hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: That their smartphone's wireless charging pad…
A user reports that their smartphone's wireless charging pad stops charging after a few minutes, and the phone gets very hot. The phone supports Qi wireless charging. The technician tests the pad with another phone and it works fine. What is the most likely cause?
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 phone case contains metal or magnetic components that interfere with charging.
Since the charging pad works with another phone, the issue is with the user's phone. A thick case, especially one with metal or magnetic components, can interfere with wireless charging and cause overheating. The correct answer is a case with metal or magnetic parts.
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 phone's battery management system is faulty.
Why it's wrong here
A faulty battery management system (BMS) in the smartphone could indeed lead to overheating and charging issues by misregulating power input or battery temperature. However, since the wireless charging pad successfully charges another phone, the pad itself is functioning correctly. The problem's occurrence after a few minutes, specifically with this phone, suggests an external factor or a localized issue rather than a fundamental BMS failure that would likely prevent charging from the start or manifest more broadly.
- ✗
The phone's wireless charging coil is misaligned with the pad.
Why it's wrong here
Significant misalignment between the phone's receiving coil and the charging pad's transmitting coil would typically prevent wireless charging from initiating at all, or result in extremely inefficient power transfer from the very beginning. The reported issue describes charging stopping 'after a few minutes,' which contradicts the immediate failure or poor performance expected from coil misalignment. Minor misalignment might reduce efficiency, but complete cessation after a delay points to a different underlying problem.
- ✓
The phone case contains metal or magnetic components that interfere with charging.
Why this is correct
Metal or magnetic components embedded within a phone case can significantly interfere with the electromagnetic field generated by a wireless charging pad. These materials absorb the inductive energy, generating parasitic eddy currents that convert the energy into heat within the case itself. As this localized heat builds up, the smartphone's internal thermal protection system or the charging pad's Foreign Object Detection (FOD) mechanism will trigger, interrupting the charging process to prevent potential damage to the device or the pad, explaining the stoppage after a short period.
- ✗
The wireless charging pad is not Qi-certified.
Why it's wrong here
If the wireless charging pad were not Qi-certified or fundamentally incompatible, it would likely fail to charge *any* Qi-compatible smartphone, or at least exhibit consistent issues across multiple devices. The fact that the user reports the pad successfully charges 'another phone' directly refutes this option. This indicates the pad itself is functional and adheres to a standard that allows it to operate, shifting the focus of the problem to the specific smartphone in question rather than the charging accessory's certification.
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A CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.
Key term
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A smartphone is a handheld mobile device that combines cellular communication with computing capabilities, running an operating system that supports third-party applications, internet connectivity, and a touchscreen interface.
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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.