Motorola
A woman takes a picture in front of a Motorola logo before the worldwide presentation of the Moto G mobile phone in Sao Paulo November 13, 2013.REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Last month, Motorola officially released the much awaited Android 5.0 Lollipop to its 2014 flagship smartphone Moto X in select regions.

Users who are interested in rooting their Moto X (2nd Gen) model can unlock it using Chain Fire's CF-Auto-Root application tool.

Rooting enables users to install custom ROMs, third party applications of their choice and also perform tweaks in the settings to enhance the device's performance and add more customisation options. For easy rooting experience, we will be using the Chain Fire's CF-Auto-Root application tool in this tutorial.

Note:

We like to remind our readers that installing custom ROM devices is like a using double-edged sword. Though firmware give users more control over the smartphone, the company warranty will stand void and will no longer be liable for future updates.

[Note: Warranty can be restored by flashing the device with stock-ROM]

So we advise users to first go through the whole tutorial thoroughly and then go ahead with rooting procedure.

Prerequisites (things to remember before installing Custom ROM)

  • Before rooting users make sure you have installed Android SDK (Software Development Kit) in the smartphone from the official Android Developers website
  • And also enable USB debugging mode in your smartphone
  • This Rooting procedure should to be carried out only on Moto X (Gen 2) model running the official Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware; if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
  • Make sure to install USB drivers on the PC, or else your phone (Moto X 2nd Generation) smartphone will not be recognised by the computer. [If you have not installed the software, download HERE]
  • Make sure your device has more than 80 percent battery, or else there is chance of smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted in the mid-way.
  • Rooting of devices sometimes (if procedure is not followed properly) leads to complete data wipe out, so make sure to back all the data. [Install Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone to save the data].

[Disclaimer:This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. International Business Times, India Edition cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]

Downloadable CF-Auto-Root app link:

[Note: Users are advised to be aware of their device model id before installing the app]

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure guide on Motorola Moto X (Gen 2.) via CF-Auto-Root tool -

Step 1: Turn-off of the phone, then enter Bootloader mode, by press holding Volume (Up) + Volume [Down] + Power button.

Step 1: After downloading CF-Auto-Root.zip file from the link given above in to your PC,  Unzip the 'CF-Auto-Root-xxx-xxx-xxx.zip' file on your computer.

Step 3: Then connect your phone to the PC. After establishing the connection, run the 'root-windows.bat' file.

Now, your device (Moto X 2nd Generation) will take a minimum of five minutes to complete the booting process. To verify whether the device is rooted or not, install Root checker app (HERE).

[Credits: The Android Soul]