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Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Tax Credit Carryforward [Line Items]      
Deferred tax charges (benefits) within accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), adjustments $ 286,000,000msi_DeferredTaxChargesAdjustment $ 606,000,000msi_DeferredTaxChargesAdjustment $ (272,000,000)msi_DeferredTaxChargesAdjustment
Deferred Foreign Income Tax Expense (Benefit) (19,000,000)msi_DeferredForeignIncomeTaxExpenseBenefitPortionAttributabletoUnremittedForeignEarnings (25,000,000)msi_DeferredForeignIncomeTaxExpenseBenefitPortionAttributabletoUnremittedForeignEarnings  
Undistributed earnings intends to reinvest for which no tax have been provided 1,500,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries    
Foreign earnings not considered permanently reinvestment 400,000,000msi_UndistributedNonUSEarnings    
Tax benefit for certain non-U.S. subsidiaries   337,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsForeign  
Federal statutory tax rate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate    
Gross deferred tax assets 3,600,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross 3,700,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsGross  
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances 3,400,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet 3,500,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsNet  
Gross deferred tax liabilities 774,000,000msi_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesGross 1,100,000,000msi_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesGross  
Valuation allowance 226,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance 200,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance  
Valuation allowance - deferred tax assets relating to non-U.S subsidiaries 195,000,000msi_ValuationAllowanceAmountForeign 178,000,000msi_ValuationAllowanceAmountForeign  
Increase (Decrease) in valuation allowance - deferred tax assets relating to non-U.S. subsidiaries 17,000,000msi_IncreaseDecreaseInValuationAllowanceAmountForeign (56,000,000)msi_IncreaseDecreaseInValuationAllowanceAmountForeign  
Valuation allowance net increase (decrease) 9,000,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount (4,000,000)us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount  
Unrecognized tax benefits 96,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 147,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 157,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate if recognized 76,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 125,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate  
Unrecognized tax charge with potential to be recognized in next 12 months, lower end of range (50,000,000)us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleEstimatedRangeOfChangeLowerBound    
Unrecognized tax benefits with potential to be recognized in next 12 months, higher end of range 50,000,000us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleEstimatedRangeOfChangeUpperBound    
Change in cash payment of unrecognized tax benefits, upper end of range 25,000,000msi_SignificantChangeInCashPaymentOfUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsReasonablyPossibleEstimatedUpperRangeOfChange    
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued for interest 26,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued 25,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued  
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued for penalties 26,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAccrued 27,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAccrued  
State tax carryforward      
Tax Credit Carryforward [Line Items]      
U.S. valuation allowance $ 31,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardValuationAllowance
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