Motorola has been shutting down routers with its own app for weeks

Motorola router owners face a big problem. The mandatory control app has not worked for several weeks. This means that new network devices cannot be set up and are de facto unusable.

Own app blocks router

Since mid-May, many Motorola router users have reportedly experienced significant difficulties. The mandatory MotoSync+ app refuses to work on smartphones. If you want to put a new network device from the manufacturer into operation, you must use the application. At the moment, however, users are failing at the very first steps. The error patterns differ depending on the operating system. On Apple devices, the app remains in an endless loading loop after starting. Android users, on the other hand, receive the specific error message that the server license has expired. This indicates a central problem in the infrastructure and not a local error on users’ cell phones.

As Mashable reported, existing customers are also affected. Devices that have already been set up will continue to work for the time being, but changes to the settings are currently not possible. This also excludes processes such as adding new devices to a mesh network. Even a factory reset cannot be carried out without the app.

Confused structures

A closer look behind the scenes reveals a complex structure around accountability. The network products and the associated software are not developed by Motorola itself. Instead, the company Premier LogiTech is responsible for this, having merely licensed the brand name. This separation of brand and technical implementation is likely to make it more difficult to find a solution. Research also shows parallels to another provider. The user interface of the faulty software is similar to competitor Gryphon’s app down to the last detail. However, the provider denied any responsibility for the current outage.

Motorola has remained silent so far

Communication with customers has so far been sparse. According to user reports, support often does not respond to inquiries at all or only responds with automated standard answers. An official statement on the duration of the disruption is pending. The incident highlights the fundamental risks of a heavy reliance on software. Hardware becomes unusable without cloud services, responsibilities for licensed products are often unclear and a lack of local configuration options locks users out. Paying subscribers to the premium services will also not be able to use the functions they have booked. The manufacturer has also removed its routers from its own online shop for the time being. It currently remains unclear whether and when the servers will be accessible again and customers will be able to use their routers as intended again.