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CyanogenMod is what you want to install on the first-generation Motorola Moto G smartphone if you want to update the firmware. The official OTA updates have come to an end for the original Moto G, but you can still install the latest the official CyanogenMod team have to offer in the CM 12.1 custom ROM. Like you know, the CM 12.1 is very much based on Lollipop and nothing to do with Marshmallow yet. The CyanogenMod 13 custom ROM is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the Cyanogen developers are said to be working on getting the official build ready soon. We have something else for you to try until that day comes: this unofficial CM 13 custom ROM put together by other developers.
REQUIREMENTS
- You must root the Motorola Moto G before you can install this custom ROM on your device.
- You must install a custom recovery on the Motorola Moto G before you can upload your CyanogenMod ROM.
BEFORE WE BEGIN
- Make sure you have enough battery life left on the Motorola Moto G before you start the guide so you do not see it shut down before the flashing of the new ROM is complete.
- You in all likelihood will need to enable the USB Debugging Mode from the Developer Options on the Motorola Moto G smartphone. Get that enabled by tapping on the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging Mode.
- On occasion, you might find there is no Developer Options menu available from the Settings menu. For all those times you can unlock the hidden menu by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > Build Number no less than 7 times.
HOW TO INSTALL CYANOGENMOD ON MOTOROLA MOTO G 2013
- Download the CM 13 beta build from this link straight to the desktop of your computer.
- Connect the Moto G smartphone to the computer with the USB cable.
- Copy the Unofficial CM 13 custom ROM zip file over to the root of the internal storage SD card.
- Unplug your Motorola Moto G from the computer once you have the file stored on your device.
- Boot the Motorola Moto G smartphone to recovery mode and the custom recovery you flashed earlier should boot.
- Tap on the ‘Backup’ button from the recovery menu and proceed to take the NANDroid backup.
- Tap on the ‘wipe data/factory reset’ option from the recovery menu.
- Tap in the ‘Install’ option and follow the on-screen instructions to upload your new CM 13 custom ROM zip file.
- Confirm you want to install that ROM following the guidelines on the display.
- Once done, tap on the ‘Reboot System’ option from the main recovery menu and the Motorola Moto G will now reboot in normal mode with your new custom ROM loading.
The unofficial beta build of CM 13 in this post won’t give you all the same features as we have come to expect from the official release for some other devices. In spite of this, you still have innumerous features that you couldn’t otherwise find on your stock ROMs. The CyanogenMod team makes new ROMs with respect to the stock Android ROMs. The main aim is to make them faster, perform better and add new features on top of everything Android developers offer.
