Battery degradation over 8 months - Moto Z Questions & Answers

I got the phone 8 months ago(brand new), and the battery is just dead or idk, i tried calibrating It but didn't work. Its time to replace It? I just want to sell this and buy any other phone, 48 mins of screen on time is stupid.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

---

Xplow said:
I got the phone 8 months ago(brand new), and the battery is just dead or idk, i tried calibrating It but didn't work. Its time to replace It? I just want to sell this and buy any other phone, 48 mins of screen on time is stupid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola made a ( probably accidential ) bug in the code which overcharged batteries on pre-Oreo kernels. So yeah, you probably have to replace the battery ( I got my Moto Z in August 2017 and the battery started dying in February-March ) . But with the newer kernel and by maintaining a charge between 30 and 80%, the new battery should last longer.
As for regular battery life: unlock the bootloader, install a custom rom and apply the Swift Black Substratum theme.
I myself don't know why Motorola didn't make an optional all-black theme for a flagship with a 2650 mAh battery but whatever.

---

The Marionette said:
Motorola made a ( probably accidential ) bug in the code which overcharged batteries on pre-Oreo kernels. So yeah, you probably have to replace the battery ( I got my Moto Z in August 2017 and the battery started dying in February-March ) . But with the newer kernel and by maintaining a charge between 30 and 80%, the new battery should last longer.
As for regular battery life: unlock the bootloader, install a custom rom and apply the Swift Black Substratum theme.
I myself don't know why Motorola didn't make an optional all-black theme for a flagship with a 2650 mAh battery but whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so if i replace the battery and use 8.0 It shouldn't wear down that quickly again, am i right? And if i send the phone to warranty and they send me a new one i must update to oreo as fast as possible? Im thinking of doing that because the screen has a lot of Burn in ( the navbar is always present and with the 9.0 update It Will look horrible) i must also add that i started seeing this effects after the 8.0 update, before It lasted a short time ( as any smartphone with a 2k display and 2,600 mah) but never turned off with 30% or so

---

Xplow said:
Ok, so if i replace the battery and use 8.0 It shouldn't wear down that quickly again, am i right? And if i send the phone to warranty and they send me a new one i must update to oreo as fast as possible? Im thinking of doing that because the screen has a lot of Burn in ( the navbar is always present and with the 9.0 update It Will look horrible) i must also add that i started seeing this effects after the 8.0 update, before It lasted a short time ( as any smartphone with a 2k display and 2,600 mah) but never turned off with 30% or so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt the warranty covers "defects caused by prolonged use" ( that's the term often used, not mine ) but you can always try.
Yeah, as soon as you get a replacement, get at least to stock Oreo if you don't want custom ROMs. But as long as the UI has mostly white in it, your SOT won't be as good as with a black Substratum theme.

---

The Marionette said:
Motorola made a ( probably accidential ) bug in the code which overcharged batteries on pre-Oreo kernels. So yeah, you probably have to replace the battery ( I got my Moto Z in August 2017 and the battery started dying in February-March ) . But with the newer kernel and by maintaining a charge between 30 and 80%, the new battery should last longer.
As for regular battery life: unlock the bootloader, install a custom rom and apply the Swift Black Substratum theme.
I myself don't know why Motorola didn't make an optional all-black theme for a flagship with a 2650 mAh battery but whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have evidence for this. I'm just curious.

---

The other thing that bothers me is, where to get an OEM battery?

---

doujinsinner said:
Do you have evidence for this. I'm just curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was shown the lines(s) in the kernel which most likely didn't start regulating the charge after the battery got to 90 % or so, thus slowly damaging the battery every time the owner would charge over 90% or even when they'd leave the phone charging over night ( don't make me dig through the old kernel, I'm already sick of the new one ) .
There are tons of articles and videos that explain how batteries work and to which point you should charge them, google it.
As for black themes on AMOLED screens: OLED screens turn off pixels that should show black colours ( thus making pure blacks and also saving some juice from the SOT drain ) .
apocalypse_bg said:
The other thing that bothers me is, where to get an OEM battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get it on Aliexpress.
The seller I got it from is gone but another one popped up.
HERE.
They can't legally show Moto logos on the page but you can obviously see they were covered poorly on purpose.

---

The Marionette said:
I doubt the warranty covers "defects caused by prolonged use" ( that's the term often used, not mine ) but you can always try.
Yeah, as soon as you get a replacement, get at least to stock Oreo if you don't want custom ROMs. But as long as the UI has mostly white in it, your SOT won't be as good as with a black Substratum theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the problem was the charger, i got a xiaomi a1 charger from a friend and it will work normally. I´m still only getting about 1-2 hours of SOT but the phone doesn't turn off at any battery %, i'm getting a new battery and a new charger (probably one with qualcomm qc not a motorola turbopower one)

---

The Marionette said:
I doubt the warranty covers "defects caused by prolonged use" ( that's the term often used, not mine ) but you can always try.
Yeah, as soon as you get a replacement, get at least to stock Oreo if you don't want custom ROMs. But as long as the UI has mostly white in it, your SOT won't be as good as with a black Substratum theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
apocalypse_bg said:
The other thing that bothers me is, where to get an OEM battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably don't need to build in a new battery yourself: In Germany the battery problem is well known and all devices with this problem will be repaired by Motorola service - even with unlocked bootloader!
So I think Motorola is well aware worldwide of this problem!

---

Melkor said:
You probably don't need to build in a new battery yourself: In Germany the battery problem is well known and all devices with this problem will be repaired by Motorola service - even with unlocked bootloader!
So I think Motorola is well aware worldwide of this problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, lots of companies protect themselves by saying crap like "The warranty doesn't cover wear over time". Oh well, I shot myself in my foot if that's not the case here. :silly:

---

Melkor said:
You probably don't need to build in a new battery yourself: In Germany the battery problem is well known and all devices with this problem will be repaired by Motorola service - even with unlocked bootloader!
So I think Motorola is well aware worldwide of this problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm from Argentina, talked to the online service and they told me that they won't repair my phone because it is my fault (in spanish "Por medio de nuestra herramienta y el código IMEI hemos verificado que su batería se encuentra en buen estado, su problema es ajeno a nuestra empresa")... i wish i lived in Germany :crying: haha

---

The Marionette said:
Interesting, lots of companies protect themselves by saying crap like "The warranty doesn't cover wear over time". Oh well, I shot myself in my foot if that's not the case here. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't say that - for them it is "goodwill"
@Xplow
Oh damn. Sry to here this

---

I've sent mine for repair, and it was in a service for a month, got it back with new battery and a new motherboard. I've been using it for a week now and it's pure pleasure to see the phone with battery that lasts for a whole day (I had to charge it 3 times a day before, and it was only 6 months old)

---

And for my sake, I am done with Motorola and their support. For me they deny service unless I pay for it, but it isn't even my fault, so I am going back to where I came from and have been happiest: Samsung, S9+ specifically is what I will go for this time. Everyone that gets denied service, I recommend you to leave Motorola and Lenovo behind once and for all and buy something that is worth your money and also can provide you service when needed when it is their fault. Motorola is already slowly dying because of decisions like this, so let them die.
@The Marionette I really hope that you can at some point make an AEX ROM for the S9+, I really enjoy the ROM a lot

---

yanniclord said:
And for my sake, I am done with Motorola and their support. For me they deny service unless I pay for it, but it isn't even my fault, so I am going back to where I came from and have been happiest: Samsung, S9+ specifically is what I will go for this time. Everyone that gets denied service, I recommend you to leave Motorola and Lenovo behind once and for all and buy something that is worth your money and also can provide you service when needed when it is their fault. Motorola is already slowly dying because of decisions like this, so let them die.
@The Marionette I really hope that you can at some point make an AEX ROM for the S9+, I really enjoy the ROM a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this is what I'm talking about, a lot of repair shops in my country try their best to disprove your warranty unless the device is dead beyond the ability to read anything from it.
And since we gave our IMEI to Lenovo while unlocking the bootloader, it makes the situation even worse unless the people at the repair shop live under a rock.
@yanniclord There are already Treble ports of custom roms for the Galaxy S9(+), it's only a matter of time till someone ports AEX.
Treble makes things a lot easier and there are various guides in the Treble section of the XDA forums, I bet you can try porting it yourself without much difficulty.
I hope you will enjoy the phone to its fullest, I'm quite envious.

---

The Marionette said:
Yeah, this is what I'm talking about, a lot of repair shops in my country try their best to disprove your warranty unless the device is dead beyond the ability to read anything from it.
And since we gave our IMEI to Lenovo while unlocking the bootloader, it makes the situation even worse unless the people at the repair shop live under a rock.
@yanniclord There are already Treble ports of custom roms for the Galaxy S9(+), it's only a matter of time till someone ports AEX.
Treble makes things a lot easier and there are various guides in the Treble section of the XDA forums, I bet you can try porting it yourself without much difficulty.
I hope you will enjoy the phone to its fullest, I'm quite envious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will try my best to port it at some point. Anyways, that is the same issue for me. Like, I talked directly to Motorola Support Live Chat in Europe, and once they asked me if my bootloader was unlocked and then I answered yes, then they tried to tell me it is all my fault EVEN if I could point out countless of sources of proof for this issue, I mean I linked to countless threads where people that DIDN'T have their bootloader unlocked had the EXACT SAME problem, yet they tried telling me it was my fault. I was so close to reporting it to the Norwegian Consumer Protection Agency, but it isn't worth my time, I will just instead let Motorola and Lenovo die once and for all, because if they do business practices like this, then they aren't worth my time or money, which in the end will prove us right when they die. Lenovo will hardly die because of the many other sectors it has, but Motorola is nearing in on its end and it's halting on its last leg.
I hope that decisions like this also make them loose their final leg and so they die. Anti-Consumer practices are always punished in the end, and this decision from Motorola to deny people free repair of battery issues caused by THEM and not their customers, will hopefully be the last thing needed to kill them. I was a big fan of Motorola back then when I heard they were making a Phone that could be "modded" with additions just slapped onto its back, but if they then prove to be unable to handle the issues and also seem to be unable to finish their competition THEY initiated (the Keyboard Mod from Liangchen, Motorola won't help him bring it to the market and he almost failed financially because of Motorola suddenly dropping all support on the Campaign they launched themselves), then I think it is best for Motorola to die and slowly fade into obscurity.
Goodbye Motorola, won't ever be seeing your greedy, unappreciative and sad anti-consumer practices again. It was nice while it lasted, which, to be exact, was for 1.5 years. See you never again

---

Melkor said:
You probably don't need to build in a new battery yourself: In Germany the battery problem is well known and all devices with this problem will be repaired by Motorola service - even with unlocked bootloader!
So I think Motorola is well aware worldwide of this problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you elaborate, because Motorola online support ditched me directly when they saw the unlocked bootloader ... I live (and the phone was bought) 8n Germany

---

@apocalypse_bg
You have to call them and ask for a goodwill repair. It will take some days but probably they will agree and send you a mail with details (they have to add some remarks in their internal systems)
(in Deutsch: Anruf bei der Moto Hotline und auf das Akkuproblem verweisen. Dann sagen: offener Bootloader und du willst einen Kulanzantrag stellen, weil du in der Gewährleistung bist)

---

apocalypse_bg said:
Can you elaborate, because Motorola online support ditched me directly when they saw the unlocked bootloader ... I live (and the phone was bought) 8n Germany
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I remember correctly, EU legislation forces retailers to fix phones (including faulty batteries that are in the 12 month consumable warranty) which are in the warranty period (24 months in Romania) regardless of bootloader status. You should go to the place you bought the phone from instead of Motorola since retailers mostly have their own service centers and don't rely on Motorola's tech support. At least that's how it is in my country (worked in retail for 3 years).

---

I own Moto Z for 20 months. 4 months left under warranty. And in the past couple of days battery has gone from bad to worse. Phone has always been 100% full stock, not rooted.
I have been rather careful with the battery and keeping my charge between 15 and 90% most of the time, and never left it too long on charger. After upgrade to Oreo and moderate to heavier use with the following settings:
- either WiFi on or Mobile data on
- location, location scanning, NFC, Bluetooth - all off
- dark theme used, screen brightness never above 50%, used in an area with very good or excellent 3G/4G signal, WiFi never too far from modem
- 2 Gmail accounts, Viber + WhatsApp. No Facebook, no Snapchat, no Instagram. Up to 3 YouTube videos a day, 20-30 mins of talk per day and mostly surfing the web or exchanging messages.
I now can achieve anywhere between 1:15 to 1:45 hrs SoT. Before Oreo it was more than 4 hrs SoT with exactly same settings. On top of this:
- the right side of the screen has detached from housing (could be because of the battery swelling)
- I get random shutdowns when battery is around 30% or less
- Battery percentage stays the same if phone is just lying around (even if left overnight). As soon as I pick it up and use, battery percentage is falling rapidly
- When I want to reboot my phone for whatever reason, battery percentage suddenly drops ~40% or more. So if I want to reboot my phone with 50% of battery, phone will show 10% after reboot and will shut down after some use. Yesterday I watched YouTube for 30mins, been surfing for 30 mins, rebooted my phone and it showed 4% left. So after 1 hour of use I had to put it on charger.
- phone is charging at unrealistic speed, up to 30% in less than 3 minutes
- hotspot option when chosen to work on 5.4 Ghz does not work, always transmits on 2.4 GHz
- when surfing and using more apps simultaneously, phone is hot as hell and gets really uncomfortable for use
Today I'm going to left phone for service but I'm not expecting much since in our country they will probably tell me that this is because of heavier use... #will post update what will they tell me
and all I can say is Goodbye Moto Z. It's been fun using but dying just after 20 months with moderate use is unforgiving for price I paid.