Edit: My original post is contained below. I have edited since I now own the US Cellular variant, and want to share some information about it, and to help clarify some of the rooting process. I ran into some snags that may be obvious to the pros, but for the noobs and novices, a little more detail can be helpful. Also, this information should be useful for either USC or Retail variants.
First, the USC Moto E4 appears to be very much the same as the Retail Unlocked E4 being sold for $130. It has the same SKU of XT1768, can be bootloader unlocked, rooted, and appears to work with most carriers out of the box. I picked up my USC variant for $50 on eBay, and, as of this post, USC has them for $20 plus $35 for 1 month of service. Quite a deal if you can get one.
My thoughts/experiences are:
1. The USC Moto E4 (XT1768) appears to be fully unlocked*.
A. Out of the box it worked with my Tracfone AT&T sim for calls, text, and data WITHOUT having to configure anything.
B. It passed IMEI checks for Page Plus , Verizon, and Tracfone Verizon.
C. It passed IMEI checks for Ting GSM.
D. It, however failed for Tello, which is Sprint only.
EDIT - Thanks to @shogunreaper. He says the phone is compatible with Sprint & Tello once you ask Sprint to add the imei to their list. See here.
* Conclusion: The US Cellular E4 is almost fully unlocked. The retail version says it’s compatible with Sprint, but the US Cellular does not appear to be. It seems that it would/should work for all the other carriers. There is speculation that Moto may have not yet released IMEI numbers to Sprint yet, thus the reason the IMEI is failing for Tello/Sprint. Apparently this was the case for previous unlocked Moto phones. Not a problem for me as I will likely never use Sprint.YMMV.
2. BOOTLOADER UNLOCKING
I followed these instructions.
Unlocking the bootloader will cause the bootscreen to display "Bad Key" when you turn on the phone. THIS IS NORMAL. It will boot normally and your phone will work fine. Currently looking for a method to replace the bootscreen so "Bad Key" isn't displayed.
3. Flash the US Retail Stock Firmware
I did this to see what would happen, if anything, and to de-brand the phone as much as possible. To be fair the USC E4 only comes with 4 bloat apps and a modified Boot Animation with the US Cellular logo. The Retail Stock firmware removes all that. THIS IS OPTIONAL. To flash the retail firmware:
A. Download RSD Lite. This is similar to Odin, for those that have/had Samsung phones.
B. Downloaded firmware. I used the “Retail” version.
C. Unzip firmware to separate folder, install RSD Lite, & put phone into fastboot mode, & connect to PC. In RSD Lite, search for folder with firmware and select the “Flash” file. Process should take about 10-20 minutes.
4. Installed TWRP
A. Used the TWRP image from @squid2. I permanently flashed it with twrp-perry-3.1.1-r2.img
B. It wasn’t obvious to me, but the TWRP image should be placed on your PC, in the same folder you run ADB from, meaning put the TWRP img to be flashed in "platform-tools" for ADB. I originally placed the TWRP image on the phone’s SD card and it didn’t work. Don’t be dumb like me!
C. When you enter the command fastboot flash recovery twrp.img, make sure the twrp.img part matches the file name you downloaded, such as fastboot flash recovery twrp-perry-3.1.1-r2.img or fastboot flash recovery twrp-perry-3.1.1-r3.img.
D. Flashing TWRP to your phone will cause the bootscreen to display "N/A". THIS IS NORMAL. Currently looking for a method to replace the bootscreen so "N/A" is no longer displayed.
5. Root
Followed @KyleBryant guide (bottom of Post #1).
A. Download pph’s su zip.
B. Download no-verity-opt-encrypt.zip.
C. Flash both Superuser & No-Verity in TWRP.
D. Reboot the phone and INSTALL phh’s SUPERUSSER FROM PLAY STORE.
@KyleBryant says to format data in TWRP, reboot to TWRP, then flash the zips. I wound up doing this because after flashing the zips, Root Checker said I didn’t have root…but I think that’s because I didn’t install the SuperUser apk. DUH! Also, formatting data wipes your phone clean. Wasn’t a problem for me as I was doing this on a new phone. So…decide if you want to format data or not. For a new phone it’s not a big deal. If you’ve been using the phone for a while and have all your data, etc…, backup what you need first before formatting data.
6. Remove N/A on boot image
Thanks to @mikaleee, we now have a template to replace the logo.bin. Guide is here.
7. Disable/Remove Increasing ringtone. I posted the procedure here.
Hopefully this helps.
ORIGINAL POST
On another forum, it is mentioned that US Cellular also has the E4 for $20, and reported to be SKU XT1768. Comparing the specs on US Cellular (features tab) to GSM Arena, it appears to have the same bands, specs, etc... However, it has US Cellular bloat. The one user with the US Cellular E4 confirms that his phone works with AT&T WITHOUT sim unlocking. Unfortunately, nobody can confirm if the US Cellular E4 can be bootloader unlocked. I contacted an eBay seller that has several for a really good price, but he can not confirm about the boootloader either. So...does anyone have the US Cellular Moto E4? And does it qualify for bootloader unlocking?
I went so far as to order one from US Cellular, but was rejected because my mailing address is not in their service area.
Thanks,
mn1968 said:
On another forum, it is mentioned that US Cellular also has the E4 for $20, and reported to be SKU XT1768. Comparing the specs on US Cellular (features tab) to GSM Arena, it appears to have the same bands, specs, etc... However, it has US Cellular bloat. The one user with the US Cellular E4 confirms that his phone works with AT&T WITHOUT sim unlocking. Unfortunately, nobody can confirm if the US Cellular E4 can be bootloader unlocked. I contacted an eBay seller that has several for a really good price, but he can not confirm about the boootloader either. So...does anyone have the US Cellular Moto E4? And does it qualify for bootloader unlocking?
I went so far as to order one from US Cellular, but was rejected because my mailing address is not in their service area.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a US Cellular E4, but a couple years ago I was messing around with E2s, (Moto e 2015). Started with a Sprint version, which was bootloader unlockable but not SIM unlockable. Switched to USC version, which was also bootloader unlockable, and also is running on AT&T. There was a little trickery required to get it to see the AT&T SIM iirc, but it's been a while since I've messed what it / used it as a phone. Still sees regular use as a media player.
My guess is the USC one will be unlockable. I looked on USC site, can get it here, but it appears I have to sign up for a month of prepaid service too for another $35. If I can find one for $20 with no commitment I'll grab it and test.
If it is an XT1768 and the bootloader is unlockable, you can flash the retail version firmware which supports AT&T out of the box.
I have a US Cellular version that worked with no tweaks using a GSM BYOP TracFone SIM. Activated immediately.
I'll try and unlock the bootloader tonight and let you know.
yes it is I had one a few weeks ago and got the code from Motorola if you go to settings>about phone>tap build number 7 times then go to developers settings then you sill see allow oem unlock
allc0re said:
I have a US Cellular version that worked with no tweaks using a GSM BYOP TracFone SIM. Activated immediately.
I'll try and unlock the bootloader tonight and let you know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome. I ordered one from eBay for $50. Figured it was cheap enough to take a gamble on. I should get it tomorrow.
mattvail692 said:
yes it is I had one a few weeks ago and got the code from Motorola if you go to settings>about phone>tap build number 7 times then go to developers settings then you sill see allow oem unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet! Did you follow through and root as well?
I haven't rooted yet it seems like things are still in the early stages but will once things start looking more built together this is still a new device so things are going to be a little rough but I will root eventually
I just unlocked the bootloader. It's a go!
(bootloader) Bootloader is unlocked! Rebooting phone
OKAY [ 0.697s]
finished. total time: 0.699s
allc0re said:
I have a US Cellular version that worked with no tweaks using a GSM BYOP TracFone SIM. Activated immediately.
I'll try and unlock the bootloader tonight and let you know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you want to say that it's factory unlocked?
Could you try with another GSM SIM card and confirm?
Thanks!
Deleted. Was just a rehash of 1st post.
The only reason I said to format data is to wipe encryption so you can mount the system. Nice guide too, thanks for the mentions.
Sent from my Moto E (4) using XDA Labs
Nice tutorial. Thanks
mn1968 said:
Deleted. Was just a rehash of 1st post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain the N/A on point 6? "Remove N/A on boot image."
Metconnect2000 said:
Can you explain the N/A on point 6? "Remove N/A on boot image."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an attempt to remove/hide the N/A that is displayed when bootloader is unlocked/TWRP is installed. If it works, you'll know.
EDIT - It did not work.
mn1968 said:
It's an attempt to remove/hide the N/A that is displayed when bootloader is unlocked/TWRP is installed. If it works, you'll know.
EDIT - It did not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that. But this would only possible an issue if you want to turn the device in for warranty purpose. Am I missing something? Also over at the Slickdeals, there are so many people debating on the band 12 for this phone. Do your carrier support that and if so can u test? Thanks
Metconnect2000 said:
Sorry to hear that. But this would only possible an issue if you want to turn the device in for warranty purpose. Am I missing something? Also over at the Slickdeals, there are so many people debating on the band 12 for this phone. Do your carrier support that and if so can u test? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N/A on the boot screen is a cosmetic thing. Once you unlock the bootloader through Motorola, you agree that you are forfeiting your warranty.
As far as band 12, that's a T-Mobile thing. I use AT&T, so I can not test.
How can I flash retail rom? I have a sprint version xt1766 and tried to flash retail and other roms many times, and every time it fails to flash bootloader and gpt.bin, boot.img. I really would like to have a rom without all sprint bloatware....Do you think sprint version is flashable with retail rom? what am I missing? Many thanks!
@fountain1
1. Is it bootloader unlocked?
2. Does it have the fingerprint reader as well?
3. How are you attempting to flash? RSD Lite appears to be the preferred method. See post #1 for link.
4. It just may not be possible.
5. That's all I have. I can't be of any further help.
Yes, bootloader is unlocked, I am trying to flash it with fastboot cmd, rsdlite doesn't detect my phone on my Windows 10...I am not sure if it has a fingerprint scanner, cannot find it in settings....
Burguitox said:
Do you want to say that it's factory unlocked?
Could you try with another GSM SIM card and confirm?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only other GSM SIM I have to test with is a micro while the E4 takes a nano. Sorry, but I can't test that.
Hello, Moto g5 plus xda!
I have AMAZON moto g5 plus, which was able to have bootloader unlocked from motorolas website, installed Pixelexperience yadayada.
Now I switched my carrier from att to sprint, and while phone calls and text messages work, datd does not, i called sprint countless times and it really does seem like there seems to be issue from my phones end.
To double check imei, i did *#06#, and now, instead of IMEI, it showing MEID, and it is same EXCEPT its like 1 digit in the end.
Also just to clarify, I have flashed stock amazon firmware now, so that's what I was talking about.
Oddly enough, if i go into settings>aboutphone>status>IMEI information, both IMEI and MEID show, and IMEI shows in full and MEID shows as IMEI except that last digit. Ideally, I would like to relock my bootloader and have phone return to fully stock. But when i try to re-lock bootloader via fastboot it says oem unlocking need to be enabled and its grayed out. If you guys could help me out that would be wonderful.
Thank you in advance.
zvioocge said:
Hello, Moto g5 plus xda!
I have AMAZON moto g5 plus, which was able to have bootloader unlocked from motorolas website, installed Pixelexperience yadayada.
Now I switched my carrier from att to sprint, and while phone calls and text messages work, datd does not, i called sprint countless times and it really does seem like there seems to be issue from my phones end.
To double check imei, i did *#06#, and now, instead of IMEI, it showing MEID, and it is same EXCEPT its like 1 digit in the end.
Also just to clarify, I have flashed stock amazon firmware now, so that's what I was talking about.
Oddly enough, if i go into settings>aboutphone>status>IMEI information, both IMEI and MEID show, and IMEI shows in full and MEID shows as IMEI except that last digit. Ideally, I would like to relock my bootloader and have phone return to fully stock. But when i try to re-lock bootloader via fastboot it says oem unlocking need to be enabled and its grayed out. If you guys could help me out that would be wonderful.
Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To make the OEM unlocking switch working again just flash magisk, it will be usable then.
Sent from my Moto G5 Plus using XDA Labs
Hello,
I have an old galaxy S5 I am trying to network unlock so I could get rid of it. I called Sprint to get it unlocked, and after a long time being placed on hold, I was told the phone is not unlockable. However, they provided me the unlock code. I tried putting on a different carrier sim expecting to be prompted to enter the code, but that didn't happen. I only got an invalid sim error.
What can I do?
EDIT: it is possible to unlock, see below.
It is not unlockable with some "unlock code", you have to hack the modem firmware partition and flash it to the phone.
There was an online unlock service for $35 at http : / / idoneapps . com and I've successfully unlocked 2 phones with their service but the website does not work anymore, also they do not reply to email or facebook.
If anyone knows the similar service - please share the link, I'm interested too.
I've managed to unlock the G860P for international SIM cards, check this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/confirmed-sim-unlocked-s5-sport-g860p.3128965/
Apologies if this is a stupid question, I'm pretty new to Androids in general.
I recently bought an unlocked Pixel 4 off Facebook Marketplace, and have started using it on Android 12 beta (I came from an iPhone 7). Overall I love it, but I'd like to have the option of rooting it if I feel like. I went to unlock the bootloader a few days ago, and the OEM Unlocking toggle says "Unavailable on carrier-locked devices." The previous owner used it on T-Mobile, but it's fully unlocked according to all the online checks I've done. When I talked to T-Mobile support, they said that yes it was carrier unlocked, but there was some sort of block on the device for the T-Mobile network. They said that to fix that I'd have to get in touch with the previous owner, which I've been unable to do.
Am I out of luck as far as rooting goes?
Yes.
There's 3 components that determine whether a bootloader can be unlocked:
1. At firmware build time, the ro.oem_unlock_supported flag is set. If this is 0, that prevents the next component from being changed.
2. The OEM Unlocking toggle controls the get_unlock_ability flag. On is 1, off is 0. If this is greyed out, it's because unlocking is not supported per #1.
3. The bootloader itself will reject unlocking commands such as
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock
if the get_unlock_ability returns 0.
Thus, it's only possible to unlock the bootloader, and therefore root the device, if the firmware as built supports it. Unfortunately, many carriers specify that this be set to 0.
What I don't know is what T-Mobile's network block has to do with this. To me, as a former telecom technician, "network block" means a server-side blacklist that prevents the device from being provisioned on T-Mobile's network. This is done using the IMEI, is often shared with a common blacklist used by other carriers, and typically happens if the device is reported stolen or the original user defaults on their payment plan.
Hello! I have Pixel 4 Google edition, bootloader is unlocked, phone is routed. I cannot enable WiFi calling on Verizon network. There is a switch to enable it, bit it does not work. After long troubleshooting with Verizon I was told that unlocked Pixels do not support WiFi calling on Verizon network. They told that I need Verizon ROM to use it. They told that Google edition Pixel 4 does not have that exact piece of software for WiFi calling implementation on Verizon network.
Is there a patch I can flash to enable it? Or can I install Verizon ROM and keep my bootloader unlocked (link to the procedure will be appreciated!). Thank you.
fiodorpugach said:
Hello! I have Pixel 4 Google edition, bootloader is unlocked, phone is routed. I cannot enable WiFi calling on Verizon network. There is a switch to enable it, bit it does not work. After long troubleshooting with Verizon I was told that unlocked Pixels do not support WiFi calling on Verizon network. They told that I need Verizon ROM to use it. They told that Google edition Pixel 4 does not have that exact piece of software for WiFi calling implementation on Verizon network.
Is there a patch I can flash to enable it? Or can I install Verizon ROM and keep my bootloader unlocked (link to the procedure will be appreciated!). Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please help!
Hmm, that doesn't seem right. I have a Pixel 4 which I'm pretty sure was the Google Edition. I can't be 100% sure since I bought it secondhand, but the seller said it was, and the bootloader is unlockable.
I'm able to enable the WiFi Calling switch, and I see on the lock screen my carrier label has changed to "Verizon WiFi Calling".
I'd recommend trying to flash the factory ROM from Google's site. I just used the current latest on mine, the 12.1.0 with SHA256 checksum of 0138b22040a493223b621fffe1f1d288d307c67524432805f674be05925c3580. You should be able to do this with the bootloader locked. The process is to install adb and fastboot.
You can try using the "Flash" button on that site to use the "Android Flash Tool", which should guide you through the process, though I've never tried that myself. If you want to do it manually, you can use the "Link" link to download the stock ROM as a zip, then extract the zip and run either ".\flash-all.bat" (for Windows) or "./flash-all.sh" (Mac or Linux). That assumes you have fastboot installed. If you don't already have those, you need to install them from here: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Thank you phantomsniper773 for your reply! I already have the latest 12.1.0 (SP2A.220405.003, Apr 2022), and I already tried to re-flash it, but it did not help. I also requested the brand new SIM card, and that did not help also. I have Wi-Fi calling switch, but when I try to enable it, it shows 'This will take a few moments', then in a minute or two 'Unable to activate Wi-Fi calling, please try again later'. I also found on-line similar complaints about Verizon Wi-Fi calling on Pixels. And that happens only on Verizon. With T-Mobile SIM card it has Wi-Fi calling enabled by default, and it works just fine! Can you please check yours Pixel 4 Baseband version (Settings - About Phone - Android version - Baseband version)? Mine is g8150-00123-220122-B-8106568. Thank you!