[Moto G6 Plus Guides, News, & Discussion] Xplorer4x4:
THIS GUIDE IS FOR THE MOTO G6 PLUS ONLY

4: Custom Roms

What are custom roms? Simply put they are modified versions of Android containing advanced tweaks, stability, and performance. Custom Roms are device specific for the most part. In other words, a Rom for the Moto G6 Plus will not work on a Moto G6 or G6 Play. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but they do not apply to the Moto G6 family so I won’t get into detail about it here. As of Android 8.0(Codename Oreo), Google has redesigned the framework of Android with a system called Project Treble. I will get in to that more later on in the Generic System Image(GSI) section of this guide, but to quickly summarize, it means Custom Roms that do not have to be built to be device specific. For a more detailed analysis of custom roms you can read the information in the spoiler tags below.

Spoiler content hidden.

For a list of features added to LineageOS (read this). Other roms may or may not include these features and more!

So how do you install a custom rom? Currently Moto G6 Plus users have access to LineageOS 15.1 (Based on Android 8.1). LineageOS 16(Android 9 Pie based) is in the development stage. There is no time line on a release just yet so not ask for an ETA! Let’s get started!

Downloads:

++Download these files to your PC.

*ADB and Fastboot Installer for Windows - (Download) - When prompted to install a driver type the number 0 and hit enter. This will install the latest version of adb and fastboot where it is system-wide. This eliminates the need for adb.exe or fastboot.exe to be in the same folder as the files you will be working with. NOTE: Windows will flag this as a virus! The installer is open source and made by a Moderator here on XDA. It is a False Positive. You can view a VirusTotal report (HERE). 26 out of 67 virus scanners report it as a virus. If your Anti-Virus is one of the ones that flag it as a virus, I would suggest you explore other Anti-Virus software, but that’s not what this guide is about.

* TWRP - (Download) - This is a modified Recovery Software allowing you to flash files that will allow you to fipe your device and install custom roms and other various things. Thanks to XDA Member [MENTION=6298645]erfanoabdi[/MENTION] who has ported it to our device.

++Download these files to your phone’s sdcard(Do not place them on the internal storage)

*Magisk - (Download) - Download the Stable version here. While not required, I do suggest you download the Latest Uninstaller and Latest Magisk Manager as well.

*copy-partitions-AB.zip - (Download) – Our phone is what’s known as an A/B device. This translates into slot_a and slot_b. The means we have a system_a partition and a system_b partition for example. By default some of these _b partitions are empty. This will populate these empty partitions with a copy of the data on the respective _a partition to help prevent you from bricking your device!

*LineageOS 15.1 [Unofficial] – You have 2 options:

lineage-15.1-20180811-UNOFFICIAL-evert.zip – This version was built on August 08 2018 by [MENTION=6298645]erfanoabdi[/MENTION] and [MENTION=5253673]rahulsnair[/MENTION] who are the real developers for the Moto G6 Plus.

lineage-15.1-20181003-UNOFFICIAL-evert.zip – This version was built on October 03 2018 by me Xplorer4x4. This version uses the same device specific binaries and source code [MENTION=6298645]erfanoabdi[/MENTION] and [MENTION=5253673]rahulsnair[/MENTION] used, but uses updated LineageOS source code. This is a bug fix release and does not include additional features.

Gapps – These are Google Apps like YouTube, PlayStore, Gmail, and more. -Again you have two options:

-OpenGapps – (Download) – Personally I prefer OpenGapps as you can customize which apps you want to install. The only downfall is that when you flash an update to LOS, you will have to flash Gapps again. In the Platform Column choose ARM64, in the Android Column choose 8.1, and then you can choose any Variant. I personally use the Nano Package and manually install the Gapps I want form the Play Store.

-MindTheGapps – (Download) – What you get is what you get. You don’t get to choose which gapps are installed, but if you flash an LOS update in the future, you won’t have to flash them again.

Please keep reading for detailed instructions on how to install LineageOS 15.1.

WARNING: This will wipe out all apps and data stored on your phone! It will not wipe your SD Card. Any apps purchased/installed from the Play Store can be restored using WiFi or LTE when you are done installing a ROM.

Known Bugs: Everything works except making calls with Bluetooth devices.

Instructions:

*On the device:

4A: Open the settings app and navigate it in this order: System -> About.

4B: On the About screen scroll down to Build Number and tap on it 5 times. You will see a notification at the bottom of the screen that says “Developer Options Enabled.”

4C: Tap the back button, and open Developer Options.

4D: Find “Android Debugging” and enable it.

*On your PC:

+Windows:

4E: Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the location of twrp-3.2.3-42-evert.img. Hold the Shift Key on your Keyboard. While holding Shift, Right Click in the window(not on the file). Depending on your windows version you should see either "Open PowerShell Window here" or "Open Command Window here." Select which ever one applies. You will see a black and white screen or a blue and white screen. The steps are the same no matter which screen you see.

copy-partitions-AB.zip

+Linux:

4E: Using your favorite terminal interface, navigate to the location of twrp-3.2.3-42-evert.img.

+Linux + MAC + Windows:

4F: Simply type(or copy and paste) the following command:

fastboot boot twrp-3.2.3-42-evert.img

*On your device(it should be booted in to TWRP at this point):

Create a TWRP Backup: Tap Backup -> Select Storage -> Micro SD Card - > OK. You will see a section that says "Select Partitions to Backup." Make sure to select all of these boxes. At the bottom of the screen Swipe the Blue Button where it says “Swipe to Backup.” When this is done, tap the Home button.

4G: Now tap on "Select Storage," select Micro SD Card, and tap OK.

4H: Navigate to the location of the copy-partitions-AB.zip and tap on the zip.

4I: Swipe the blue arrows button next to “Swipe to confirm Flash.”

4J: Tap the home button.

4K: Tap Wipe → Format Data(Do not tap Advanced Wipe, or Swipe for Factory Reset).

4L: Type yes

4M: Tap the blue check-mark in the bottom right corner.

4N: Tap Home button.

4O: Tap Install->Select Storage→Micro SD Card→OK

4P: Tap lineage-15.1-20180811-UNOFFICIAL-evert.zip or lineage-15.1-20181003-UNOFFICIAL-evert.zip

4Q: Swipe to install.

4R: When flashing is done, tape the home button.

4S: Tap Wipe→Format Data→Type yes→Tap Blue Check Mark at bottom right corner.

4T: Tape Home button when done.

4U: Tap Reboot → System

Congratulations, you have installed Lineage OS but we are not done yet! Let the device boot until you see the LineageOS Welcome screen. Note that the first time booting up a custom rom will take longer then a typical reboot. It should take no more than 5 minuets to complete!

Once on the LineageOS Welcome Screen, you can complete the setup or reboot back to your bootloader. Once the device powers off, hold the Power Button and Volume Down button until the bootloader displays on the phone screen.

4V: Boot TWRP again:

fastboot boot twrp-3.2.3-42-evert.img

4X: Tap install and navigate to the directory where you placed your gapps.zip and Magisk.zip.

4Y: Tap the Gapps.zip and choose add More zips.

4Z: Tap the Magisk.zip and Swipe to install.

We need to Wipe->Format Data one last time or else your Gapps will give you multiple errors when you boot LOS again. Once you have Formated Data, you can now reboot to system and enjoy LOS!