.
32. (No SD) enter the advanced menu and open adb sideload. Connect to the PC, open Minimal adb and fastboot and adb sideload the zip files.
33. Reboot system
Congrats, you have a rooted Samsung Galaxy tab S6 with TWRP installed!
FAQ:
1) Ok, I f* up, I am now stuck in the Samsung logo, what do I do?
Press Power and Vol. Down for 7 seconds, this will auto reboot your tablet. Then, as soon as the screen goes off, try to press Vol. Down + Vol. Up and connect through USB to the PC. With some luck, you manage to get into download mode. If you don't, repeat.
Flash the files with the Magisk modified AP, reboot into recovery and factory reset (follow the next instructions if you want to install TWRP), or else flash the stock rom.
2) I am seeing some screens with some warning messages, is that Ok?
Yes, it is normal, Samsung does that to scare people off from installing modifications on their devices. Can I take them off? Yes, but it is not a simple process. If you really want to, follow this guide, but adapting to the device (https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...sage-on-samsung-a30-after-root-device.3954589). Another important thing is, when you want to enter recovery, you need to keep pressing Vol. Up + Power, even when the tablet displays the message that asks to press the power button.
3) Don't know... You ask
Works perfectly, thank you!
I have a question: to decrypt the internal memory which files can I flash?