CM13 for Moto E 1st Gen gets you Marshmallow update unofficially

The original Moto E surely impressed whole lot of people with its pricing and instant updates. Sadly, though, as Motorola Marshmallow update plans indicated, forget the Moto E1, even the Moto E2 (the latest one) is not getting 6.0 update officially.

So, you have to rely on custom ROMs to get Marshmallow update, and today, we have exactly that for Motorola Moto E 1st Gen (or Moto E1).

Read: Moto E2 (3G) Marshmallow update

The Marshmallow update comes to Moto E1 courtesy of CM13 custom ROM, that is based on AOSP 6.0 code. It’s not an official update from Motorola, but it gets you 6.0, and that’s what matters.

There could be some bugs with the ROM as this is an initial release, but over the time, ROM would get smoother as bugs will be fixed.

Read: Moto G2 Marshmallow update

Now, if you wanna taste Marshmallow update on Moto E 2014, check out all of the page below.

Bugs!

Working:

WiFi
Display
SD card

Not working as of now (October 23):

Calls
Messages
Camera
Everything else

→ Check out this source page (by ashwin007) for latest on what’s working, and what’s not.

Downloads

Marshmallow custom ROM — Link | File: cm-13-20151023-UNOFFICIAL-condor.zip (256.3 MB)
Google Apps (Marshmallow Gapps) — Link

Supported devices

Motorola Moto E 1st Gen, or Moto E1, codename condor
Don’t try this on any other device than the one having codename specified above.

Use the Droid Info app, to determine the codename of your Moto E1. If it is exactly the one specified above, then it should be compatible with the 6.0 custom ROM we have here.

Warning!

Warranty may be void of your device if you follow the procedures given on this page. You only are responsible for your device. We won’t be liable if any damage occurs to your device and/or its components.

Backup!

Backup important files stored on your device before proceeding with the steps below, so that in case something goes wrong you’ll have backup of all your important files.

How to Install

Required: You will need to have TWRP recovery installed on your device to be able to install Marshmallow custom ROM and Google Apps (Gapps). Check out our page on Moto E1 TWRP recovery for this.

Step 1. Download the Marshmallow ROM and gapps file from above.

Step 2. Connect your device to PC and transfer the ROM and gapps file to it. Disconnect the device then. Remember the location of the files.

Step 3. Boot your Moto E1 into recovery mode. If you are rooted, you can use Quick Boot app from play store. To manually boot into recovery mode, do this:

Power off your device and wait for 5-10 seconds until the device is fully switched off.
Press and hold Volume down + Power button together and release them after 3-4 seconds. You’ll enter bootloader mode.
Now, use volume up/down repeatedly until Recovery option shows up, and then use Power button to select it and enter recovery mode.

You will enter recovery mode soon, and should see TWRP recovery. If you see an Android with an exclamation mark, then you need to install TWRP recovery for this (linked above).

Step 4. [Optional] Once in TWRP, create a backup of your device. Tap on Backup, and then select all the partitions for back. Now do the swipe action at bottom to start creating a backup for emergency cases. This backup is really a lifesaver!

Step 5. Do a Factory Reset. On TWRP’s main screen, tap on Wipe, then advanced wipe, and now make sure you have selected these partitions: dalvik cache, data, system and cache. Then do the Swipe action at bottom to confirm it.

Step 6. Now, install the ROM file. On TWRP’s homescreen, tap on Install, and then locate the ROM file and tap on it. Then do the Swipe action at bottom to begin flashing the update.

When it’s done, tap on Reboot system button to restart the device. Let device alone and adjust to Marshmallow update for like 15 mins. Then, reboot into TWRP again to install Gapps.

Step 7. Tap on Home button to go back. Now, install the Gapps the same way you installed Marshmallow ROM on your Moto E1.

See here to fix force closes or errors with Google Play services.

Step 8. When it’s done, tap on Reboot system button to restart the device.

That’s it.

BTW, if you face force closes on apps, or Google Play services error, then install the ROM as said above again, but do not flash Gapps for now.