It’s not Marshmallow, but Motorola gives Verizon Moto X 2nd Gen users official bootloader unlock
Motorola caught a lot of flack when they announced back in October that Marshmallow would soon be arriving to a handful of their handsets, while leaving out a few devices many assumed were a shoe-in. One of those was the Verizon variant of the Moto X 2nd Gen (which we reviewed almost 2 years ago). Because the regular, unlocked model, was included in the Marshmallow announcement, we figured there was some Verizon red-tape holding things up. Not too surprising, but given the fact that the Verizon Moto X (2nd Gen) was one of the first to receive Lollipop, it was disappointing to see the phone shunned only a year later.
While it’s not entirely unheard of for Motorola to offer bootloader unlock codes for some users, generally speaking devices on AT&T and Verizon have been denied. Although AT&T users are still left out in the cold, out of nowhere, Motorola is now reportedly allowing Moto X 2nd Gen users on Verizon to unlock their devices via their official online bootloader unlock tool. Motorola hasn’t come out and said why, but we can’t help but wonder if this isn’t a nod to power users looking to get Marshmallow on their devices through more… unofficial means.
With a bootloader unlocked device, users have the ability to install (flash) 3rd party ROMs like CyanogenMod or software meant for other variants. Although it’s not the most ideal way to get the latest version of Android on your device, it’s a measure many users have resorted to after their devices are no longer supported by manufacturers or carriers. Motorola knows some of you want Marshmallow and for those willing to take matters into their own hands, you now have a way.
For more on unlocking the bootloader on your Verizon Motorola Moto X 2014, hit up Motorola’s official bootloader unlock page here.
[via Motorola Forums]