Motorola Says That Unlocking The Bootloader On The Moto X Pure Edition Will Void Your Warranty

Looking to apply some root modifications or custom ROMs to that sweet Moto X Pure Edition (AKA the Moto X Style outside the US) you just got from Moto Maker? You might want to think twice. According to an employee post on the official Motorola support forum, the Moto X Pure Edition is not considered a developer device (like the Developer Edition versions of previous Moto X and DROID phones), so fiddling around with aftermarket software means you're on your own when it comes to support.

The new (2015) Moto X Pure is not a developer edition, so unlocking the bootloader does void the warranty. Sorry about the lack of clarity on this. We've been using this answer but I was double-checking it before posting.

-Matt, Forums Manager

Matt went on to say that problems that were purely physical defects and obviously not caused by some kind of software malfunction would be covered under both the standard warranty and Motorola's MotoCare insurance program. But that statement carries with it the implication that whether a problem can be traced to software is entirely up to Motorola.

Motorola has had a somewhat checkered past when it comes to unlocking bootloaders and support thereafter. The company's Bootloader Unlock program allows end users to remove the lock from most phones after jumping through a few hoops, with the exception of those devices sold specifically for Verizon or AT&T, which still live in the dark ages and ship all their phones as locked. The exception to that rule is those special Developer Edition phones, which were sold directly from Motorola at full price. They used the same Bootloader Unlock tool, but because they were specifically marketed towards developers, Motorola agreed to cover them under the same stipulation that any free repairs must be purely related to hardware problems.

So nothing much has changed here, except that since American carriers are pretty much done with subsidies and Motorola is selling a phone that works on all major networks, there's no need for a Developer Edition. (Incidentally, last year's Moto X 2014 never got one - I think everyone assumed that if you wanted an unlocked bootloader on AT&T or Verizon, you'd buy a Nexus 6.) So, unlock and tweak to your heart's content, just don't expect Motorola to have your back if something goes wrong. Also: you might want to make a backup of your stock Moto X Pure Edition software, since there's no guarantee that you'll get a factory image from Motorola.

• Source: 
• Motorola forum