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Help Droid Maxx WiFi Problems

Short of uninstalling all of my apps and reinstalling (for now), the cache clear did not fix the issue. Flipping to airplane mode for a minute and then back does seem to be working instead of using an app to kill processes. I will say that clearing the cache did drop the phone's ram use by almost half.
 
After you did the Wipe Cache Partition ... did you try running in Safe Mode (disabling all apps you added without uninstalling them)? If the problem stops in Safe Mode it is caused by an app that you added and you need to find it.

... Thom
 
Westphotog said:
Short of uninstalling all of my apps and reinstalling (for now), the cache clear did not fix the issue. Flipping to airplane mode for a minute and then back does seem to be working instead of using an app to kill processes. I will say that clearing the cache did drop the phone's ram use by almost half.
Click to expand...
OK so that confirmed that the cache was affecting performance somewhere - whether a contributor to the wifi problem or not, we'll never know. But the OS is clean so that is out of the way.

Another idea that hit me on both phones getting weird at once - is it environmental?

Check out "Wifi Analyzer"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer

See if you're on a crowded channel. If so, maybe the neighbors added something to the mix to go past the tipping point.

And fresh out of airplane mode or a reboot, the phone *might* be more aggressive about latching on to the router it knows.

Costs nothing, seconds to check - and if so, you can change the channel at the router and reboot in just minutes - so I'd check it if it were me.
 
In safe mode now. Connected to the work WiFi right away, but again, that may be part of that aggressive search. What's weird is how after a while the WiFi signal disappears. Normal at work I can see 6 or 7 locked signals and 1 or 2 open lines, but when my phone drops WiFi I can maybe see 1 locked signal. We'll see if running in safe mode fixes my connection issue. If it does I'll probably be uninstalling a lot of apps in the next day or so.
 
New wrinkle. Safe mode got the WiFi working. Jump back to normal momentarily (because my downloaded epub books don't work in safe mode and I was bored on lunch break) and WiFi stops shortly after boot. I run an experiment: turn off just Bluetooth (leave WiFi on) and then back on. When I turned Bluetooth ON the WiFi wakes up and reconnects... Ideas?
 
The purpose of running in Safe Mode was to determine if it was caused by an app that you added. If there are no problems in Safe Mode then it is. If it has been proven ... you need to find the errant app.

If you are running task killers or magical optimizers they are a good candidate for causing problems. Android does a very good job without them. An occasional Wipe Cache Partition. SD Maid Pro is a good one ... safe ... helpful.

... Thom
 
Yeah, I will have to take the time and start uninstalling apps to find the culprit. I'm trying to go a couple at a time to see if those fix the issue. Seems easier to get rid of one or two apps at a time than to dump everything and lose any game data in the process if those apps are okay. I don't run any optimizers, because I've not had any issues with the battery except for the random day here and there where I think the screen keeps turning on in my pocket and draining the juice.
 
I use Tasker a lot.

I have a profile to manage the Proximity Sensor. When it is covered the screen turns off unless I am in a phone call. When I put it in my pocket it turns the screen off and keeps it off.

... Thom
 
Bluetooth and WiFi share the 2.4 ghz frequency.

Do you have any bt devices, particularly persistent ones, like a fitbit or a watch or something similar that is always attached to the phone?
 
I have a moto 360. But I have had the watch since Christmas and my WiFi problems have only started in the last few weeks.
 
Have you had a chance to check for crowded channels at home?

Sorry if you replied and I missed it.

You noted that (in my words) the wifi signal just blanks out sometimes on your phone.
 
EarlyMon – Thank you for your suggestions – I’ve tried some and will try the rest.

I’ve had my Maxx for exactly one year – now one week out of warranty. It’s been the best phone I’ve ever owned, until about July 29. Now I’m having nearly the same WiFi and Bluetooth issues, as being reported here, plus the battery is not lasting as long.

My problems started on the same day as I upgraded to Windows 10 on my PC’s and Laptop – Coincidence??? They're all connected, via the Apps Play Store.

My phone stays connected to WiFi and BT buy only via the Safe Mode, indicating it could be an App conflict.

In regular mode, I can connect to WiFi and BT after a Power Off/On sequence, but it only stays connected for a short while, maybe as long as one hour.

As suggested, I did a Master Reset – thus removing all Apps. Nearly all the Apps I had purchased started reloading on their own. The phone still ran perfectly, for about one week – now The WiFi and BT have stopped working again.

Same issue now – WiFi and BT working fine – but only in Safe Mode.

Thanks for everyone’s input !
 
By any chance, do you have the app Gas Buddy installed on your phone? Does wifi work better if you uninstall it?

How about any Bluetooth devices? Something like a Fitbit or anything that is constantly connected? What happens if you uninstall that, if you have one?

(My Droid Maxx is two years and a week old. No wifi or bt problems at all.)
 
If my phone reconnects at work right away today, I'm going to try to reinstall Gas Buddy to see if it was a weird thing with an update or if it is something in the app itself. If downloading again causes the same issues, I'll definitely be leaving a review.
 
WiFi connected just fine at work. Reinstalled Gas Buddy and WiFi stayed on just fine. Got home and WiFi connected there with no issues. So I'm guessing there was something weird with an update that a clean reinstall may have fixed.
 
So far everything is working just fine. I launched gas buddy on the drive home, and WiFi connected right away anyway. Just launched it while on WiFi, and everything is still running just fine.
 
I was having identical problems. I followed the steps to clear the cache and thought the issue was fixed, but it wasn't. I uninstalled some unessessary apps first to see if it was one of them, and finally found my way back here and seen the most recent messages about GasBuddy. I uninstalled that and BAM! Wi-Fi connected immediately. Was still having some funky Bluetooth connection with sync in my truck so I cleared cache again and reinstalled GasBuddy. Wi-Fi is still functioning normal and I will check all my Bluetooth connections tomorrow. Seems like this issue can at least in some cases be tracked to GasBuddy app interference though. I left this info in a review for the app. Anyone else experiencing these problems I suggest start your search there. Thanks for the help!
 
MikeHi said:
EarlyMon – Thank you for your suggestions – I’ve tried some and will try the rest.

I’ve had my Maxx for exactly one year – now one week out of warranty. It’s been the best phone I’ve ever owned, until about July 29. Now I’m having nearly the same WiFi and Bluetooth issues, as being reported here, plus the battery is not lasting as long.

My problems started on the same day as I upgraded to Windows 10 on my PC’s and Laptop – Coincidence??? They're all connected, via the Apps Play Store.

My phone stays connected to WiFi and BT buy only via the Safe Mode, indicating it could be an App conflict.

In regular mode, I can connect to WiFi and BT after a Power Off/On sequence, but it only stays connected for a short while, maybe as long as one hour.

As suggested, I did a Master Reset – thus removing all Apps. Nearly all the Apps I had purchased started reloading on their own. The phone still ran perfectly, for about one week – now The WiFi and BT have stopped working again.

Same issue now – WiFi and BT working fine – but only in Safe Mode.

Thanks for everyone’s input !
Click to expand...

Here's an updated observation -

As earlier stated, I’m having the same issues as many in this forum – Phone not detecting Wifi or Bluetooth, followed by faster battery drains.

My WiFi/Bluetooth issues worked fine, in the SAFE mode, suggesting one of my Apps could be causing the problem.

I performed a Mater Reset – Everything worked great. Since the Flashlight Apps were mentioned (in this forum) as potentially being the cause for this problem, I didn’t reinstall them. My phone worked perfectly, until a couple of days ago. What changed - One of my favorite Apps (Smart Tools) has many features, including a Flashlight feature that I had never used. Then, a couple of days ago, we had a storm that interrupted our electrical power. I then used the Flashlight feature for the very first time. That’s when my WiFi and Bluetooth started failing again. Could it be that, no matter what App is being used to keep the phone’s light turned on, could also be causing a conflict with the basic WiFi and Bluetooth functions?
 
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MikeHi said:
One of my favorite Apps (Smart Tools) has many features, including a Flashlight feature that I had never used. Then, a couple of days ago, we had a storm that interrupted our electrical power. I then used the Flashlight feature for the very first time. That’s when my WiFi and Bluetooth started failing again. Could it be that, no matter what App is being used to keep the phone’s light turned on, could also be causing a conflict with the basic WiFi and Bluetooth functions?
Click to expand...
Yes, I definitely think it could be caused by an app.

People have also reported a problem with an app called GasBuddy, which looks for cheap gas located near you. Many people had issues that were solved by uninstalling that app and then reinstalling.

It is weird that people have issues with flashlight apps, too. Perhaps the Smart Tools app is doing something more than just turning the flashlight on and off? For example, the app requires location permissions. Why in the world would an app require location for the few little things it does?

There is a good article I found that lists some flashlight apps that don't require strange permissions. Maybe one of these will work without interrupting WiFi/BT?

See http://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-flashlight-apps-with-no-extra-permissions-568939/

But, perhaps an alternative solution is to carry a small LED flashlight and not use the phone as a flashlight, at least until it gets flashlight support in Android with the Lollipop upgrade?
 
Talked to the Smart Tools Developer a few years ago. I think it is a great collection of tools. Smart distance is my all time favorite. It was the first time I saw my geometry class put to use ... in a fascinating way.

I suspect he needed the permission because the compass app reports latitude and longitude. I might be wrong.

Perhaps there is something about LEDs in some devices that cause the interference without the knowledge of the developers? Is there anything other than a flashlight app that keeps the LED on that long?

...Thom
 
Ok, that makes sense.

Also, I should make it clear - there is no good reason for a flashlight app to interfere with wifi or Bluetooth. That sounds like a bug in implementation. The fact that it may, though, should make you think about using the flashlight, however convenient it may be.
 
EarlyMon said:
Wipe the cache partition from recovery, avoid regular use of CCleaner on the cache files, remove any other helpers for ram cleaners, automatic task killers, and battery enhancers and see if the problem goes away.

https://motorola-global-portal.cust...wer_detail/a_id/95478/p/30,6720,8882/kw/cache

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/93162/p/30,6720,8417/action/auth

No data will be lost.
Click to expand...

I just registered here so I could say THANK YOU! Wiping the cache partition fixed my wi-fi issues; I would have never been able to solve this problem without you. :thumbsupdroid:
 
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