Motorola Moto G30 common issues and how to fix them

The Motorola Moto G30 is a bit strangely placed between some other devices in the “new G” series but still has more than a few selling points. Like they all do. A solid mid-range device with a high-refresh display (clocked at 90 Hz), capable cameras, and a large battery with quite an aggressive pricing in its segment. However, although Motorola devices come with a close-to-stock Android skin, they have their software aches — many of them brought after an update to Android 11. We made sure to list the Moto G30’s common issues and add a few solutions or tips to help you address them.

Note: All the issues mentioned in this article are individually reported cases, which doesn’t mean any of the problems will occur on other devices. If you’re looking to buy this phone, DO NOT take these issues into account.

Table of contents:

1. Huge battery drain while idle
2. The Moto G30 stuck in a boot loop cycle
3. Mobile Data not working on the Moto G30
4. Can’t back up using Google Backup
5. Quick Settings won’t expand
6. Lock Screen won’t turn off after notifications
7. USB file transfer not working
8. Wi-Fi connection dropping on the Moto G30
9. Lags and stutters
10. Bluetooth issues
11. Camera issues on the Moto G30
12. Common troubleshooting steps for Moto devices

1. Huge battery drain while idle

This is the most prominent problem on the Moto G30, based on reports. Battery drains overnight or when the screen is off are noticeable and it’s an obvious system optimization bug. Having a large 5000 mAh battery doesn’t mean much if your device loses juice while on standby.

Here are a few tips that should help you prolong your battery life or, at least, reduce the idle drain:

• Disable background apps. You can use a third-party app to do so. The one that comes to mind is Greenify.
• Bad network coverage leads to constant signal-hunting which leads to battery depletion.
• Disable Auto-brightness and set preferred brightness manually.
• Disable Location Services and Bluetooth when you are not actively using them.
• Reset your device to factory settings.

2. The Moto G30 stuck in a boot loop cycle

This happened only in an instance or two but we still decided to put it on the list. There’s hardly anything worse than a boot loop cycle. Especially for users who are not accustomed to dealing with problems like this. Sadly, unless you are tech-savvy, it’s hard to get out of this without formatting your data and restoring your device to factory values.

If you don’t have any recent backups, you are out of luck. What you can try is to follow the steps provided in the dedicated XDA thread (kudos to an XDA contributor called sd_shadow) and flash the latest firmware to, in a way, repair the fatal system error that’s causing boot loops. Other than that, we can only suggest using Recovery mode to Format your device and start from scratch.

3. Mobile Data not working on the Moto G30

Some users report that Mobile Data turns off on its own and, when it maintains the connection, the 4G/LTE speeds are subpar. For the time being, make sure to keep your device up to date as this is a system bug.

You can also try resetting the network settings, removing and placing back your SIM card, and ensuring that Airplane mode and data limit restrictions are not enabled.

4. Can’t back up using Google Backup

Some users report that they are unable to back up their system settings and data via Google Backup. It seems that when they navigate to Settings > System > Backup, the Backup Now option is grayed out and not available.

There are a couple of solutions we can suggest. Firstly, try removing and adding again your Google Account. If that doesn’t help, you can try removing screen lock methods (PIN, password, or pattern) and trying again. If this works, you can add a screen lock method of your choice again.

Finally, if nothing works, consider resetting your device to factory settings.

5. Quick Settings won’t expand

A major inconvenience for a few users that experienced it. Of course, firstly you need to understand the changes brought with Android 11. Android 11, by default, shows fewer tiles in the Quick Settings menu. If you are aware of that but the problem is in expanding Quick Settings, the only idea that comes to mind is to reboot your device and keep it up to date.

If that doesn’t help, we are looking at a major SystemUI bug, and resetting your device to factory settings kind of seems mandatory at this point.

6. Lock Screen won’t turn off after notifications

As we all know, when your screen is off and your device is locked, incoming notifications will light up the screen. If you just leave it, it will turn off again on its own. However, some users report that the screen isn’t turning off and it stays on the lock screen.

Again, the two main things to try are a simple reboot and updating your firmware. If that doesn’t help, you can try wiping the cache partition from recovery. Ultimately, a factory reset is the last option on the table.

7. USB file transfer not working

The next problem we encountered online regarding the Moto G30 is the USB file transfer. The good old wired connection with your PC can be quite useful when backing up your data to save some space or prepare for the reset.

But, it seems that USB file transfer won’t work. Now, although a simple plug-and-play should work here, you can check for PC drivers. Installing them should help and your PC should recognize your smartphone when connected over a USB cable. In addition, make sure that you select File Transfer and not Charging.

8. Wi-Fi connection dropping on the Moto G30

Another big issue we run into concerns Wi-Fi connectivity. Affected users reported the problem on the official forum, claiming that Wi-Fi frequently drops and it disconnects. Whatever the cause of this, you can try to fix it or mitigate it with the steps we listed below:

• Forget the network and connect again.
• Reboot your phone and router.
• Boot into safe mode and look for improvements.
• Disable Bluetooth and Mobile Data.
• Reset Network Settings.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

9. Lags and stutters

This one is, to be honest, a bit expected. The Moto G30 suffers when it comes to processing power as the Snapdragon 662 is only intended for intensive usage. It can do most of things fine but it’s still an entry-level chipset. So, if you have issues with games, there’s only so much you can do.

On the other hand, if basic tasks became a struggle, try to speed them up and make your handset more responsive by following these steps:

• Disable the Battery saver and re-enable it.
• Reboot the device.
• Limit the number of apps working in the background. You can do so in the Developer options, under the Background process limit.
• Lower the Animations in Developer options.
• Boot into Safe Mode and, if the device performs better, uninstall recently installed apps.
• Reset your Moto G30 to factory settings.

10. Bluetooth issues

A few users reported problems with Bluetooth connectivity. It seems that some of them are unable to pair their Moto G30 with other devices while others report frequent disconnecting.

What you can do is try to restart all included devices, disable data and Wi-Fi on your Moto G30 for the time being, or just reset network settings and give it then a try. Of course, as an underlying theme of this article — keep your phone up to date. Bugs are common things and OEMs tend to push the device as fast as possible without testing everything out.

Now, if you are experiencing problems even after a factory reset, return the device and ask for a replacement or take your money back.

11. Camera issues on the Moto G30

Camera issues are mainly minor but still, users have a few things to complain about. Shutter speed is a bit lackluster, all around navigating through modes is a bit sluggish, and video recording can be painful with constant moving in and out of focus.

There’s nothing you can do with the majority of those other than wait for the Lenovo/Motorola software department to address this in a patch. For the time being, check for available GCam mods for this device and give them a go.

12. Common troubleshooting steps for Moto devices

Enter Developer Options

1. Open Settings.
2. Select System.
3. Open About phone.
4. Tap on Build number 7 times. You should get a message informing you that you are now a developer.
5. Get back to the main menu of Settings and, at the bottom, you should see Developer options.

Boot into Safe Mode

1. Press and hold the Power button to bring out the Power menu.
2. Tap and hold the Power off icon until you are prompted to enter Safe mode.
3. Tap OK.
4. To get out of Safe mode, just reboot your device again.

Reset Network settings

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose the Network & Internet.
3. Tap on the 3-dot menu and choose Network settings reset.
4. Choose to reset your Network settings.
5. Tap Reset.

Reset the device to factory settings

Note: We don’t recommend doing this if you’re not entirely sure what you’re doing. If that’s the case, check out our article about factory resetting an Android phone for more info before deciding to start from scratch.

1. First, navigate to Settings > System > Backup and back up all your settings and app data. Besides that, make sure to connect your device to a PC and back up all your media. You can also use Google Photos to back up all your photos from the device. You’ll need your Google Account password later.
2. Once you are certain that everything can be safely deleted, in Settings > System > Advanced, choose Reset options.
3. Select Erase all data (factory reset).
4. Confirm the selection. Your device will reboot and after some time, you’ll start from scratch.

That should be it. Thank you for reading this, we hope, a helpful piece on Moto G30 issues reported by users online. Tell us about your issues, and alternative solutions, or share your thoughts about this handset in the comments section below.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in July 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.