Have a Moto E4 XT1768 running Nougat 7.1.1 I rooted - should I allow it to upgrade?

WXSky

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Jan 22, 2017
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I obtained an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and following these instructions. https://youtu.be/Pjd74W9IqHU However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason eligible apps can no longer be moved to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues. I also wonder if the security is less being rooted. So being a nube have nube questions related to this thread. Motorola keeps asking me to update the system software, I assume to Android 8 oreo. Is that a good idea or will it wipe out the root? Will it install properly? Can I factory reset it back to defaults by following the steps in reverse?
 

DB126

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Oct 15, 2013
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I obtained an unlocked Moto E4 XT1768 from an independent retailer and rooted it using magisk and following these instructions.
However, I'm not happy with it as for some reason eligible apps can no longer be moved to the SD card without formatting it as an internal and was not aware it would hang on startup with an N/A message. There are other irritating issues. I also wonder if the security is less being rooted. So being a nube have nube questions related to this thread. Motorola keeps asking me to update the system software, I assume to Android 8 oreo. Is that a good idea or will it wipe out the root? Will it install properly? Can I factory reset it back to defaults by following the steps in reverse?
Don't accept the update; it won't apply correctly on rooted device; likely end-up in a bootloop that can be challenging to fix w/o a backup image. Probably just a security update. No Oreo for the E4...at least not from Moto.
 

WXSky

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Jan 22, 2017
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What about restoring it to factory? Can I relock the bootloader to remove the N/A or speed up the boot?
 
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DB126

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What about restoring it to factory? Can I relock the bootloader to remove the N/A or speed up the boot?
You can restore stock via RDSLite (Moto's partition maintenance tool) with some effort. There are a few threads floating around the E4 forums with general guidance but no step-by-step guidance. Not that difficult; attention to detail is key.

Relocking the bootloader is harder with variable outcomes. Some claim success while others never get there. Doing so will not speed up boot times; you'll just see the Moto logo longer. Replacing the boot animation effectively hides the 'N/A'; fairly easy task. Look for appropriately titled threads In the E4 themes section.

In your shoes I would focus on understanding/fixing the problem vs trying to relock the device. XT1768 is the cream-of-the-crop when it comes to E4s. It's the model I own and the only one you want if given a choice. Ya just need to do some reading to come up to speed on tools & techniques.
 
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madbat99

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Mar 1, 2014
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What about restoring it to factory? Can I relock the bootloader to remove the N/A or speed up the boot?
It does that instead of the bootlogo. It's just the way it is for Moto. All motos. Flash a new bootlogo if you want, but it will not reduce boot time. Live with it.
 

WXSky

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Jan 22, 2017
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The annoying boot animation still appears. Eliminating that and speeding up the boot were two of my goals after rooting it. Now it is worse. It also hangs on the N/A a lot longer than it hung on the logo.
 
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DB126

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The annoying boot animation still appears. Eliminating that and speeding up the boot were two of my goals after rooting it. Now it is worse. It also hangs on the N/A a lot longer than it hung on the logo.
It actually doesn't. We have two E4s in the household; one unlocked, the other stock. Boot times are similar.

As mentioned, change your boot logo to obsecure the N/A. On my phone it is hardly noticable. You find a representative sample in the themes thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e4/themes
 
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WXSky

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Jan 22, 2017
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Just wanted to do a quick update to this in case it is valuable to anyone. I was not able to do a system update but it did not fall into a loop either. It just would not take. If I had done it before unlocking it would it have updated to Nougat 7.1.2?
However, I was able to do a factory reset on it and it reset successfully but it remained bootloader-unlocked and rooted.
 
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