Motorola effectively bricked its entire line of WiFi routers without explanation | Mashable
Motorola's MotoSync+ app, which is required to setup its routers, hasn't worked in weeks. What's going on?
Credit: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Motorola has effectively bricked its WiFi routers without warning, and the issue has been ongoing for nearly a month, according to a Mashable investigation and user complaints across the App Store, Amazon, and Reddit.<br>Sometime around mid-May, Motorola's MotoSync+ app for iOS and Android went down. On iOS, the MotoSync+ app opens to the login screen, and a loading wheel just spins and spins. On Android, the app also loads to the login screen but displays a "Server License Expired" message.<br>Because the Motorola MotoSync+ app is required to set up all new compatible WiFi routers released by Motorola, many users have been completely blocked from using their routers.
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Some Motorola customers may also be completely unaware of the issue, as existing router setups may continue to work — for now. However, if that user ever needs to factory reset their router, which Motorola recommends when experiencing certain problems, they must use the app to do so, according to Motorola's support documentation. Likewise, users with new Motorola routers can only add devices, change settings, or perform troubleshooting within the MotoSync+ app.<br>Mashable reached out to Motorola repeatedly for this story, but the company hasn't provided any explanation for the problems.
A Mashable screenshot showing errors with the iOS MotoSync+ app.<br>Credit: Mashable screenshot
A Reddit user shared this screenshot from the Android app (personal info obscured).<br>Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Reddit
Motorola's networking products and the MotoSync+ app are produced and operated by Premier LogiTech, LLC, which licenses the Motorola brand for WiFi products.<br>What's happening to Motorola routers?<br>Mashable first noticed the issue in May shortly after we began testing one of Motorola's latest networking devices, the Motorola Q15 WiFi 7 mesh router, which came out late last year and costs between $129.99 and $349.99, depending on the configuration.<br>Luckily, we set up the base router before the MotoSync+ app stopped working, so the router continues to work for now. However, we cannot set up the rest of the mesh network while the app is unavailable.<br>In comments on sites like Reddit and Amazon, angry users have left dozens of comments about the situation and the lack of customer support from Motorola.<br>Motorola has yet to publicly address the issue, and its routers are still being sold on Amazon and at retailers such as Best Buy. Motorola's main website continues to promote its routers on the Motorola Network ecommerce shop as well.<br>However, Motorola recently removed all of its routers and modems from the Motorola Network online store, and product pages now return a 404 "Page not found" error or redirect to the home page. An archive of the site shows that Motorola was still selling routers up until at least May 18, roughly one week after the app stopped working.
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All of Motorola Network's products have suddenly been removed from sale.<br>Credit: Mashable screenshot
What are Motorola Network users saying?<br>A Reddit thread about the MotoSync+ app issue was originally posted on May 12 and has quickly been filled with negative comments from other unhappy customers.<br>"Tried without success to contact tech support again yesterday," said Reddit user u/Ok_Fortune_8672. "Unless you are contacting them about a cellphone, the lights are out and nobody's home."<br>Consumers have resorted to leaving negative comments across Motorola router product pages on sites like Amazon.<br>"Phone based setup didn't work, returned. Motorola support was non-existent," reads one Amazon review posted on May 5, suggesting the MotoSync+ issue may have started earlier than previously reported.<br>The App Store and Google Play Store pages for the MotoSync+ app have also been filled with negative reviews. According to the MotoSync+ app profile on the App Store, the MotoSync+ app last received an update two months ago.<br>"The previous MotoSync app worked wonderfully with my MG8702 router, but ever since I was forced to switch to the MotoSync+ app, it’s been a pain," said one user, referencing how Motorola shut down its original legacy MotoSync app in April, pushing users to the new MotoSync+ app.<br>However, it seems that the original MotoSync app faced similar downtime...