The Motorola Moto G 2014 is the latest smartphone under the same name and the first since breaking away from being a Google company. It’s the Lenovo name that has the rights to this phone, although Google and Motorola are still seemingly friends as the “Hello Moto’ company were quick in line for the latest version of Android software–the 5.0 Lollipop.

Android 5.0 Lollipop raises the bar over the older KitKat with a new material design UI, material design in the app drawer, tap and go NFC payments, Android Beam, Android RunTime, multiple device support, camera updates, security patches and more. The last one I mentioned is interesting because it directly applies to rooting. Apparently the Google guys are making it more difficult to open up the device away from the default factory restrictions even tough it’s still based off of the same open source Linux kernel.

So why would I want to open up my device with root access? Well, it lets you remove the bloatware from phone carrier networks and device manufacturers. Luckily Motorola runs closer to stock Android and it’s heavy on bloatware. However, other companies such as Samsung do have lots of bloatware. After removing the default apps you are freeing up memory space; thus creating better battery performance for your device. Furthermore, it’s the gateway to installing custom ROMS to change the way your device looks and feel, custom firmware for extra features and extra apps available from Google Play which you couldn’t use with a stock device.

• The following does void any warranty which is remaining. You can gain the same privileges back again by returning to stock Android. Do that by flashing firmware files manually.
• We don’t advise you accept future over the air software update even if you are seeing the notifications arrive to your panel. They can brick your device. Instead, install the same file manually by flashing it from computer like I mentioned above.
• Enable USB Debugging Mode from Developer Options.
• We are issuing the files to both variants of the device. Check which model number you have by navigating to Settings > About Device.
• make sure the device has enough battery to not shut down before the flashing finishes. If it turns off it can brick your device.
• You must have a Windows PC, notebook or laptop for the following. Do not try installing the same on any OS under Windows XP. Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 all work well.

How to root the Moto G 2014 running Android 5.0 Lollipop

1. Download the CF-Root pack for XT1063 from here.
2. Download the CF-Root pack for XT1068 from here.
   – those with the XT1068 Titan_retde download here.
3. Extract the files to the desktop of the computer.
4. Boot the Moto G in bootloader mode.
5. Connect the Moto G to the computer using the USB cable.
6. Double-click the root-windows.bat executable file from the extracted contents on the desktop.
7. Now follow the set of on-screen instructions pooping up on the computer display.

You can verify that it is working by installing the root checker application from the Google Play store. The same also comes as an APK file if you prefer installing the file that way. remember you must have a file manager for installing APK’s. Start by download the APK file to the desktop of the computer and transferring the file to the phone.

You don’t need to install a custom recovery before following the steps above. However, Philz Touch recovery is available for installing afterward from XDA Developers.