How to revert back to a locked bootloader - Moto G 5G Guides, News, & Discussion

How to revert back to a locked bootloader - Moto G 5G Guides, News, & Discussion

In order to relock your bootloader you need to reboot into fastboot mode and plug your moto one 5g ace into your computer with platform tools installed first. Once you're into fastboot mode be sure you restore your boot.img file from the rom folder of your phone and replace the magisk_patched boot.img with the one that's fully stock and because this phone has android 10, it's r/o only with very little functionality when the bootloader is fully unlocked at this time. You'll notice a boot up telling you to relock the bootloader. Use the volume buttons to go ahead and relock it. Be warned. Save any messages and anything important before doing this as it's going to completely wipe your phone like new.
The commands to restore are fastboot flash boot boot.img (find the stock firmware for your os)
If you have any questions please let me know since this is my first time ever buying a Motorola phone
This only applies if the operating system is unmodified. When the operating system is overwritten with custom files you install inside the system partition, it's very important to flash the full firmware.zip

If I flash the TMobile version of the phone with the unlocked retail firmware can the bootloader be relocked being I'm using unmodified stock firmware?

Related

Can't update my phone.

Hi, I have a Moto G 1st Gen xt1033 Dual Sim. The phone, to my knowledge is completely stock, it is unrooted and I haven't tampered with anything developer-wise. The problem is that I can't seem to update the phone. I get an OTA message telling me the update is ready, I download it, my phone shuts down and then it reboots normally. Not only that, but it also enters a bootloop of about 5 boots. Afterwards, nothing happens, the update is unsuccessful. What also bothers me is that I can't enter recovery. I can select the option from the menu that appears after I press the volume down key+power button, but it just boots normally. Please help, I really want to update my phone and this is getting really annoying.

Sounds like your phone can't update and you cannot manually enter recovery mode.. Did you try re-flashing stock recovery?

I didn't, can you maybe link me to a thread that can help me do that?
Sent from my XT1033 using XDA Free mobile app

Search for your stock ROM here: http://www.filefactory.com/folder/c6cdedc45a775d27/?sort=filename&order=ASC&show=100&page=1
If you find it, download it, unzip, use fastboot commands to flash the recovery by typing "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" with the quotes when your phone is in fastboot mode and connected to your PC.

Alright, I'll see what I can do. Does this delete any of my files?
Sent from my XT1033 using XDA Free mobile app

No, it should not wipe your data. Just in case, make sure all of your data file are backed up somewhere else before doing any flashing.
Do you have an unlocked bootloader? I recommend unlocking the bootloader after making your backup. Restoring the phone after a bad flash is always easier with an unlocked bootloader.

Alright, I found my stock firmware, it contains a recovery.img, I set up fastboot, and I'm ready to flash the image. Do I need to uninstall the current recovery or can I just flash over it?

Also, my bootloader is locked, and I would prefer not unlocking it unless it's absolutely necessary.. Do I need to put the recovery.img into a specific folder before entering the fastboot command?

Just put recovery.img in the same folder as your fastboot command.
Just flash over the existing recovery.
If it will not flash, you may have to find a different rom or unlock the bootloader.

I managed to do everything you said. I even unlocked the bootloader and had a bit of a scare cause it got bricked so I had to eventually do a full wipe.. Afterwards I flashed the recovery, installed the 4.4.4 update and got the 5.0 update immediately. Running 5.0 now thanks to you!

Can i just go back to how it was?

I don't even know why I wanted to root my phone. I'm like 3/4 of the way through rooting it and after I flash the boot_stock.img and the twrp installer .zip, I get this message saying
"Unmodified System Patition
Keep System Read only?
..."
and I don't know what to do. I'm following the video tutorial titled "OnePlus 7 Pro - How to Unlock the Bootloader, Install TWRP, and Root with Magisk" by the XDA devs and I get right up before I need to install Magisk or whatever. I don't care anymore.
Have I bricked my phone? Is there any way for me to go back?
Thanks for the advice.

That's just TWRP telling you the system partition isn't rooted, you can say no to allow read/write, then flash the TWRP zip. It sounds like you didn't do the original setup correctly, in the TWRP it tells you to use :
fastboot boot TWRP.img (replace for the current version)
Then the phone would boot into TWRP but TWRP isn't actually installed, that's why you should then flash the TWRP.zip and then immediately flash the latest Magisk to allow root and allow TWRP to remain in place.
Or, as you say, you could just lock the bootloader back but that will wipe data just as unlocking it did. That's a security measure to stop a malicious attempt to access files.
You could also, most likely, just download the zip for your rom version, put it in the root folder and perform a local "upgrade" which should just put your phone back to default, although, if you unlocked the bootloader it will still be unlocked, you need to run the following command to lock it again :
fastboot oem lock

scp-507 said:
I don't know what to do. I'm following the video tutorial titled "OnePlus 7 Pro - How to Unlock the Bootloader, Install TWRP, and Root with Magisk" by the XDA devs and I get right up before I need to install Magisk or whatever. I don't care anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cared enough at one point to start the process. Whether to root or not is a personal decision, based on what types of added modifications of features you want out of root, and how important those are to you. Maybe you have changed your mind to that point. And I am biased to my own opinions. But that opinion would be to go ahead and finish the job, since you got this far. Nothing wrong is going on really, you just got stuck, not knowing what to do next. It does happen from time to time, when modding these devices. And nothing to get discouraged about. You did the right thing coming onto the forum and asking before doing something you were unsure about.
scp-507 said:
Have I bricked my phone? Is there any way for me to go back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty hard to brick. Unlocking the bootloader, flashing TWRP, and root likely will not result in a real brick. Even if you brick the phone, there is an unbrick tool that will mostly likely get it up and running again.
scp-507 said:
I'm like 3/4 of the way through rooting it and after I flash the boot_stock.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not necessary any longer to flash the patched boot.img in order to root. Follow the "Recommended" install method from the TWRP thread, which is simple and straightforward. It's pretty much what the previous response outlined above.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/on...nt/recovery-unofficial-twrp-recovery-t3931322
The method you are following (flashing a patched boot.img) does work. But it has more steps. And you have to be careful to flash the correct boot.img for your OOS version. Otherwise, you may have some issues. So going with the easier method is better, in my opinion.

djsubterrain said:
Or, as you say, you could just lock the bootloader back but that will wipe data just as unlocking it did. That's a security measure to stop a malicious attempt to access files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that true for all phones?

If you have the Global OP7Pro and not the T-mobile variant you don't have to be afraid of bricking the phone. The MSM unbrick tool can bring your device back to stock if its bricked or even if its not. I am not sure if the MSM tool works on the T-mobile variants, but it might.
I've hard bricked this device and successfully used the tool to recover it.

djsubterrain said:
That's just TWRP telling you the system partition isn't rooted, you can say no to allow read/write, then flash the TWRP zip. It sounds like you didn't do the original setup correctly, in the TWRP it tells you to use :
fastboot boot TWRP.img (replace for the current version)
Then the phone would boot into TWRP but TWRP isn't actually installed, that's why you should then flash the TWRP.zip and then immediately flash the latest Magisk to allow root and allow TWRP to remain in place.
Or, as you say, you could just lock the bootloader back but that will wipe data just as unlocking it did. That's a security measure to stop a malicious attempt to access files.
You could also, most likely, just download the zip for your rom version, put it in the root folder and perform a local "upgrade" which should just put your phone back to default, although, if you unlocked the bootloader it will still be unlocked, you need to run the following command to lock it again :
fastboot oem lock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. However, once flash the TWRP .zip installer, immediately flash magisk, and then attempt to reboot back into the system it just throws me back into TWRP saying "Unmodified System Partition". Is there something I should be doing after I flash Magisk?

scp-507 said:
Thanks for the advice. However, once flash the TWRP .zip installer, immediately flash magisk, and then attempt to reboot back into the system it just throws me back into TWRP saying "Unmodified System Partition". Is there something I should be doing after I flash Magisk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ignore this entire reply, I got it rooted. After flashing the TWRP installer, I rebooted back into recovery and flashed Magisk. Then, it booted and all is well, except for the fact that my bootloader is still unlocked and I still get that annoying splash screen telling me my data is insecure. How/should I relock my bootloader?

Well if you relock your bootloader you won't be rooted or have TWRP... It will also wipe all of your data like starting over when you got the phone out of the box.... If you want to stay rooted and use twrp you will have to deal with the splash screen all of us see it on our phones also. Basically you need to have the bootloader unlocked to keep root and have TWRP

scp-507 said:
Ignore this entire reply, I got it rooted. After flashing the TWRP installer, I rebooted back into recovery and flashed Magisk. Then, it booted and all is well, except for the fact that my bootloader is still unlocked and I still get that annoying splash screen telling me my data is insecure. How/should I relock my bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't relock your bootloader, you currently do not have the default recovery partition, if you really want to relock your bootloader you would need to flash the stock rom back over itself so it replaces the recovery with the default one. Then you can run "fastboot oem lock" but be aware, as I said before, this will want to wipe your data so the rom will go back to default setup. Remember to disable bootloader unlocking from the developer settings if you do, then you will be back to the default stock rom state.

scp-507 said:
Ignore this entire reply, I got it rooted. After flashing the TWRP installer, I rebooted back into recovery and flashed Magisk. Then, it booted and all is well, except for the fact that my bootloader is still unlocked and I still get that annoying splash screen telling me my data is insecure. How/should I relock my bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want root, you need to leave the bootloader unlocked. That is normal, and just how it is. The warning screen is just something to live with.
You need to return to full stock (ROM, boot.img, recovery) in order to relock the bootloader (otherwise you will get a bootloop or no boot). Which of course defeats the purpose of rooting the phone. So again, having the bootloader unlocked is the normal and expected state, when you are rooted.

[CLOSED] Delete Thread

Due to the disrespect of certain members here I will no longer share the tutorials.

Hi Articul8Madness,
Seems very cool. I'm new with XDA, and just got this moto one 5G ace from Metro as well. Are you recommending to flash it with the US retail ROM? Will it actually unlock the phone?
Tkx,
MH

huayixin said:
Hi Articul8Madness,
Seems very cool. I'm new with XDA, and just got this moto one 5G ace from Metro as well. Are you recommending to flash it with the US retail ROM? Will it actually unlock the phone?
Tkx,
MH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have the RETBRAZIL rom currently flashed to it, lol. But I've tried the RETUS, RETEU roms. The TMO and Sprint ROM will get you a MetroPCS load screen as its the same.
And no, it will not unlock the phone. MetroPCS ties the IMEI to the Sim Card. They will not unlock this phone even if you pay in full like I did for three consecutive months of service. This is why no one Sim Unlocks Metro phones.

This way I was able to clean flash without any problems.
Is there a dirty flash that doesn't erase user data?

Articul8Madness said:
I actually have the RETBRAZIL rom currently flashed to it, lol. But I've tried the RETUS, RETEU roms. The TMO and Sprint ROM will get you a MetroPCS load screen as its the same.
And no, it will not unlock the phone. MetroPCS ties the IMEI to the Sim Card. They will not unlock this phone even if you pay in full like I did for three consecutive months of service. This is why no one Sim Unlocks Metro phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, really appreciate the insightful reply.

PEACH-PIT said:
This way I was able to clean flash without any problems.
Is there a dirty flash that doesn't erase user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no dirty flash for stock since this isn't a ROM but firmware. I suggest you backup your texts, phone logs, pictures, and anything else before you flash.

PEACH-PIT said:
...Is there a dirty flash that doesn't erase user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it's not really advisable, it could cause apps to not work as expected.
Skip data wipe post #6

sd_shadow said:
Yes, but it's not really advisable, it could cause apps to not work as expected.
Skip data wipe post #6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
I'll give it a try.

Articul8Madness said:
This tutorial is for people like me than ran into problems rooting the Moto One 5G Ace XT2113 (MetroPCS Qualcomm Variant) running on stock Android 10. I got this today after my beloved Moto G7Power's usb/charging port melted and fell out the phone after two and a half years and MetroPCS would NOT honor my insurance and replace the phone. Long story there. So far, this phone's been a good replacement but I'm still early in the game.
Follow the following at your own risk! I am not responsible for any mishaps with your devices. I also don't know if this will work on other variants, as I only have these for MetroPCS, and from my understanding this will NOT obviously work for Verizon, AT&T, and Cricket phones because you have to have the bootloader unlocked.
I want to thank @sd_shadow for pointing the way for me. This phone is a bit different being a new OS and a different updated Moto, and sd_shadow helped me get through the curious WTF now moments. This guide is solely for people like me that jumped head first into this phone with our variant trying to root and ran into some problems.
Introduction/Preparation
First, go and prepare by READING EVERYTHING OF THE FOLLOWING. Very important. Don't even jump into this without reading this thread here all the way to the last page: Motorola Guide To Flashing (this is so you know start to finish the differences between this model and maybe your previous models, plus the differences now between flashing Android 9 to 10, having an A/B system versus the new fastbootd mode).
Second, unlock the bootloader. The MetroPCS variant can be unlocked by Motorola; follow their instructions, it's easy peasy. Use their data tool to get the code formatted correctly or you may have problems. If you do it in firefox it may not go to the third step page and hang on the page where you put the long code in (follow instructions on page to get the unlock code you'll see what I'm talking about). I did it in Waterfox this go round and it sent the codes immediately . When you get it, follow Motorola's instructions for unlocking the bootloader in fastboot. It will show you that the bootloader is unlocked.
***NOTES SO YOU DON'T FREAK OUT***
1. Every time you power up the phone after you unlock the bootloader Moto will try and make you feel like crap with a bad throwing shade with a message that your phone is not to be trusted and the bootloader is unlocked. :laugh: This is normal. Give it a minute, you havent broke it.
2. There is no custom recovery/TWRP for this variant as of yet, so flashing the stock roms via fastboot is the only way to reset.
3. OEM Unlocking toggle switch is interesting. On my first phone it was activated once the bootloader is unlocked and greyed out to where it couldn't be accessed anymore. Same thing happened with my Moto G7Power so I'm assuming that's the new normal.
Files
If you tried to root like me and lost ALL touchscreen usability, then this is what you're going to have to do to come back from the paperweight abyss. First, pull out your Sim Card flashing. Yes, pull it out and flash without it. Flashing with the sim card/SD card in can cause problems flashing.
1. Get Minimal ADB and Fastboot (it's easier to use than Android SDK and smaller). Or you can use the Fastboot software of your choice. I used Minimal ADB and Fastboot.
2. Download the Motorola Drivers from their site (if you run into problems you will have to uninstall and reinstall them through their utility.
3. Cpu-Z.apk (This is a good thing to have to know your hardware responsibly).
4. Stock Firmware. I used XT2113_KIEV_RETUS_10_QZK30.Q4-40-55_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC_R1_CFC.xml which is the US Retail software instead of MetroPCS's firmware because I hate any branded US carrier bloatware and such and like that factory unlocked from the manufacturer feel. Both of my phones flashed fine with it and you can find it here: Moto One 5G Ace ALL Firmwares. It doesn't matter what your carrier is, they have them all there. Try them at your discretion and risk.
****Notes on Flashing The Stock Firmware****
The best way to find out what your codes are is to go to the flashfile.xml that is located in the rom you downloaded. Once you get that the best way to use it since it won't be legibile for flashing is to put it in the online flash converter here: Online FlashFile Converter And don't worry - flashing another stock won't relock the bootloader.
Also, just so you know, once you flash and boot the phone back up you MUST put the sim card back in or a message about the phone being locked once you begin to set it up will come up. Just pop it in enough to get past that screen then remove it. Last thing you want is your data updating the phone without your permission and you turning it off.
1. Extract the firmware to the folder where Minimal ADB & Fastboot are at on your computer.
2. Turn the phone completely OFF and back ON if you haven't done so yet. Make sure there is no Sim Card of SD card in it.
3. Press Volume Up and Power to boot into fastboot mode if you have no touchscreen access. If you do just reboot or turn the phone off and turn it back on the regular way.
4. Plug your phone via USB cable into the computer.
5. Open up Minimal ADB and Fastboot (Make sure you don't have it set to open this as an administrator, it messes with permissions) Make sure all your firmware files have been extracted in the Minimal ADB directory or it won't work.
7. Cut, Copy, and Paste in Fastboot All Together everything from the Online Flash File Converter. In my case since I used the RETUS version mine looked like this:
Code:
fastboot getvar max-sparse-size
fastboot oem fb_mode_set
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
fastboot flash radio radio.img
fastboot flash bluetooth BTFM.bin
fastboot flash dsp dspso.bin
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.6
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.7
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.8
fastboot erase carrier
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase metadata
fastboot erase ddr
fastboot oem fb_mode_clear
echo -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
echo English - Process concluded!
echo Português - Processo concluído!
echo English - Press any key to restart the phone!
echo Português - Pressione qualquer tecla para reiniciar o celular!
echo -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pause
fastboot reboot
exit
8. When it is done it will stop. Hitting enter did not reboot my phone so I did it manually by hitting the Power button on START while still in flashboot.
9. That's it! You should have your phone officially flashed to firmware of your choice.
Hope this helps my fellow MetroPCSers. I lost ALL functionality of my touchscreen trying to root and with a little help from my XDA friends brought them back with this method. Old girl is working and now I'm working on a proper root with a proper matching boot.img.
And please, tinker with the little tyke responsibly. ;-P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice walkthru . Does this phone support monitor mode? I dont wanna root this Beauty unless i can put this gear to work.
THANKS

majored said:
Nice walkthru . Does this phone support monitor mode? I dont wanna root this Beauty unless i can put this gear to work.
THANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I don't know if it supports monitor mode or not as I haven't installed Kali Nethunter on it.

If I put the retailus firmware on my metro phone will it still recieve over the air security updates?

retrov said:
If I put the retailus firmware on my metro phone will it still recieve over the air security updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely no, you may need to flash firmware manually.

sd_shadow said:
Most likely no, you may need to flash firmware manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I was able to flash worked great. I flashed the latest retail us rom has security update for march. Any recomendations on relocking the boatloader without bricking it if I need to send in for repair or something?

retrov said:
Thank you, I was able to flash worked great. I flashed the latest retail us rom has security update for march. Any recomendations on relocking the boatloader without bricking it if I need to send in for repair or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need to relock your bootloader, you must flash back to the original stock firmware for your variant or you will find yourself stuck in EDL mode.

can someone tell me why i cant mount my moto 5g ace is rooted with magisk but adb mount not in /proc/mounts

seriously you should know that you are a good person. when i attempted to flash a custom rom which ive done many times before but failed this time and ended up with no touch capabilities i got really depressed. coming across your forum and seeing you had the same issue really made my day. keep it up man.

Articul8Madness said:
I actually have the RETBRAZIL rom currently flashed to it, lol. But I've tried the RETUS, RETEU roms. The TMO and Sprint ROM will get you a MetroPCS load screen as its the same.
And no, it will not unlock the phone. MetroPCS ties the IMEI to the Sim Card. They will not unlock this phone even if you pay in full like I did for three consecutive months of service. This is why no one Sim Unlocks Metro phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true, I paid an unlocking service and got my MeotroPCS Motorola One 5G Ace SIM unlocked. I can and do use other SIM cards from other carriers.

mewcatchew said:
Not true, I paid an unlocking service and got my MeotroPCS Motorola One 5G Ace SIM unlocked. I can and do use other SIM cards from other carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Consider yourself lucky as it does not work for all branded Metro phones. Also, why pay when you could have waited 3 months of continuous service and got it unlocked by them for FREE.

Articul8Madness said:
Consider yourself lucky as it does not work for all branded Metro phones. Also, why pay when you could have waited 3 months of continuous service and got it unlocked by them for FREE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it's 6 months, not 3.

Phone bricked when trying to flash stock bootloader - which should be what it had already? Help!

So a while back I unlocked and rooted my phone. I did something wrong the first time around and it bricked, so I started from scratch and flashed a stock firmware image, then installed Magisk. I used TWRP, but did not install it. No problems, except the OTA updates don't work, and the phone constantly nags me about it. I had a similar problem on a prior phone (Moto G4+) when the recovery partition was modified, and flashing back to stock fixed it on that phone. I finally get around to trying to fix this, figured Magisk did something to either boot or bootloader, so I re-flash boot.img and bootloader.img using the same images and instructions I originally used to flash my phone. boot.img fails claming bad signature, but bootloader.img succeeds. Now my phone will not successfully boot and claims it needs a factory reset. If I boot to TWRP, I can decrypt and see my data is intact (I explicitly chose not to encrypt my phone for this exact reason but *shrug*). If I install TWRP, it only boots to a TWRP screen and will not accept touch input. Booting TWRP from fastboot functions normally.
So basically, my data is intact. I want it to remain intact. My bootloader is mad at me. What do I do?
I have tried flashing the bootloader.img from multiple versions of the stock ROM and all of them have the same result. Using 'fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img'
My only theory is that the key was written to the bootloader and flashing stock it doesn't have that key, but that doesn't make sense because what's the point of encryption then (see: I explicitly did not want my phone encrypted).

Update: I was able to fix it and retain all my data by using LMSA to recover it, but I edited the flashfile.xml to remove the step where it wipes userdata.

[STOCK FIRMWARE][WINDOWS][OUTDATED] How to upgrade and clean wipe from Stock Android 10 to Stock Android 11 without OTA [Retail USA Channel]

NOTICE : As of June 15, 2022 you no longer NEED this method as the OTA for Android 11 has been released. This is here for those who don't get the OTA or need an upgrade from a clean reset manually using only the RSA tool.
Credits to : morpheus092511 over on the Lenovo Forums for tricking the Moto Tool into installing the stock firmware, and Chepr29 from the Lenovo Forums for the fastboot method that doesn't require the tool.
In fastboot on your PC after your extract the Android 11 firmware and have your device in recovery mode enter the following commands (back up your data this will clean wipe it!) :
Code:
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
fastboot flash radio radio.img
fastboot flash bluetooth BTFM.bin
fastboot flash dsp dspso.bin
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.6
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.7
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.8
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.9
fastboot flash super super.img_sparsechunk.10
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase carrier
fastboot erase metadata
fastboot erase ddr
fastboot oem fb_mode_clear
fastboot reboot
1. BACK UP ANY IMPORTANT FILES OR INFORMATION! DON'T FORGET TO BACK UP YOUR TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION CODES AS WELL! This method can be done with other firmwares, but I have only tested a clean wipe upgrade from stock Android 10 to 11 RETUS on the Motorola One Ace 5G (Unlocked from Amazon) and can't comment on other firmwares.
2. Windows ONLY! DOWNLOAD THE RSA software from Motorola that allows you to recover, backup, or flash stock firmware to your device.
https://download.lenovo.com/lsa/Releases/Rescue_and_Smart_Assistant_v6.1.1.9_signed_setup.exe
3. DOWNLOAD the retail Android 11 firmware for the Motorola One Ace 5G (Kiev) Retail USA / Unlocked from here :
https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/kiev/official/RETUS/XT2113-2_KIEV_RETUS_11_RZK31.Q3-45-16_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_R8_CFC.xml.zip
4. Go to C:\ProgramData\RSA\Download\RomFiles and extract the .zip folder here. You may need 7Zip, or WinRAR to do so. I recommend 7Zip as it's open source and free without nag popups.
https://www.7-zip.org/a/7z2107-x64.exe
5. Connect your phone to the PC via USB-C and shut it off. Hold volume down, and power on at the same time until the recovery screen shows.
6. The RSA software will detect your proper "latest" firmware automatically in fastboot mode, allow it time to download and wait until it's done, give it some time after it hits 100.00% because the program will begin decompressing and unzipping the stock firmware, but it will NOT tell you this, keep that in mind!
7. Under the same directory in Step 4, you should now have two folders. One that says 10 and 11 with almost the same naming convention, delete ALL of the files in the folder that RSA downloaded (the 10 folder), and copy and paste all of the files from (the 11 folder), but LEAVE the name of the folder the same as what it was when RSA downloaded it, don't change the name or you'll either have to re-name it back, or re-download the firmware once more and let it extract.
8. Go back to the RSA program and hit the yellow "Rescue" button. Don't touch your phone and leave it alone! All data will be erased and it will begin flashing the firmware from Android 11 without a single issue. If you have PIN or password locked your phone previously, upon first boot up Android will ask you for your previous device PIN before you can begin setting up the device initially.
NOTE : This should preserve your warranty, mine expired a few months ago and I haven't been able to confirm this 100% because of this. (we waited a LONG time for this update!) Since the process does NOT require your bootloader to be unlocked or modified in anyway whatsoever, I do NOT see how you could possibly void the warranty. As of this writing, I have NEVER attempted to even unlock my bootloader for stability purposes, and because rooting isn't a concern to me on this device. In fact, to my knowledge you are NO LONGER able to unlock the bootloader on Android 11, so proceed with caution if this is something you require! There may be a 3-day wait of being connected to the Internet before you are allowed to use the OEM Unlock function, please keep that in mind if this is an issue.
Since it is stock firmware, there are no functionality issues to be concerned with. Calling, 5G, camera, Bluetooth, NFC and other basic sensors and extra functionality work 100% to my knowledge after testing most functions myself for the better duration of a day, even my Fossil Gen 6 Android Wear 2.0 (updating to 3.0 soon) watch is functioning flawlessly over WiFI and Bluetooth with the new update.

Please note this method is now outdated, as the OTA has been released for Android 11.

TheLastSidekick said:
Please note this method is now outdated, as the OTA has been released for Android 11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does work though, for anybody needing (or just wanting) to recover from a blown system without having to wait for a Rescue download.
Also it's a bit irritating that 95-9 for RETUS never got uploaded to lolinet. And now since 11 is released, that's all you can get through RSA, because it INSISTS on upgrading the phone to the latest version.
(Edit/Add) I would just like to have 95-9 handy for emergency reflashing if ever needed, but now I can't get my hands on it anywhere . . . except on that "easy" website and I don't really trust it 100%.
NOTE: I just flashed an 11 upgrade (manually via fastboot) and there was only 0-9 sparsechunk files. No super.img_sparsechunk.10 to be found, either the file or in the servicefile.xml . . . ? This was specifically the KIEV_RETAIL_RZK31.Q3_45_16_subsidy_DEFAULT_regulatory_DEFAULT_R8_CFC.xml firmware . . .

Moondroid said:
It does work though, for anybody needing (or just wanting) to recover from a blown system without having to wait for a Rescue download.
Also it's a bit irritating that 95-9 for RETUS never got uploaded to lolinet. And now since 11 is released, that's all you can get through RSA, because it INSISTS on upgrading the phone to the latest version.
(Edit/Add) I would just like to have 95-9 handy for emergency reflashing if ever needed, but now I can't get my hands on it anywhere . . . except on that "easy" website and I don't really trust it 100%.
NOTE: I just flashed an 11 upgrade (manually via fastboot) and there was only 0-9 sparsechunk files. No super.img_sparsechunk.10 to be found, either the file or in the servicefile.xml . . . ? This was specifically the KIEV_RETAIL_RZK31.Q3_45_16_subsidy_DEFAULT_regulatory_DEFAULT_R8_CFC.xml firmware . . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the whole thing is strange the way the way each firmware is slightly a different size between what is evidently the same Retail build.

Actually, there's an easier method using RSA rescue.
You can grab boot.img for rooting.

mingkee said:
Actually, there's an easier method using RSA rescue.
You can grab boot.img for rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using Rescue tool for this, may I please ask you how you were able to grab the boot.img? Thank you in advance!
Also, for those wondering if using the method above if OTAs will continue to update the answer is 100% YES confirmed.

TheLastSidekick said:
I was using Rescue tool for this, may I please ask you how you were able to grab the boot.img? Thank you in advance!
Also, for those wondering if using the method above if OTAs will continue to update the answer is 100% YES confirmed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After rescue, check C:\Program Data\RSA\Download\romfiles\
Check Kiev folder

Database Info

welcome