Moto G How-to Guide

Why you should clear the cache partition after updating to Android Lollipop?

Finally, most Moto G (including Moto G 2nd Gen) and Moto X (including Moto X 2nd Gen) owners received the Android Lollipop update.

After getting the Android Lollipop update, you may be excited with the many new features (see this post for top 5 new Lollipop features in Moto G and Moto X) and improved performance.

But for some Moto G and Moto X owners, the phone may behave weirdly. A few owners  may feel the phone is less responsive although Android Lollipop update should bring a faster Moto G or Moto X.

Some owners may face battery drain problems. Again, Android Lollipop should give you slightly longer battery life on Moto G (including Moto X 2nd Gen) and Moto X (including Moto X 2nd Gen).

So, what’s wrong with the Android Lollipop on these phones?

Someone may suggest you to do a factory data reset. But it is usually not necessary.

Very often, the weird behavior or poorer performance is caused by some leftovers in your cache partition.

Clearing cache partition can surprisingly solve most of such problems, without losing any personal settings.

Actually, you should clear the cache partition after any major Android update.

Will clearing cache partition remove my files or accounts or apps or settings?

Clearing cache partition does NOT affect any of your settings. It does NOT delete your files or accounts or apps.

In short, clearing cache partition is totally different from factory data reset, which will erase all your data, apps and settings.

Normally, factory reset is the last resort to solve software related issues. Before trying factory reset, experienced Android support engineer will try to clear the cache partition first. Most of the problems can then be solved without resetting the phone.

Step-by-step guide on how  to clear cache partition on Moto G and Moto X after Android Lollipop update

After the Android Lollipop update, the procedures of clearing cache partition on Moto G and Moto X are slightly changed. If you follow old guides, you may find you cannot get the wipe cache partition option in recovery mode. I will highlight this next.

Step 1:  Power off Moto G or Moto X

Press and hold power button for about 2-3 seconds.

You should get the Power off option on the screen as shown below.

Tap Power … Read the rest

Update: For Moto G 2015 (Moto G 3rd Gen) or Moto X 3rd Gen (Moto X Pure edition, Moto X Style and Moto X Play), because Android Lollipop 5.1 is pre-installed, you should be able to find the icon in quick settings panel. If not, you can also follow this guide to enable the auto-rotate screen option.

After updating your Moto G (including Moto G 2nd Gen) and Moto X (including Moto X 2nd Gen) to  Android Lollipop (Android 5.0, you may refer to this post on top 5 new features in Android Lollipop update for Moto G, Moto X and Moto E), you may find you cannot enable auto-rotate screen because you cannot find the settings in the Settings–Display as in Android KitKat.

If you go to quick settings in Lollipop in Moto G or Moto X, by default, there is also no icon for auto-rotate screen.

Is auto-rotate screen removed in Android Lollipop update for Moto G and Moto X?

The answer is no. Auto-rotate screen is an essential feature in today’s smartphones.  Motorola is not so crazy to remove such a feature.

In the Android Lollipop update for Moto G and Moto X, auto-rotate screen setting is just placed under Settings—Accessibility as shown below, not  the old location (Settings–Display).

Once you enabled the auto-rotate screen, you will be able to find the corresponding icon in the quick settings panel as shown below.

You only enable auto-rotate screen once from Settings–Accessibility.

From now on, you can just use the quick settings panel to quickly toggle on auto rotate screen or lock it to Portrait mode as shown below.

If you are not familiar with the quick settings panel in Android Lollipop, please check this guide.

Please note, you can only lock the screen in portrait mode. There is no way to lock the screen in landscape mode for Moto G and Moto X because most pages of the Google Now launcher only work in portrait orientation.

If you need to work in landscape orientation in your Moto G or Moto X, your only option is to enable auto-rotate screen.

Another exception of screen orientation is the Camera app.  Camera app does NOT respect the auto-rotate screen settings.

In other words, even if you turn off auto-rotate screen  (i.e., lock the screen in portrait orientation), the camera app may still … Read the rest

Update: If Motorola Assist does not read messages in home or driving mode (i.e.. it does not respond to your voice) after it asks you say Listen, please follow this guide to fix it.

What is Motorola Assist on Moto G?

Motorola Assist on Moto G is one of the most useful apps you can find.  It was provided by Motorola and, of course, it works on Motorola devices.

Motorola Assist on Moto G simply suggests actions to automate tasks, based on how you use your device. The app  works like your personal assistant, and works quietly.

Driving Assist is not available in the Motorola Assist on Moto G

The  Motorola Assist in Moto X and Droid (Droid MAXX, Droid Mini, and Droid Ultra) has three assists: driving, sleeping and meeting.

The Driving Assist lets you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel. Meeting and Sleeping will eliminate interruptions unless it’s an emergency.

But in Moto G, the Motorola Assist only comes with 2 assists: Sleeping and Meeting. The Driving assist is NOT available on  Motorola Assist on Moto G.

The explanation from Motorola is due to hardware limitation in  Moto G. So, do not waste time to find driving assist in your Moto G. Even if you manage to get the APK file, Driving Assist would not work.

Sleeping Assist on Moto G

Once you let your Moto G knows your normal sleeping time, Motorola Assist on Moto G will automatically silence your phone. of course, if you want, certain callers can still get through if needed.

You need setup your normal sleeping time first in the Motorola Assist on Moto G. Then , you can enable “Silence”  to turn on the sleeping assist..

If you want,  by tapping the “>” button (in the right column of  Silence, see attached image), you can create exceptions for favorite contacts, or someone who calling you twice within 5 mins.

If you change the phone volume when it is in sleep mode,  the sleeping assist will stop working and un-silence the phone .

If you manually silence your phone when Moto G is in sleep mode, you must un-silence the phone the next day. In other words, Motorola Assist on Moto G will not un-silence your phone if the silencing is set by you manually.

Sleeping Assist only silences the notification and ringer. All other apps and … Read the rest