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6 responses to “Moto X’s All-Carrier Support, Unlocked Bootloader Are Game Changers”

  1. Bill

    Ever hear of the nexus 6? Supports all carriers since last November.
    This Moto X Style is still exciting though.

    1. Christopher Price

      That is true, but Moto X is a Nexus device – and is viewed by the carriers as a developer device. For example, Verizon banned Moto X 2014 devices from being offered in Pure Edition. Motorola appears to have worked around that by building CDMA radios into their unlocked phones.

      Also the Nexus 6 is sales restricted in many cases. For example, Google warns that Nexus 6 devices bought at AT&T and Verizon may be locked or neutered in various ways. Presumably, a Moto X Pure once SIM unlocked can be flashed with stock Motorola firmware. With the N6, you have to cross-flash and go through other hoops. And worse, if you activate a Google Play issued N6 on Verizon, you start running into Non VZW Device issues. While we don’t know until they ship, it appears the Moto X 2015 editions will solve these issues.

      This is the first time Google hasn’t had to subsidize a device in order to get an unlocked bootloader and quad carrier support. That’s really significant in my book at least.

  2. Bill

    Maybe so, but your article states , “For the first time, you’re going to be able to buy an Android phone and use it on any North American carrier.” And that’s just plain wrong.

    1. Christopher Price

      I didn’t write the article, but I think it is correct. Having put an N6 on Verizon, I had to return it because it was registering as a Non-VZW device. Messages wouldn’t come in, for example.

      Hair splitting? Perhaps, but in terms of real-world consumers it makes a huge difference. Geeks can use WhatsApp, Google Voice, SquareTrade, etc to replace carrier offerings for messaging and insurance… but it looks like a revision was posted clarifying this.

      By selling Pure as a carrier-branded, and unlocked device, all four carriers will have the Motorola IMEI blocks registered, so that should not have the same issues Nexus 6 had/has.

  3. Hi

    Chris P, hell has frozen over. How long have you been asking for this? Motorola has cut out the middle man too -just like Tesla Motors.

  4. Christopher Price

    It looks like three weeks ago, Verizon caved to the waves of FCC complaints, and did start whitelisting Nexus 6 devices sold by Google. Just wanted to add that fact into the mix – but it is still hit and miss, you may have to go through a whitelisting request.

    More details: https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/3b98tr/vzws_ongoing_willful_flagrant_pervasive_and/

    Apparently if you do get your Google Play or Motorola-sold IMEI added properly, it will no longer show a Non-VZW device status, and no longer cost you $30 to $40 extra on certain plans. But if you have one of those impacted plans, you should log on to My Verizon and check it.