Last Updated on July 4, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake

Unlocking the bootloader on the Verizon Motorola DROID Turbo is what you need before you can perform any custom operations on the smartphone.

Those of you wanting to get root access to the internal system, install a custom recovery or install a custom ROM must have the bootloader unlocked on the DROID Turbo before any of those things can happen.

Motorola DROID Turbo

Files You Need

  1. Download the necessary Sunshine application from this page.
  2. By unlocking the Verizon Motorola DROID Turbo bootloader, you are agreeing to void the Motorola warranty. You will need to re-lock the same bootloader if you are to get that warranty working again. The Motorola technicians will notice your bootloader is unlocked and not work on your device until that is done.
  3. Flash the build number SU4TL-44 firmware and system version 23.21.44.quark_verizon.verizon.en.US vzw on your DROID device if you are not running those already. The original poster states you must be running that same build number and system version before you can unlock the bootloader. Those details are the current up to date details if you go to your Verizon DROID Turbo and check for software updates.

Unlocking the Bootloader on the Verizon Motorola DROID Turbo

  1. You must have the Developer Options unlocked from your DROID settings by tapping in the Menu > Settings > About Device > Tap the build number about 7 times until it says you are using the DROID Turbo as a developer.
  2. You must have the USB Debugging Mode enabled on your DROID by tapping the Menu > Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging Mode.
  3. You will need the Unknown Sources enabled on your DROID by tapping the Menu > Settings > Security > Unknown Sources.
  4. Download the Sunshine file from the link above in the files section and place it on the desktop. Those of you using a Windows PC will find it ending up in the default downloads folder after you download the file. Open the downloads folder and click and drag the Sunshine file over to the desktop.
  5. Connect the Verizon Motorola DROID Turbo to the computer using the USB cable.
  6. Copy the Sunshine app over to the root of the internal storage SD card.
  7. Unplug the DROID from the computer once you know the Sunshine app is on the SD card.
  8. Launch any File Manager on your device and install the Sunshine app just like you would do with any other APK file. You can use any File Manager for the job.
  9. Open the Sunshine application from the app drawer and follow the set of on-screen commands to finish unlocking the bootloader.

The Motorola DROID Turbo should reboot once the Sunshine app is done and you should see the “Warning: The bootloader is unlocked” message.

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