Post-update issues are inevitable. Nonetheless, everyone is advised to install new updates on their respective devices for system enhancements, optimization, and stability purposes. Updates are generally rolled out to serve good purpose but there are just times when an update installation brings nothing but trouble. Proofs of this are various post-update issues raised by end-users online including some Moto X4 users who ended up having a sluggishly performing smartphone after implementing new update. And if ever you’re one of these people who need help in dealing with a similar post-update issue on the same device, I’ve listed a rundown of possible solutions and workarounds for you to try on. So just read on and get some help whenever needed.
For smartphone owners who found our site while trying to find a solution, try to see if your phone is one of the devices we support. If it is, then visit the troubleshooting page for that device, browse through it to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. However, if you still need our help after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
First solution: Soft reset.
A soft reset or device restart can help fix minor software issues including the ones occurring after a software update. The update might have caused certain apps, if not the phone system itself to become a bit shaky as new system changes are implemented. Performing a soft reset can help stabilize things like this. So here’s what you should do then:
- Press and hold the Power key for 10 to 20 seconds until it shuts down completely. After a few seconds, press and hold the Power key again until the phone restarts and go through the boot-up sequence.
Alternatively, you can press and hold the Volume Down key and Power key simultaneously for 30 to 40 seconds and then release both keys when the phone restarts.
Second solution: Force close background apps.
If you’ve left some apps running in the background when you update your phone, it’s possible that any of these background apps had crashed or got corrupted. As a result, your device could not perform properly. To rule this out, force close background apps on your Moto X4 with these steps:
- Tap the Recent Apps icon from the Home screen.
- Wait until the recently accessed apps show up on the screen.
- Swipe an app to the left or right to individually close or remove background apps.
Alternatively, you can force all running apps to close at once through Apps settings menu. Here’s how:
- Tap to open the Apps menu icon from the Home screen.
- Select Settings from the Apps section.
- Navigate to the Device section then select Apps.
- Tap on the Running tab to view all running apps.
- Go to Services.
- Select the option to Stop.
- If prompted with the Stop system service message, select OK.
When the process is finished, restart your phone to apply the new changes and likewise refresh the system.
Third solution: Boot into safe mode and manage apps.
To determine if a third-party app is the cause of your issue, try to enable safe mode on your Moto X4. Safe mode starts your phone without any third-party apps being activated so it will be easier for you to troubleshoot your apps. Here’s how to enable safe mode on your Moto X4:
- Press and hold the Power button from any unlocked screen.
- Tap and hold the Power off option on the screen.
- Wait for your phone to reboot in safe mode.
- You will know if it’s already running in safe mode if you see the Safe Mode label at the bottom left corner of the display.
- Use your phone while in safe mode and see how it does.
If your phone is performing better and faster while in safe mode, then mostly likely some of your third-party apps or services are adversely impacted by the new update. In this case, you will have two options to consider as possible solutions. First is to update your apps and second is to remove any buggy apps you suspected. Usually when new firmware updates or Android versions are officially rolled out, apps developers also released updates to keep their apps compatible and able to blend or work well with the new platform. Unless you’ve configured your phone to auto-install updates, you will need to manually do so.
To check for app updates on your Moto X4, follow these steps:
- Open the Apps menu.
- Tap to open Play Store.
- Tap the Menu icon.
- Go to My apps & Games.
- Any apps with available updates will be listed at the top.
- If you see an Update All option, then tap on that to install multiple apps updates at once. Otherwise, update each app individually.
- Once you’re done installing updates for your apps, restart your phone to apply the new changes.
If updating apps doesn’t help, then you may need to consider individual deletion of third-party apps that you suspect are causing conflict. You can delete or uninstall apps that started to work sluggishly, unstable or erratic after the new firmware update was installed.
To uninstall or remove apps from your Moto X4, follow these steps:
- Open the Apps menu.
- Tap to open Play Store.
- Tap the Menu icon.
- Go to My apps & Games.
- Tap to select the app you want to remove.
- Tap Uninstall.
- Confirm app deletion by tapping on OK.
If removing third-party apps is not an option for you, then you can try resetting apps instead.
Fifth solution: Master reset/factory data reset.
Again you may resort to performing a full system reset if nothing else works. This will wipe everything from your phone system including software bugs and update glitches, thus allowing it to have a clean fresh start. A quicker way to perform a master reset on your Moto X4 is through the settings menu. Here’s how it’s done:
- Back up all your important your data.
- Tap Settings from the Apps menu.
- Select System.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Factory Data Reset.
- Tap Reset Phone.
- If prompted, enter your screen lock credentials.
- Select the option to Erase Everything. The reset will now instigate.
If the first method is not possible like when your device is performing so sluggishly to the point of becoming frozen or unresponsive, then you can perform the alternative master reset procedure which is also known as external reset. It works the same as the above procedure but done using the hardware keys. Here’s how an external reset is done on your Moto X4:
- With your device turned off, press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously until the phone turns on.
- Press the Volume Down button to highlight/select Recovery mode from the given options.
- Press the Power button to confirm. Your phone then restarts into recovery mode. Whenever you see an image of an Android bot with a red exclamation mark, it denotes that your phone is now running in Android recovery mode.
- While holding the Power button, press the Volume Up button.
- Release both buttons when you see the Android recovery menu options.
- To navigate through different options, use the Volume Up/Down buttons.
- To confirm selection or highlighted options, press the Power button.
- To proceed and perform external reset, press the Volume Down button to highlight//select wipe data/factory reset from the given options.
- Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
- Press the Volume Down button to highlight/select Yes — erase all user data.
- Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
- Wait for your phone to wipe everything from your phone system. When the reset is complete, your phone restarts automatically.
After the restart, factory default settings are restored. This means you will need to set up everything to use your phone again as you normally do.
Repair options
If your Moto X4 remains sluggish after exhausting all possible means to deal with software update errors that might have caused your phone to perform very slowly, then you can consider opting for service at this point. It may be just a coincidence when hardware damage symptom occurs after installing the new update. You can take your device to a service center and have it diagnosed by an authorized technician for any possible indications of hardware damage. Otherwise, contact your carrier for other options and recommendations.
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