The Motorola Moto X Smartphone is a U.S.-only device for now which comes with the network lock through the different providers in U.S. and these devices have got the bootloader locked, which makes it very hard when one tries to get the root access to the device when compared to the same in the unlocked devices. One of the XDA developers has got not only the access to the root but also has got the write permissions to the file system, without having to unlock the bootloader of the Moto X.
The latest firmware update sent as an OTA to the device patches this method though, so even if you have the system version 139.12.54, you will not be able to use this exploit and root the Moto X. And if at all you are using the earlier version, you can use this method and root the device but don’t try to update the firmware after this.
To root the Moto X, check the links below and based on the network carrier your device is on, download the apk file. It is for the various networks, which include the T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon etc.
- AT&T – Click here
- Brazil – Click here
- Mexico – Click here
- Movistar – Click here
- Rogers – Click here
- Sprint – Click here
- T-Mobile – Click here
- US Cellular – Click here
- Verizon – Click here
Moto X Rooting Procedure
- Once you have downloaded the file, connect the Moto X to the computer via USB cable, and copy the file to the internal storage of the device in the top directory folder
- Go to Settings in your device, tap Security under Personal and check on Unknown Sources ON under Device Administration so that it allows the installation of the apps from external sources
- Now you need to install a file explorer app from the Play Store, and the preferred one is ES File Explorer which is available for free
- Install the app and then browse the file through the file explorer and install the APK that you had copied to the file system
- Once the app is installed, you will be able to see the device rebooting for a few times for the process to happen
- Once the rebooting is completed, you need to go to the Play Store and install SuperUser and you are done once the SuperUser is installed
Once the rooting is completed, you can do a lot of stuff including the flashing of custom ROMs etc.
Earlier there were users who tried rooting their device using the MotoRoot tool and that worked for them, but if you are trying to use this PwnMyMoto option there is no need to unroot the device before using this method of rooting using the PwnMyMoto tool.
Although we might try the best to help you in doing the stuff, there can be issues which we might not have come across and you can get them rectified at the official XDA thread: Click here.