Moto E Gets Bootloader Unlock Support

Motorola took the world by storm last week when it announced the Moto E smartphone with an ultra low price tag. And now, the manufacturer has announced that it will add the device to its bootloader unlock program. This should bring a smile to the faces of developers, especially since the smartphone features a somewhat stock version of Android.

Unlocking the bootloader would allow customers to flash a variety of custom ROMs, although the stock Android skin running on the smartphone is pretty good on its own. It’s good to see that Motorola acknowledges the need for its smartphones to be developer friendly as well, which means that they’re targeting a wide demographic.

The variants of the Moto E from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Latin America have all been added to the program. All users have to do is head to the Motorola source link to find instructions on how to get their specific device’s bootloader undone. We can expect several different ROMs and root-access applications like CyanogenMod 11, AOKP and Paranoid Android for the Moto E, given that they are stable enough to run on such admittedly low-end hardware.

Things to be kept in mind while unlocking the bootloader of your Moto E smartphone.

• All media and content stored in the device will be lost. All apps coming from the Google Play Store will need to be reinstalled once the process is complete.


• Some apps may not function anymore.


• Encryption support may be lost.


• Key functions may be lost such as the ability to make calls,  audio playback, and radio


• The device may be temporarily or permanently damaged.


• Unlocking the bootloader will not change the subsidy lock status of the device.

The procedure of unlocking the bootloader will be best done by customers having prior experience with the Android system and how it works.

Moto E Bootloader Unlock Procedure

First get the latest tools

• Install the Android SDK. Download here.


• Install the latest Motorola USB Drivers on your desktop. Download here
  

The next step is to get the device ID

• Put your device in fastboot mode (power off, then press the power and volume down buttons simultaneously).


• On your desktop, open a command prompt or terminal, and go to the directory where you installed the Android SDK tools (or make sure fastboot is in your $PATH).


• At the prompt, type “$ fastboot oem get_unlock_data“.


• The returned string will be used to retrieve your unlock key.


• Paste together the 5 lines of output into one continuous string without (bootloader) or ‘INFO’ or white spaces.


• Paste the string in the Motorola site to see if the device can be unlocked. If your device is unlockable, a “REQUEST UNLOCK KEY” button will appear at the bottom of the page.

Moto E Gets Bootloader Unlock Support