220-1101 Mobile Devices Practice Question
A user reports that their smartphone is not vibrating when receiving calls or notifications, even though the vibrate settings are enabled in the sound menu. The ringtone and speaker work normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between software-based settings (like Do Not Disturb or silent mode) and hardware failures, trapping candidates who assume a software toggle is the root cause when the symptom is isolated to a single hardware component.
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 vibration motor is defective or disconnected
The vibration motor is a dedicated hardware component that physically oscillates to create the vibration sensation. If the phone's ringtone and speaker work normally but vibration fails despite the vibrate settings being enabled, the most likely cause is that the vibration motor itself is defective or has become disconnected from the motherboard. Software settings cannot override a failed hardware component.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Do Not Disturb mode is enabled
Why it's wrong here
Do Not Disturb mode is designed to suppress all incoming call alerts, including both ringtone and vibration, unless the caller is in an approved exception list or the same contact calls repeatedly within 15 minutes. Since the ringtone still plays normally for incoming calls, DND is not active (or the test call is exempted), so it cannot be the sole cause of the missing vibration.
- ✓
The vibration motor is defective or disconnected
Why this is correct
A smartphone's vibration is produced by a dedicated electromechanical actuator—typically an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor or a linear resonant actuator (LRA)—which is separate from the audio speaker. If this motor is defective, disconnected, or its wiring is damaged, the phone will never vibrate regardless of software settings, while the ringtone (generated by the speaker) continues to work normally. This is a classic hardware failure often caused by drops, moisture intrusion, or normal wear, and it can be confirmed by testing vibration in the phone's settings or using a diagnostic mode.
- ✗
The phone is in silent mode
Why it's wrong here
Silent mode (often toggled by a physical switch or volume-down key) universally mutes the ringtone on all smartphones, and it either disables vibration or reverts to a predetermined vibration-only alert depending on the device's 'Vibrate in Silent Mode' setting. Because the ringtone is still audible when calls arrive, silent mode cannot be active—if it were, the audible ringtone would be silent, and vibration might still occur but in most cases both would be suppressed.
- ✗
A recent software update caused a configuration error
Why it's wrong here
While a software update or configuration error could theoretically disable the vibration feature, it would likely also affect multiple alert subsystems or produce other symptoms, such as abnormal battery drain, repeated crashes, or corrupted notification settings. The user's report that the ringtone works normally while only vibration fails strongly points to the vibration actuator being a separate hardware path. Since there are no other reported glitches, a software defect is a much less probable explanation than a hardware fault in the vibration motor.
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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.