220-1101 Mobile Devices Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Replace the smartphone battery

  Why it's wrong here

  Replacing the battery does not address the root cause, which is that a third-party charger and cable from a discount store likely lack proper voltage regulation and safety certification, causing excessive current draw and heat generation during charging. This option is tempting because a degraded or faulty battery can indeed cause overheating and rapid drain, making replacement the correct fix when the charger and cable are verified as compliant.

• ✗

  Perform a factory reset of the phone

  Why it's wrong here

  A factory reset addresses software corruption or misconfigured settings, but the symptom of extreme heat during charging with a third-party charger points to a hardware-level power delivery fault, such as inadequate voltage regulation or a short circuit in the cable. This option is tempting because a factory reset is the correct first step for resolving software-induced battery drain or thermal runaway from a rogue app, but it cannot rectify physical damage or electrical incompatibility in the charging circuit.

• ✓

  Use the original manufacturer charger and cable

  Why this is correct

  Using the original manufacturer charger and cable guarantees that the device receives the correct voltage and current profile as designed, typically following USB Battery Charging or USB-PD specifications with proper voltage negotiation and thermal safeguards. A third-party discount store charger may lack these precision components, causing uncontrolled current draw and excessive I²R heat dissipation within the battery and charging circuitry. Replacing the charger is the correct first step because it is a low-cost, non-invasive fix that directly addresses the root cause of heat generation during charging, rather than masking the symptom.

• ✗

  Disable background app refresh and location services

  Why it's wrong here

  Disabling background app refresh and location services only reduces active CPU/radio wakeups, which affect day-to-day battery drain but contribute negligibly to heat generated specifically during the charging session. The sudden overheating symptom arises from the power delivery path—typically a high resistance or poorly regulated third-party charger forcing excess current—not from software processes, since even an idle phone will heat when fed improper power. This option is tempting as a general battery-saver but cannot mitigate the electrical fault at the charging interface, so it would leave the reported overheating unresolved.

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