It seems Moto G 3rd Gen is very tricky to root. I spent 2 days trying countless things and having countless problems every step of the way. I drove myself insane with it, however at the end, it worked and my Moto G 3rd Gen is rooted now.
For everyone else experiencing problems with rooting this device here is some info on what to do:
1. Bootloader Unlock
This first step of the process is already pretty tricky.
To achive it you need to closely follow the steps on this page:
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bootloader/unlock-your-device-a
Keep in mind:
The instructions on this page are potentionally (perhaps intentionally) misleading as to trip up unexperienced users. Some things to keep in mind:
- on Win CMD you don't actually need to type the $ chars displayed in the instructons on this page. Its best to read some basics about handling cmd before doing this, like how to navigate in cmd.
- you need to install Android SDK and JAVA and than run the program ADB in CMD prompt using admin. This is the path: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Android\sdk\platform-tools\adb
- You need to install USB drivers. You can find Moto G 3rd Gen Drivers here: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88481
- You need to enable Developer Options on your device by tapping 9 times on "about this phone" in settings.
- You need to enable OEM unlocking in developer options.
- You need to enable USB debugging in developer options.
You need to be logged in in Motorolla Care in order to get a key, you will need to unlock bootloader, otherwise the form returns a 500.
2. Installing TWRP
This step is what ultimately tripped me up. The trick here is, that after installation of TWRP the system restores the old recovery program you want to replace and you always return to square one.
In order to make this one work we need to apply a little bit of trickery.
- Download TWRP img file and put it somewhere in your windows filesystem
- Connect your Moto G with USB and start adb in cmd as admin
- execute this command:
adb reboot bootloader
- When the phone reboots into bootloader mode, execute this:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
make sure to replace "recovery.img" with the path to your file and the right name of the file. After this one is done, the next step is crucial, otherwise all progress will be lost.
- Remove your USB cable from the phone
- Boot straight into recovery without any reboots. To do use the volume keys to select booting mode, select with power button.
- You should boot into TWRP interface, which is a touch interface with rectangles to click on. If you land on "no command" screen or "system recovery" DOS style screen, you probably need to repeat the installation of TWRP and try to avoid it being automatically replaced / restored to default by the system (this seems to be happening on reboot).
- In TWRP click Install. Choose SuperSu.zip from your phone file system and install it. Once this is all finished reboot your device, it should be rooted. Use root checker app to check your root status.
Useful tutorial:
http://theunlockr.com/2015/09/09/how-to-root-the-motorola-moto-g-3rd-gen/
Only problem with this tutorial is, it doesn't mention that TWRP will be deleted by the system if you reboot. So you need to adjust that part of the tutorial as described here.