The Motorola Moto E is the cheapest smartphone coming out of Motorola in the last few years. When the “Hello Moto” company created the Moto G, they instantly new they were in a winner as it quickly became the most popular device in the history of the manufacturer. It doesn’t come with the same specifications to compete with it’s big brothers, but it does come with up to date software. You won’t find a cheaper handset that gets faster updates to experience the best or what Android has to offer on the display. So, if you are into software you are surly keen to check out other ideas such as installing custom ROMs and custom firmware to update your device to newer unofficial builds as soon as they release.

Nobody can install a custom ROM or unofficial firmware without unchaining the device away from the factory restrictions first. Today, I’ll show you how to do that effectively using the SuperSU program made by Chainfire.

• Only apply the following for the Moto E variant of the smartphone series. You can’t flash the same files on a different device.
• You must unlock the bootloader before starting the guide.
• You can’t have root access without a custom recovery image installed. A popular choice for the Moto E is TWRP recovery. Flash the same using Android SDK and come back to the guide. Learn how to flash the TWRP Recovery here.
• You need to have a computer, notebook or laptop with a working USB slot. We are connecting the phone to the PC or portable device for transferring the files.
• Don’t start the steps unless you have at least 55% battery power. The device doesn’t come with a battery that lasts as long as many other devices; therefore you want to reserve some extra juice to make sure it doesn’t shut down before the flashing completes.
• Enable the USB Debugging Mode by continuing to Settings > Developer Options > tick the USB Debugging box.
• Install the latest USB drivers on your computer. You’ll find the Motorola drivers from the official website for by downloading from third-party links.
• Make sure you backup the smartphone before going ahead. You can choose from third-party apps from Google Play to help you, or use the build in backup functionality from the phone.

How to back up using the built-in utility

1. Tap the “backup and restore” button.
   – wait for the backup wizard to open.
2. Wait for the on-screen instructions to appear.
3. Follow the instructions so that the device continues to store the data.
4. Don’t touch any buttons until it completes.
5. Tap the “finish’ button and close to the backup and restore function.

How to root the Motorola Moto E and install SuperSU

1. Download the SuperSU 1.94 zip file from here.
   – use the desktop of the computer.
2. Boot the Moto E in fastboot mode.
3. Connect the phone to the computer using the USB cable.
4. Copy the zip file to the internal storage SD card of the phone.
   – do not unzip the file.
5. Disconnect from the computer.
6. Enter the Moto E in recovery mode.
   – it’s the custom recovery such as TWRP you previously installed.
7. Select the “install zip from SD card” and “choose zip from SD card” option from the recovery menu.
8. Upload the zip file and wait until the flashing stops.
9. Navigate back to the main menu in the custom recovery and reboot the device in normal mode.
10. The first rebooting process can take longer than usual.