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

Moto G (1st Gen) owners who are looking for new custom ROM to enjoy full power of their devices and get extended battery life, look no further. Mobile software developer community Team Horizon has developed XenonHD series stable firmware based on those aforementioned principle.

This XenonHD custom ROM is based on the latest AOSP (Android Open Source Project) v5.1.1 Lollipop. Interested Moto G owners can get started by following the procedure.

Prerequisites (Things to remember before installing the custom ROM):

  1. Make sure the device is rooted before going forward for custom ROM installation. [Read more: How to Root Motorola Moto G (Gen 1) with Android 5.0 Lollipop via CF-Auto-Root Tool ]
  2. This XenonHD Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM from Team Horizon has to be installed on Moto G (Gen 1) aka Falcon models - XT1031, XT1032, XT1033 and XT1034) and Google Play Edition (XT1032), if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
  3. Installation of custom ROM requires clearing of memory in the smartphone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone.
  4. Users make sure they have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else your device (Moto G) will not be recognized by the computer.
  5. 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.

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure of XenonHD Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM on Motorola Moto G (Gen 1) aka Falcon-

Step 1: Download the XenonHD Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM (HERE) and Google Apps (HERE) in to your PC.

Step 2: Connect Motorola Moto G (1st Gen) aka Falcon to PC via USB cord.

[Note: Before plugging the phone to the computer, be sure that you have installed USB driver software, if not, click HERE to download the firmware]

Step 3: Then, place Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Custom ROM zip file and Google Apps file into the phone's SD card memory. [Note: Users are advised to paste the .zip file in SD card root, not in any other folder.]

[Note: Before users' begin installing the custom software, be sure that the device must have rooted and has installed ClockworkMod Recovery/TWRP tool.]

Step 4: Now, turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 5: Then perform the regular Recovery Mode sortie by press holding 'Volume (Down)' and 'Power' buttons.

Step 6: After entering the RECOVERY mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset'

[Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]

Step 7: Now, clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'

Step 8: Then to go back to Recovery mode, and select 'advanced' and tap 'wipe dalvik cache' [Note: This step is optional, but many recommend this procedure so that user will not face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation]

Step 9: Again come back to main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'

Step 10: Then tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the same procedure again to install the Google Apps. [Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options]

Step 11: Once done with the installation process, navigate to '+++++Go Back+++++' and re-start the device by opting 'reboot system now' seen in the recovery menu.

Now, your device (Moto G - Gen 1) will take a few minutes to complete the booting process.

Users then head to Settings >> select 'About phone' to confirm the installation of XenonHD Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM.

[Credits: Team Horizon]