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Moto G Verizon Prepaid

Antonizoon edited this page May 23, 2015 · 2 revisions

Best Buy is having a firesale on the Prepaid Verizon Moto G, just $20-25.

Note that this phone is CDMA-only (no SIM card slot), and you must use the Prepaid Verizon service to get cellular service. But if you don't need cell phone service, this phone works perfectly as a WiFi-only tablet.

Workarounds

Surmountable obstacles with a bit of effort and money.

  • The bootloader is locked and cannot be officially unlocked.
    • You can buy a Sunshine S-OFF Bootloader Unlock for $25. This makes it possible to use custom recovery, and thus, custom ROMs.
  • You must (temporarily) downgrade to Android 4.4.2 before you can root your phone.

Caveats

Unavoidable downsides.

  • No SDCard slot. 8GB internal is all you get.
    • The Moto G does support USB OTG, so you could plug in a Meenova SDCard reader, if you're OK with a piece of plastic sticking out.
  • CDMA Only. You must use Prepaid Verizon for cellular service. They will refuse to activate existing Verizon contracts.
    • There is no SIM card either, not that it supports many bands anyway, so GSM is physically impossible to use.
    • On the other hand, after Sunshine bootloader unlock, it's possible utilize a CDMA provider like Boost Mobile.

Bypassing Activation Screen

When you first boot the phone out of the box, the phone will prompt you to activate it on Verizon. You can bypass this screen in one of two ways.

Sources

BA Logo

Bibliotheca Anonoma

Android Development Codex

Note: All non-Android projects have moved to the BASLQC Wiki.

Introduction

  • Introduction - A quick intro to the rationale and ideals of this guide, and smartphone modding in general.
  • General Setup - Learn how to install and run the tools you need to succeed.
  • Device Guides - Customized, fully decked out guides for rooting each and every device we could find.
  • General OS Customizations - General customizations that work on all devices of a specific OS.

Content Guidelines

  • General Guidelines - The ideals that you should uphold while working with and editing this guide.
  • Device Guide Templates - Templates and general guidelines for creating customized guides for a device.
  • Linux - Run a full desktop OS on your little mobile device; research is being made to make it comfortable to use in the mobile space.

Reference

  • Glossary - Contains all the crazy acronyms and word soup that you'll need to wade through when using this guide.
  • Android Buying Guide for Modders - While modding can fix up an outdated device, it will make your life easier to buy the right device from the start.
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