How to Root the Moto G 4G/LTE
With the Moto G’s phenomenal success last year, Motorola seems keen on capitalizing on this and has released another iteration of the Moto G – the Moto G 4G or the Moto G LTE. This device is similar to its predecessor in every respect other than its cellular connectivity prowess – this version is capable of utilizing 4G/LTE networks where available. And, as with any new device, the Moto G 4G was rooted with relative ease and this is what we’ll help you do today.
Rooting is the process of gaining administrative rights on your Android device. Once we root our Android device, we can then make changes to it to customize it well beyond what it normally can do.
Once you have root access on your Moto G LTE, you’ll be able to:
- Remove apps that were preinstalled by your carrier/manufacturer from your device.
- Free up storage space (because of the above benefit).
- Increase battery life (apps that might have been running constantly can be removed).
- Increase performance (after removing apps that are always running, the device will be less bogged down and run smoother).
- Update to a new version of Android (by flashing a custom recovery/ROM, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
- Tons of other customizations when you use your new found administrative rights to flash a custom ROM (again, see the end of this procedure for more info on that).
Interested? Here’s how to root your Moto G LTE:
I. Before You Begin
1. Rooting your device may void your warranty or damage your device. Proceed at your own risk.
2. Charge your device to 75% or more before you begin to prevent unwanted shutdowns.
3. Back up everything you feel is important before you start, just in case.
4. You will need a Moto G 4G with an unlocked bootloader for this procedure to work. Keep in mind that unlocking your bootloader may void your warranty (and will definitely delete your data), so decide if you really want to be rooted before you proceed.
5. Make sure that the necessary drivers are installed before you begin.
II. Necessary Downloads
1. UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.01.zip (or latest version available)
2. openrecovery-twrp-2.7.1.1-xt1032.img (file attached to this post)
III. Rooting the Moto G 4G/LTE
1. Connect your device to your PC and copy the UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.01.zip file you downloaded above to your device’s internal SD card (copy it to the main folder of the SD card; do not put it into any subfolders). Disconnect your device.
2. Rename openrecovery-twrp-2.7.1.1-xt1032.img to recovery.img
3. Extract adb-fastboot.zip to a folder on your desktop. Copy recovery.img to this folder.
4. Boot your device into fastboot mode. To do this, with the device powered off, press and hold the Volume Down + Power buttons simultaneously until you are in fastboot mode.
5. Connect your device to your PC using a compatible microUSB cable. At this point, if there are any drivers being installed, let them do so before continuing.
6. Hold the Shift key on your keyboard and right-click on any empty space in the adb-fastboot folder and click on ‘Open command window here’ to open up a command prompt window.
7. Run the following command to verify that your device is connected and recognized properly (your device ID should show up as a string of alphanumeric characters).
fastboot devices
8. Now run the following command to boot to TWRP Touch Recovery.
fastboot boot recovery.img
9. Once the custom recovery is flashed and TWRP Recovery is loaded on your device, tap on the Install button.
10. Navigate to the location of UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.01.zip and add it to the flash queue.
11. Swipe the ‘Swipe to confirm flash’ button.
12. Once flashed, go back to the main menu and tap on Reboot System.
That’s it! Your Moto G 4G/LTE is now completely rooted!
