220-1101 Mobile Devices Practice Question
A user reports that their Android smartphone's battery drains very quickly after a recent app update. The user has already checked battery usage statistics and found that no app is using an unusually high amount of power. The phone is less than a year old. Which of the following should the technician recommend FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may jump to a factory reset (Option A) as a 'sure fix' without first using safe mode, which is a standard CompTIA troubleshooting step for isolating app-related issues on mobile devices.
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
✓
Boot the phone into safe mode and observe battery life.
Safe mode disables all third-party applications, allowing the technician to determine if a recently updated app is causing the battery drain without interference from other user-installed software. Since the battery usage statistics showed no single app consuming excessive power, the issue could be a cumulative effect or a background process that safe mode isolates. This is the least invasive and most targeted first step before considering more drastic measures like a factory reset.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform a factory reset.
Why it's wrong here
A factory reset erases all user data and restores the phone to its original state, which is highly disruptive and time-consuming. Since the drain began after a recent app update, you should first verify the cause non-destructively. A reset might temporarily remove the problematic app, but you could reinstall it afterward, and you'll lose all personal files without confirming the actual trigger. Safe mode is a safer, faster first step.
- ✗
Replace the battery.
Why it's wrong here
Given the phone is less than a year old, the lithium-ion battery is unlikely to be chemically degraded or failing. The symptom correlates temporally with a recent app update, not with gradual battery aging or physical damage. Replacing a healthy battery is an unnecessary expense and does not address the software-level process that is consuming power. Battery health can be checked in settings, but the evidence points away from hardware.
- ✓
Boot the phone into safe mode and observe battery life.
Why this is correct
Booting into safe mode disables all third-party apps while preserving the OS and preinstalled apps. If the battery drain stops in safe mode, you've confirmed that a downloaded app is the culprit, most likely the one just updated. This isolation step is non-destructive and reversible, allowing you to then uninstall the specific app and return to normal mode. It's the recommended first action when rapid battery drain follows an app install or update.
- ✗
Update the operating system to the latest version.
Why it's wrong here
An OS update may include bug fixes, but the drain started after an app update, not a system update, so it's not targeting the actual cause. Updating the OS could even reset runtime permissions or alter app behavior, but it won't identify which third-party app is misbehaving. Safe mode provides a quicker, more direct diagnostic test without the risk of introducing new variables. Unless the OS update notes specifically mention battery drain fixes, it's not the appropriate first step.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 896 original 220-1101 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.