In this comprehensive tutorial, we will show you the steps to unlock the bootloader on any Motorola device. The journey of this OEM has been quite an underrated one. Its impressive Moto G series has always been liked by one and all. Along the same lines, the company also runs an Android One series of devices. Offering a clean and stock experience, these devices also guarantees faster Android upgrades. Then the company also tried its hands on uncharted territory.
The decision to take the users on a nostalgic ride by bringing back its ever-popular Razr device is a perfect example of the same. All in all, the company has managed to build and maintain its loyal base even in this cut-throat competition. The device owners, on the other hand, are always looking to get more out of their Moto device. If you also fall into this domain, then you have come to the right place. This guide will show you how to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device and explore its full potentiality. Follow along.
What is Bootloader?
A bootloader is a software program that tells the OS which programs does it need to load during the boot-up. Along the same lines, it also makes it possible for your device to boot to recovery mode. By default, most of the OEMs ships their devices with a locked bootloader. The reasoning on their part is pretty straightforward. They only want the userbase to stick to the default OS environment that they have provided.
While that is understandable, but a locked bootloader wouldn’t allow you to explore the device’s full potentials. This is why many tech enthusiasts prefer to take their step forward to custom development. The first requirement for which calls for an unlocked bootloader. And in this guide, we will help you with just that. But before that, let’s make you aware of the benefits and risks of unlocking the bootloader on your Motorola device.
Benefits and Risks of an Unlocked Bootloader
There are a plethora of goodies associated with an unlocked bootloader. To begin with, you will be able to flash many different types of custom ROMs or even install a custom recovery like TWRP. Along the same lines, you could also gain administrative privileges of your device and gain access to the system partition. This in turn is possible by rooting your device via Magisk. Once rooted, you could flash Magisk Modules, Xposed Framework, and plenty of other mods.
However, all these tweaks bring in a few uninvited risks as well. Once you have unlocked the bootloader, your warranty stands null and void. Likewise, the process will wipe off all the data from your device. Along the same lines, apps like Netflix, Google Pay, and Pokemon Go might not function as expected. The entire process is risky and could result in a bootloop or soft-brick if not performed correctly. With that said, if you are ready to proceed, then here are the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device.
How To Unlock Bootloader On Any Motorola Moto Phones
There are a few requirements that you need to qualify before going ahead with the process. So make sure that you checkmark all these prerequisites.
Prerequisites
- First and foremost, take a backup of all the data on your device.
- Next, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC.
- Likewise, download and install the Motorola USB Drivers on your PC as well.
That’s it. You may now proceed with the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device.
STEP 1: Enable USB Debugging | OEM Unlocking
To begin with, you will have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former is needed so that your device gets recognized by your PC in the ADB mode. On the other hand, the latter option allows you to carry out the unlocking process. So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging as well as OEM Unlocking.
STEP 2: Boot your Motorola device to Fastboot
The next step in this process to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device requires you to boot it to Fastboot Mode. Here’s how it could be done:
- Connect your device to PC via USB cable. Make sure OEM Unlock and Debugging have been enabled.
- Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
- Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
adb reboot bootloader
- Now type in the below command to verify the Fastboot connection:
fastboot devices
- If you get the device ID followed by the fastboot keyword, then the connection stands successful. Otherwise, reverify the driver installation.
STEP 3: Get Unlock Data
- You will now have to get hold of your Motorola device’s Unlock Data in order to unlock its bootloader. For that, execute the below command in the CMD window:
fastboot oem get_unlock_data
- Once you do so, you should get five lines of alphanumeric strings.
- You will have to copy all these five lines, but remove the bootloader keyword as well as any spaces between each of these lines. For that, copy the entire five lines of commands and then paste it into a text editor like Notepad.
- Then delete the ‘(bootloader)’ prefix as well as the spaces between all these lines. The final result should be a single line of command, as shown in the image. Copy it as it will be used in the next step.
STEP 4: Get the Unlock Key from Motorola
You will now have to send this unlock data to Motorola, who will, in turn, give you the Unlock Key. Proceed as follows:
- To begin with, head over to Motorola’s Bootloader Unlock page and sign in with your credentials.
- Scroll to the sixth point on that page and paste the Unlock Data in the space provided. This is the same code that you got from STEP 3.
- Then click on the Can my device be unlocked button.
- This will take you to the License Agreement section. Select the ‘I Agree’ option.
- You should see the REQUEST UNLOCK KEY” button. Click on it.
At this point, you will now receive an email from Motorola with the Unlock Key on the email address that you have used to sign in to this page. So check your Inbox for the key, if it is not there, then do check the Promotions and Spam folders as well.
STEP 5: Unlock your Motorola device’s Bootloader
- Its now time to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device using the Unlock Key that you have just received.
- Make sure that your device is still booted to the Fastboot Mode and connected to the PC via USB cable. Likewise, you should also have opened the CMD window inside the platform-tools folder, as mentioned in the earlier steps.
- So inside that Command window, type in the below command and hit Enter. Just replace the UNLOCK_KEY from the below command with the key that you have got in STEP 4 from Motorola.
fastboot oem unlock UNLOCK_KEY
- The process shall now begin and should only take a few seconds. Once done, you could now reboot your device to the OS (if that doesn’t happen automatically) using the below command:
fastboot reboot
That’s it. These were the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Motorola device. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments section below. Rounding off, here are some iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Tricks that you should check out as well.