Motorola opens up Verizon's Moto X to custom software

When Motorola declared that it wouldn't support Android 6 "Marshmallow" on carrier-locked versions of its nearly-new 2014 Moto X, owners of the $500 flagship phone were rightly pissed. The Lenovo-owned company is at least throwing owners of the Verizon version a bone, though. It's now handing out codes that make it a snap to unlock the bootloader and install custom ROMs from the likes of CyanogenMod. However, in a statement on its forums, it added that "unfortunately, we can't do this for devices on other carriers," including AT&T.

So why the baffling decision not to provide further support on the 2014 Verizon and AT&T models, while letting owners of the "Pure Edition" upgrade? Many suspect it's a carrier issue, though Motorola, AT&T and Verizon aren't saying. If you're particularly keen to get the latest Android version, bear in mind that unlocking your Moto X, even with the official codes, will void your warranty and wipe the device. And once that's done, there are still numerous steps to get a new ROM installed. If that doesn't dissuade you, you can hit Motorola's "unlock your bootloader" page to give it a go.