Common Moto X problems and how to fix them

Every smartphone gets a little long in the tooth after a while, but a little maintenance, the occasional software update and knowing how to fix Moto X problems on the fly will keep your phone in tip-top shape for a lot longer yet. Here are the solutions for the most common Moto X (2013) problems.

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1. My Moto X has Wi-Fi connectivity problems

Wobbly Wi-Fi connectivity is one of the hallmarks of an Android update, right up there with battery drain (don't worry, that fix is next in the list). The first thing to try if your Wi-Fi connections are dropping out is to reboot your phone.

If that doesn't help, try disconnecting your Wi-Fi (use flight mode or just turn off Wi-Fi). The next step is to forget the connection and re-add it. To do this, just tap the Wi-Fi connection and then tap Forget. This means the next time you try to connect to that network (by tapping its name in the list), you'll need to re-renter the password. 

You can also try restarting your wireless router. Changing your Wi-Fi frequency band in Settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced > Wi-Fi Frequency Band can also help. Switching between 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and Auto sometimes does the trick. 5 GHz bands typically have less traffic on them, but sometimes a band will get ''choked'' . Changing to a different band gets you going again.

2. My Moto X battery drains really fast

Battery drain is the single most common problem following a software update, so if you're suffering from it, you're not alone. The most common reason your battery suffers after an update is because of incompatibilities between apps on the old version and how they play with the new version.

To clear the app cache, go to Settings > Apps and tap an individual app to clear its cache. If you want to clear all app caches at once, go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data.

You can also clear the system cache by wiping the Moto X cache partition through Recovery Mode:

• Turn off your Moto X
• Pressing and hold Power and Volume Down until you see the Fastboot Menu.
• Press Volume Down to highlight Recovery and press Volume up to select it.
• You'll see the Motorola logo followed by the Android robot with his belly open.
• Press Volume Up for a second and then power as well and release both.
• You'll now be in the Recovery Menu.
• Use the volume buttons to scroll to Wipe Cache Partition at the bottom and press the Power button to select it.
• You'll see an ''erasing'' animation and then you can reboot your Moto X.

If the battery problems continue, your best bet is to do a full backup of your important data and then factory reset your Moto X before restoring your apps. Make sure you also got to Settings > Battery and flip the switch for Battery Saver Mode too.

Apps like Greenify can hibernate apps when you're not using them and help you identify which apps are always running. Go to Settings > Apps and swipe to the Running Tab to see which apps are running at any one time. If a game you haven't played in weeks is doing things, it might be a good idea to get rid of it or force stop it.

3. My Moto X has Motorola Assist problems

The first port of call for any app-related bug is to clear the app's cache. As mentioned above, go to Settings > App and find the app in the list. Tap it and then tap Clear Cache. If this doesn't work you can go back and Clear Data as well, but be warned this will delete any passwords, preferences etc that you may have saved.

In this case, you'll first want to clear cache for Motorola Assist, Motorola Assist Engine, Motorola Assist Framework and Motorola Assist Talk To Me. If that doesn't help, try clearing data for those apps as well.

A restart of your Moto X might help, but you'll also want to make sure you have the latest Moto X Android update in case you're missing a patch. Go to Settings > About Phone > System Updates to check.

4. My Moto X freezes or crashes

This is a little more serious. It could either be a problem with an app causing the crashes or the system itself. Again, make sure you have the latest software update for your phone and then start to narrow down the problem.

To identify whether it is the system or an app, you can try starting your Moto X in Safe Mode. This will help you see if any of the apps you've added afterward are the cause of the issue, because Safe Mode disables all third-party apps you've installed. If your Moto X still crashes or freezes in Safe Mode, you now it's the system and not an app.

To enter Safe Mode, hold the Power button to bring up the shutdown menu. Press and hold Power Off and you'll see the option to reboot into Safe Mode. Tap OK. Use your Moto X in Safe Mode for a while and keep an eye out for freezes or crashes. To exit Safe Mode, just restart your phone again.

If everything was fine in Safe Moe, you now need to find the particular app that's causing problems. You can do this through trial and error or by paying attention to what you're doing when the phone freezes or crashes (patterns usually appear). Uninstalling suspect apps and seeing if the crashes continue is a simple, if slow, way to find the culprit.

Alternatively, you can back up your data, factory reset and then slowly add apps one by one to see when – or if – the problems start again. To factory reset your Moto X, go to Settings > Backup and Reset > Factory Data Reset > Reset Phone.

5. My Moto X overheats

There are lots of reasons a phone might overheat, from poor processor management to runaway processes or wake locks. The easiest thing to do is turn your Moto X off for at least 30 seconds. Restart in recovery mode and clear the cache partition. This will clear up most app-related bugs that could be causing overheating.

If the problem persists, them you might want to look more closely at the apps you have installed. Does the phone always heat up after using a particular app? Have you checked how much RAM and battery life the phone is using?

What other problems are affecting your Moto X? Got any other solutions we missed?