easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: That after installing a new app on their Android…
A user reports that after installing a new app on their Android phone, the device has become noticeably slower and the battery drains faster. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may immediately assume malware (Option A) because of the dramatic symptoms, but CompTIA A+ tests the understanding that legitimate background services are the most common and probable cause for performance and battery issues after a new app installation.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The app is running background services that consume resources.
The most common cause of performance degradation and increased battery drain after installing a new app is that the app runs background services, such as sync adapters, location listeners, or push notification keep-alives. These services consume CPU cycles, memory, and network activity even when the app is not in the foreground, leading to slower device responsiveness and faster battery depletion.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The app is a known malware that steals personal data.
Why it's wrong here
While malware can certainly degrade device performance and drain battery by running malicious processes in the background, the immediate and noticeable slowdown and battery drain directly following an app installation are more frequently attributed to legitimate, albeit resource-intensive, background operations. Malware's primary goal is often stealthy data exfiltration or system compromise, which might manifest as performance issues over time, but a direct, immediate impact is less typical than an app legitimately, yet inefficiently, consuming resources.
- ✓
The app is running background services that consume resources.
Why this is correct
Many applications, especially newly installed ones, initiate background services immediately upon installation to perform tasks such as initial data synchronization, indexing, push notification listening, or automatic updates. These services continuously utilize CPU cycles, RAM, and network bandwidth, even when the app is not actively in use. This constant resource consumption directly leads to noticeable system slowdown and accelerated battery depletion, aligning perfectly with the reported symptoms.
- ✗
The phone's storage is full from the app installation.
Why it's wrong here
While critically low storage can indeed impact device performance, the installation of a single new application is unlikely to immediately fill the entire phone's storage to a critical level unless it was already near capacity. Furthermore, symptoms of full storage typically include the inability to save new files, app crashes due to lack of cache space, or failure to update, rather than a general, immediate system slowdown and battery drain directly attributable to the app's installation itself.
- ✗
The app requires a newer version of Android.
Why it's wrong here
If an application requires a newer version of Android than what is installed on the device, the operating system would typically prevent the app from installing altogether or cause it to crash immediately upon launch. It would not generally result in a successful installation followed by a gradual system slowdown and increased battery drain, as the core incompatibility would manifest as a more abrupt failure to function or even prevent the initial installation.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Mobile Device Types and Features
Key term
Android
Android is an open-source operating system used primarily on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, developed by Google.
Key term
CPU
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the main electronic brain of a computer that carries out instructions from software by performing basic arithmetic, logic, control, and input/output operations.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.