A few months ago, I had an opportunity to try a handful of Motorola smartphones. They look good and even stand out, though the brand seems to be pulling off lazy-Samsung-design stuff with some of its releases. But then, Samsung is doing worse, so there’s that bittersweet consolation.
An argument can be made here that Motorola is putting some great phones on the shelf with a premium feel and competitive innards at attractive prices. But it is undeniable that Motorola is not in the best state, at least from the perspective of users who have recently plonked cash to get a Moto smartphone.
What follows is an account of pitfalls sourced straight from Motorola loyalists, showcasing the brand’s ongoing struggles. But more importantly, these could be stepping stones to redemption as Motorola heads into the 2025 calendar year.
Bloatware: brazen or sneaky?
Last year, Digital Trends’ Mobile Section Editor Joe Maring highlighted his tryst with Motorola phones throughout the year and what the brand needs to fix as 2025 arrives.
One of the core niggles in the article was the amount of bloatware. Android’s bond with unnecessary and downright shady software isn’t a fresh story. Some brands, after widespread criticism, have even fixed the situation.
Unfortunately, Motorola appears to have taken the opposite route and in quite an ironic fashion. The first aspect that comes to mind when buying a Motorola phone is the near-stock, Pixel-like Android UX. Well, that only appears to be the surface story.
Underneath, there’s something peculiar going on. There are a whole bunch of reports floating around on Reddit, X, and product forums where users reported automatic installation of bloatware. MotoApps pops up as the repeat offender in user rants.
A recurring theme is software updates, which apparently download unnecessary ad-ridden apps without user consent or even declaring it first-hand. The whole installation pipeline is executed in the background.
A few solutions are making rounds of the user community, such as deactivating the MotoApps, disabling Moto Services, and buying phones unlocked instead of a carrier store. Neither is an ideal situation.
Why burden users in the first place?
Why would “optimization updates” need to install apps such as poorly designed puzzle games without consent? It’s like your calculator app sneakily granted it location privileges, even though it doesn’t need any such system access to operate in the first place.
Unfortunately, that’s not the end of it. The woes extend all the way to the lock screen experience, where a rather nasty ad-adjacent app called Taboola is pestering users for “interests” so that it can show them ads on the lock screen.
For an average person, it’s impossible to get rid of since that requires them to run an ADB command. It seems the phone reads it as a system app, meaning even if you disable the activity, it automatically re-enables its functionality.
“Further attempts to de-bloat the device resulted in further soft-bricking. I will try to install custom ROMs to detach completely from the Motorola software ecosystem,” wrote one miffed user in a thread brimming with similar stories.
Of course, Motorola phone users are not happy about it. Detailed ADB tutorials are also floating around to help users who aren’t fans of the intrusive lock screen adware activity. It’s no easy route; some have even walked the path at the cost of bricking their phone.
A long trail of connectivity woes
We buy phones to do, well, phone things, like making calls and texting. It would render all the cellular innovations (and the inflated bill) redundant if the phone cannot latch on to its intended network lanes.
Yet, that’s precisely the problem Motorola smartphone users have been reporting for a while now. We found identical complaints dating back at least four years. Curiously, the woes haven’t received any media attention, but a quick look at social media and user forums unearths a ton of 5G connectivity-related complaints.
Digital Trends talked to at least three Motorola smartphone users who have faced issues with 5G connectivity on their phones and confirmed that it remains unsolved despite receiving multiple major and minor software updates.
We tried to discuss the issue with customer support personnel at authorized Motorola service outlets in India’s national capital. However, they declined to comment on the technical shortcomings that might be at play here.
Further, it seems that the 5G connectivity woes are not limited to one particular region. Motorola smartphone users have reported cellular issues in multiple countries, including North America.
“I got my Edge 50 fusion about a week now and I’ve noticed it loses its carrier signal completely at random moments. If I wait about 10-30 seconds it comes back up on its own,” says one such complaint.
27% left I need to plug in my 5G @Moto that doesn't get 5G only 4G+
I don't recommend anyone buying a Motorola in UK anymore…this is a serious issue with the phones… Not a Network issue pic.twitter.com/Y48oYBo6JJ— Anthony's Stormy World ⚡️🌎 (@AnthonyStorms7) April 26, 2024
So far, we haven’t encountered any concrete solution, nor has Motorola officially acknowledged it, let alone provide a fix. Some users speculate that the problem raised its head after a particular software update, which did something odd with the network configuration setup. Still, others claim it to be a hardware flaw.
We are unsure if Motorola made any cost cuts and went with inferior quality antenna hardware or if it was just another case of bad network reception that has given similar infamy to the Google Pixel phones.
Motorola employees have been fairly active in the r/Motorola subreddit in posts discussing the connectivity woes and suggesting network resets as one of the solutions. Unfortunately, that suggestion doesn’t appear to be a magic potion.
Network keeps on connecting and disconnecting on my motorola edge 30 while on 5G. The issue never existed before on the device. Don't know what is the reason…. This drains the battery quicker too…anyone facing the same issue? @motorolaindia @Moto_Support @Moto @TechWiser pic.twitter.com/AvWPiKYIN4
— Sujay Kumar (@IamSujayKumar) January 1, 2024
Rebooting the phone, resetting the network profile, or switching back and forth between airplane mode hasn’t offered any respite to the affected users. A few have had luck with force-resetting NR network mode, but that, too, is dependent on network coverage and carrier-related technicalities.
One doesn’t need to do quantum computing to understand the gravity of this fundamental problem. Users have resorted to switching down their network preference to 3G mode to get a reliable network, but that also only offers temporary respite.
“Man I am frustrated by this 4G/5G signal bars with exclamation mark..is it compulsory that I need to shut down all my work and wait until this symbol goes out…it completely disconnects from internet and make sure I suffer,” wrote one such Motorola phone user.
However, it appears that carriers are aware of the connectivity hassles on Motorola phones. “I was told by Verizon that this phone is known for having a bad antenna,” claims one Motorola phone user in a thread describing similar issues on U.S. and Canadian networks.
Gee, Motorola, fix the Moto G!
The Moto G series was quite literally a champion of Android. When the first Moto G phone launched in 2013, it was a smash hit. Of course, a price tag within the $200 margin was a key factor, but the phone was a total package.
A beautifully understated design, a sharp HD display, a Qualcomm processor, and vanilla Android were recipes for success in 2013. When Motorola brought it to India, it quickly became a hot favorite, similar to the situation in other emerging markets.
“Motorola makes a strong comeback in India in its unique way.” “How Motorola became a smash hit in India.” “Motorola needs India to keep its momentum rolling.” These were just some of the headlines that appeared at esteemed business and tech journalism outlets at the time.
Ever since, Motorola has dramatically diversified its portfolio while killing the flagship X line in favor of the Edge series and reviving Razr as a foldable phone line. But in that spell, the Moto G series lost its charm, and in quite a dramatic fashion.
“Motorola is ruining cheap Android phones.” This Digital Trends headline about the sorry state of Motorola’s budget G-series phones says it all. The Moto G Power 5G 2024 landed an abysmal 5/10 review score, while the Moto G 5G 2024 could only muster 4/10 in its assessment.
Take, for example, the Motorola G85, which is arguably the most exquisitely designed phone you can get for just about $250. You need to hold it in your hands to realize how astoundingly gorgeous the hardware is, especially for that price bracket.
It offers a curved screen with Gorilla Glass 5, a fantastic rear texture design, a 120Hz screen, a high-end Sony sensor, and a large battery with fast charging skills. Motorola has even fixed its terrible software update policy in late 2024.
Look no further than home, Motorola
Motorola needs to stick with this formula and iterate on it. In doing so, the brand could also use some trimming and pruning in the lower-priced segment, where its phones simply aren’t competitive against fellow Chinese rivals.
Of course, Chinese brands are not going to cede any ground willingly. However, Motorola still commands respect in the market and some of its Moto G-series phones are capable enough to carve a solid niche for themselves.
But before that happens, Motorola also needs to grapple with the rising tide of display green line complaints, camera woes, performance inconsistencies, and, of course, cellular connectivity issues.
Motorola certainly has enough experience, engineering prowess, and Lenovo money to pull all that off. The intent is definitely there. All it needs to do is hear the feedback of users and accordingly chart its course for the year ahead.
