For the most part, there are no widespread device-breaking bugs for the Moto X, and most of its problems tend to be small and relatively easy to fix. If you’re having trouble with your Moto X, here are twenty-one common issues users are complaining about and what troubleshooting methods you can take toward addressing each one.
1. Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues
Wi-Fi connectivity issues are far and away the most widespread problems experienced by smartphone users. There are several different factors that might be at work here, and the problem may lie with either your Moto X or your wireless network.
Step 1: Toggle Airplane Mode
Turn on Airplane Mode on your Moto X for about 10 seconds, and then turn it back off. Toggling Airplane Mode on and off should give your phone an opportunity to reconnect to the wireless network and may resolve any simple issues.
Step 2: Forget the Network
If a particular wireless network is giving you a headache, try accessing the Wi-Fi menu and have your phone forget the network. When you log back on, you will need to re-enter any passwords again.
Step 3: Reset the Network
Still having trouble connecting? Your network may have some connection issues. It’s a common joke in the IT world that turning something off and back on again fixes most problems, but it’s common because it’s true! Try turning off your router and modem for 10 seconds, and then turn them back on again.
Step 4: Use Third Party Apps
Still no dice using these other methods? Try grabbing one of these apps – 5 Best WiFi App for Android to Connect Constantly
2. Moto Assist Isn’t Working Properly
From time to time, Moto Assist can get stuck in a particular mode. For instance, mine once spent a whole day thinking I was still driving when I was just quietly sitting around the house. If Moto Assist is on the fritz, try one of these two solutions.
Step 1: Clear the Cache
In your settings menu, select Apps. Find “Moto” and tap it. Then tap “Clear Cache.”
Step 2: Disable Moto
If Moto Assist is giving you such a headache that you’d rather just not have it at all, choose “Disable” from the app menu.
3. Battery Life Seems Shorter
All batteries gradually lose capacity over time, so if you’ve had your Moto X for a few years, then it’s natural to see some shortened battery life. However, if your battery life has taken a sudden plunge or substantially reduced for seemingly no reason, then something on your device is most likely misbehaving.
Step 1: Identify the Culprit
Use the Battery Manager under Settings to determine which apps and processes are using the most battery life. For the typical Android user, the Screen and Android System will usually use the most battery. If some other app is sucking away your battery, try disabling or updating it.
Step 2: Clear System Cache
If there aren’t any outliers in your battery manager, it can always help to purge your Moto X’s system cache. Under your Settings, go to Storage. Then scroll down to Cached Data and tap that. On the “Clear cached data?” alert, tap OK.
Step 3: Grab a Battery Saving App
If your Moto X is still giving you trouble, try grabbing one of the battery saving apps listed here – 10 Best Battery Saver Apps for Android: Give Your Phone a Boost
4. Overheating
Plenty of Moto X users have complained that their device is overheating. Sometimes this can happen when using process-heavy applications (like 3D games), but other times it can occur through routine use. This problem is particularly bad among users who selected leather backings for their phones. While sleek and stylish, leather insulates rather than conducts heat, and most devices vent heat by radiating it from their backs. Because they disperse the heat this way, that metal backings are the least at risk for overheating with bamboo and wooden backs falling somewhere in between. Overheating can do severe damage to your phone, and, unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for it. The best thing to do is take preventative steps. Keep your Moto X out of direct sunlight. If the back becomes physically hot to the touch, turn off your phone and leave it someplace cool and shady for ten minutes.
5. Bad Cell Signal
If you’re getting bad reception on your Moto X in an area where you usually get a good signal, the problem may lie with your phone, not the cell towers.
Step 1: Update your Moto X
In your settings, tap System Updates to see if there are any updates available for your phone.
Step 2: Restart your Moto X
It’s technology’s cure. Sometimes a new start is all a device needs to get reconnected to the network.
Step 3: Factory Reset, In Case of Emergency
If your Moto X is not connecting to any networks and you can’t visit a service location, then your best bet in a pinch is to perform a factory reset.
Warning: This will erase all data on your Moto X.
Go to Backup & Reset in your settings and tap “Factory data reset.”
6. GPS is Inaccurate
Try one of the following solutions if your GPS is giving you fits.
Step 1: Use High Accuracy Settings
In your settings, go to Location and switch your Mode to “High Accuracy.”
Step 2: Try an App
Sometimes, a third party app is just the thing to give your GPS the jumpstart it needs. Try one of our recommended GPS apps – 10 Most Reliable Android GPS Navigation Apps to Bet your Life with
7. “ok Google” Searches for Actions Instead of Executing Them
This one can be pretty frustrating if you’re a heavy voice commands user. You say, “Send Veronica a text that says ‘Want anything from Taco Bell?’”. Instead of sending a text, Google Now runs a web search for “Send Veronica a text that says want anything from Taco Bell”. Misinterpreting actions like these is a known issue, but, unfortunately, there aren’t any reliable, permanent fixes. If your phone starts Googling commands instead of performing them, your best bet is just to turn your phone off and on again.
8. Blurry Camera
The Moto X comes with an excellent camera for the price, and it’s capable of producing some stunning photographs and videos. Unfortunately, the preinstalled camera app on Moto X sometimes has a some difficulty focusing, and this leads to some blurry images.
Step 1: Try a New Camera App
The best thing about Android is that you’re never stuck with the defaults. Check out our favorite camera apps for Android and give one a spin – Top 5 HDR Camera Apps for Android for Vivid Pics
Step 2: Clean Your Camera
If your problem isn’t related to the default program’s focusing issues, you may just have some lint on your camera lens. Use a soft cloth and a dab of rubbing alcohol and you should be good to go.
9. Camera Not Working at All
Occasionally, the camera will fail to boot and kick you back to the home screen. Other times, a black image appears with the camera controls overlaid, but it’s impossible to take pictures. This sort of glitch happens when your Moto X is trying to do a lot of things at once and gets bogged down. Try turning your phone off and back on again, and the camera should work just fine. If you’re still having camera problems after this, then you might have a hardware issue that will need to be addressed by sending your phone in for maintenance or replacement.
10. Unable to Answer Phone Calls
Someone is calling you, but no matter how many times you “Swipe to Answer,” the phone just keeps ringing. What do you do? This problem seems to happen uncommonly, and hopefully it will be addressed in future updates. As it stands, usually just calling the person back is sufficient as this problem seems to resolve itself after the initial unanswerable call. If this is a consistent problem, try turning your phone off and back on again.
11. “Waterfall” Background Noise over Skype or Video Calls
Ordinarily, cell phone microphones are tuned to pick up a range of sounds specific to conversational human voice. That’s why music often sounds so scratchy and strange through a cell phone. The Moto X comes with an unusually sensitive microphone. On Skype or video calls, this can sometimes become a problem as the microphone will pick up air conditioning units, computer fans, and other minute background noises.
Step 1: Find a Quieter Place
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. If the person you are talking to is complaining of a “waterfall roar” in the background of your audio, try going someplace quieter to talk.
Step 2: Use a Headset
Using a Bluetooth headset can, in many cases eliminate background noise being picked up by the Moto X microphone. If people are regularly having trouble understanding you or complaining about background noise, you might want to look into a Bluetooth earpiece.
12. Bluetooth Problems
Several users have reported issues with the Moto X’s Bluetooth connection capabilities. These problems usually involve the phone continuing to play sound from its speakers in spite of being connected to a Bluetooth device, or the phone is not connecting to a known Bluetooth device when it should.
Step 1: Check Your Bluetooth Device’s Firmware
Make sure that your Bluetooth device has the most up to date software available for its model.
Step 2: Update Your Moto X
Check and see if your Moto X is up to date. You can see if a new update is waiting for your phone by choosing System Update in your settings.
Step 3: Try Something Different
Pair your phone with a different device to make sure your Bluetooth is functioning properly.
Step 4: Shutdown and Reboot
Turn both your Bluetooth device and your Moto X off and wait a few seconds. Then turn both devices back on.
Step 5: Make Sure Your Bluetooth Device Is Supported
Some new cell phones do not support older protocols. Ensure that any older Bluetooth devices are compatible with your newer Moto X.
Step 6: Un-pair and Re-pair
Access your Bluetooth settings and un-pair your phone from the Bluetooth device. Try pairing them again from the beginning.
13. Fuzzy-Sounding Microphone
The Moto X (Gen 2) has four microphones that are designed to cancel each other’s interference out. However, if a piece of lint gets caught in the microphone pinholes, then it can throw the noise cancellation out of wack, resulting in the voices sounding fuzzy. To fix this, gently use a can of compressed air to clear the microphones of lint.
14. Voice Dropping Out
Some Moto X users have complained that sometimes their voice will “drop out,” and the person on the other end of the line won’t be able to hear them anymore. Voices dropping out is a known issue and was fixed in an update. To resolve this, update your phone by going to Settings and then System Updates.
15. Water Damage
Step 1: Do Not Turn on the Device
If your phone got wet, it likely shut itself down. Do not turn it back on as this could do irreparable damage to the device. If the Moto X is still on, then quickly power it down.
Step 2: Submerge in Rice
Rice draws moisture. Disassemble your phone as much as you can by removing any casings and any screen covers. Leave your phone in a container full of rice and keep your fingers crossed. This method has saved many a smartphone from water damage.
Step 3: Get Professional Help
If the rice trick didn’t work, take your phone to a local repair expert. Most cases of mild water damage are repairable, so don’t panic until you hear back from them.
16. Dead Pixels
Any smartphone can develop dead pixels. Dead pixels are areas of your phone that remain illuminated when they should change. These bad spots on the screen are especially irksome with the Moto X since it uses its screen to display notification alerts instead of the conventional LED. Having a few pixels constantly lit up on your sleeping phone is annoying! Unfortunately, this is a hardware issue that you can do little to fix. If your phone has dead pixels, the best thing you can do is see if you can get it replaced by your provider.
17. High Ram Use and Performance Issues
Is your phone running sluggishly even though it doesn’t seem like you’re doing anything particularly heavy with it? Don’t worry. Slow speed like this usually fixable, and you’ll have your old speed back soon.
Check Battery Usage
There’s probably some sneaky program pulling a lot of memory in the background. Fortunately, heavy ram users also tend to use a lot of battery power. Check your phone’s battery settings to see if any particular program is using an unusual amount of battery power. Try disabling or uninstalling the culprit app.
Wipe Your System Cache
If the battery manager isn’t showing anything suspicious, try cleaning out your Moto X’s system cache. Under your Settings, go to Storage, then Cached Data. For the “Clear cached data?” alert, tap OK.
18. Apps Closing or Crashing
If a particular app is giving you trouble, put it out of its misery. In your Settings menu, go to Apps. Find the app that’s annoying you and tap “Force Stop” and “Disable.”
19. Flashlight Won’t Turn Off
On some devices, using the flashlight for an extended period results in it getting stuck on. Reports of this issue are very uncommon with the Moto X, but it has happened. To resolve this, simply turn the phone off and turn it back on.
20. Boot Loop Problems
Your Moto X begins to boot up, but before you can get to your home screen, it starts booting again. Getting stuck in a boot loop is a bad problem that may mean you need to reset your device to the factory settings.
Step 1: Seek Professional Help
If you’ve got data on your device that you don’t want to lose, seek out a local repair shop or service center before attempting to solve this problem on your own. It may be possible for them to retrieve your data before resetting the device.
Step 2: Perform a Recovery
Warning: This will erase all data on the device.
Hold down your device’s Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons for fifteen seconds. On the Android boot screen, use the Volume buttons to navigate to Recovery Mode and select it with the Power button. Then use the Volume buttons again to highlight Wipe Data/Factory Reset and press the Power button again.
21. Sluggish Behavior or Frequent Crashing
If your Moto X is just behaving insanely and no amount of tinkering seems to work, keep these basic steps in mind for general troubleshooting.
Step 1: Identify the Troublesome App
The vast majority of problems users experience with the Moto X come from installed applications. Figure out which app is giving your phone fits and then uninstall it.
Step 2: Update
Sometimes problems come from your phone falling behind on updates. This is uncommon, but it can happen. Use your settings to access System Updates and see if some new software is available for your device.
Step 3: Clear the Cache
Your phone might have a hard time running just because it’s bogged down with a bunch of useless data. Try clearing your Cache by going to Storage in your settings and then tapping “Cached data” and then “OK.”
Step 4: Factory Reset
Resetting your phone to factory settings is the nuclear option of troubleshooting because you lose all the data on your device. The upshot is that it’s almost like getting a brand new phone. To perform a factory reset, open your settings and tap “Backup & Reset.” Then tap “Factory data reset.” This covers the majority of problems faced by Moto X users. If you have a problem that isn’t listed here, please let us know about it in the comments, and we’ll see what we can do to help you out!
