Why is my Moto Z Bluetooth not working?

[AC Question]

Hi.

Bluetooth keeps disconnecting from my Bluetooth speakers (JBL FLip 3 & Yamaha Soundbar). My other phone (Galaxy Alpha) works fine with them. It's choppy/cutting out even when placed right next to the speaker, sometimes mildly, sometimes so much I have to abandon it.

Rebooting into safe mode or wiping cache partition does not solve it and 'forgetting device' then reconnecting also does not solve it. Also turned off Bluetooth scanning and finally factory reset. No luck. Sent it to Lenovo repairs who couldn't find any fault at all. Phone's on Android 7 from new as I only bought it a few weeks ago so it upgraded first time I used it.

I did a quick video to display the problem a few days ago on youtube titled Lenovo Motorola Moto Z XT1650-03 Bluetooth Problem

Jolly grateful for any ideas on what to do!

Many thanks.

Dan

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Wi-fi can sometimes interfere with Bluetooth, if you're using the 2.4 GHz frequency. Does it happen if you turn off wi-fi?

 

[Dan Morfee]

Welcome to Android Central! Wi-fi can sometimes interfere with Bluetooth, if you're using the 2.4 GHz frequency. Does it happen if you turn off wi-fi?

Hi there.

Yes it still happens with wi-fi turned off.

(I initially logged in as a guest hence my name didn't appear when I asked the question above)

 

[B. Diddy]

Any power-saving modes turned on?

 

[Dan Morfee]

Any power-saving modes turned on?

Yes Battery Saving was on (in Location mode) so I've changed it to Device Only and then to High Accuracy modes but still have the problem with those modes.

The other battery saver (Under the battery icon) is also off.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, that Battery Saving option for Location shouldn't matter -- it's the other options in the Settings>Battery menu that are the important ones.

I'm not sure what else to try, unfortunately. The fact that it persists in Safe Mode suggests a problem with either the firmware or hardware. If it's still under warranty, can you request from Lenovo that they give you a replacement, rather than try to repair it (since they already said they can't find anything to repair)?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums. Have you tried a cache clear in Settings>Storage? May not work, but worth a try.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Welcome to the forums. Have you tried a cache clear in Settings>Storage? May not work, but worth a try.

Thankyou, I gave it a go, still no luck.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Ok, that Battery Saving option for Location shouldn't matter -- it's the other options in the Settings>Battery menu that are the important ones.

I'm not sure what else to try, unfortunately. The fact that it persists in Safe Mode suggests a problem with either the firmware or hardware. If it's still under warranty, can you request from Lenovo that they give you a replacement, rather than try to repair it (since they already said they can't find anything to repair)?

I guess I'm out of options then. Many thanks for your efforts, I'll see if I can get it replaced, it's only a few weeks old.

 

[Scott337]

Have you tried turning off Bluetooth and WiFi scanning. Settings > Location > 3 dot menu > Scanning > turn WiFi and Bluetooth scanning to Off.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Have you tried turning off Bluetooth and WiFi scanning. Settings > Location > 3 dot menu > Scanning > turn WiFi and Bluetooth scanning to Off.

Yes. They are now taking it back to the repair centre for a second time. This time I will not have to pay postage. I'm hoping for a replacement phone at this point.

 

[Scott337]

Yes. They are now taking it back to the repair centre for a second time. This time I will not have to pay postage. I'm hoping for a replacement phone at this point.

Hope the replacement works better and correctly. I would still recommend turning WiFi and Bluetooth scanning to Off on the replacement phone. Having those On seems to cause connection issues for some phones. I have those turned off on all 4 phones in my home and never have any Bluetooth or WiFi issues.

 

[B. Diddy]

In addition to what @Scott337 mentioned, the Wi-fi/Bluetooth Scanning options can also lead to increased battery use. I've never found them particularly helpful with improving accuracy if my GPS is also on.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Hope the replacement works better and correctly. I would still recommend turning WiFi and Bluetooth scanning to Off on the replacement phone. Having those On seems to cause connection issues for some phones. I have those turned off on all 4 phones in my home and never have any Bluetooth or WiFi issues.

Thanks Scott.

Are they all Moto Z phones?

 

[Scott337]

Thanks Scott.

Are they all Moto Z phones?

Two are Moto Z and the other 2 are Moto Droid Turbo 2. But I have turned those scanning options off on all phones for a few years now and never had Bluetooth connection issues with multiple BT devices.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Two are Moto Z and the other 2 are Moto Droid Turbo 2. But I have turned those scanning options off on all phones for a few years now and never had Bluetooth connection issues with multiple BT devices.

This at least gives me confidence it's not a design fault then and hopefully I just got unlucky with a faulty phone. I'll post again soon surely with positive news.

 

[Dan Morfee]

Finally.

I just got my phone back, they ended up replacing the main board which has solved the problem. So pretty much most of the phone has been replaced as it now has a new IMEI number.

Thanks for all your help!