People who bought the generally excellent 2014 Moto X because it promised prompt and frequent software updates got a nasty surprise after Android 6.0 came out. Motorola (now a division of Lenovo) announced that unlocked models would be getting the update but that carrier-locked models sold through the likes of AT&T and Verizon (the way the majority of US buyers purchase their phones) wouldn't be updated, leaving them on Android 5.1 forever.

Now customers who bought the Verizon version of the phone have some recourse. Late yesterday, as reported by Android Central, Motorola began telling users of the Verizon Moto X that it would provide bootloader unlocks for people who request them. Motorola already does this for carrier-unlocked phones, but it's much rarer for any OEM to offer an official solution for carrier locked models. Once the bootloader is unlocked, users with the knowhow can download and install third-party Android distributions like Cyanogenmod on their phones, opening the door to Marshmallow and other Android updates.

Unlocking the bootloader will void your Moto X's warranty if it's still active and Motorola won't provide support if you turn your phone into a brick, so proceed with caution. Motorola also says it can't do this for Moto Xes locked to other carriers, though that could change at some point in the future.

To be clear, this is a pretty lame consolation prize for the people who bought these phones. Many mainstream consumers aren't going to know how to flash a third-party ROMs or what an "unlocked bootloader" even is. Offering to do this is not a substitute for providing continued, official support. But it is likely to appease more technical customers, the people who are likely to complain the loudest and the longest about the lack of updates.