5.5 Given a scenario, troubleshoot common issues with mobile devices

Question 1

What might it mean if a device won’t turn on but has a known good battery?

Answer 1

Power circuitry might be faulty

Question 2

What may cause a device’s battery to go on fire or explode?

Answer 2

Incorrect charger or extreme heat exposure

Be cautious when leaving batteries to recharge unattended. Do not leave a battery charger close to flammable material & ensure there is plenty of ventilation around the unit

Question 3

2 things that greatly reduces a Li-ion battery life?

Answer 3

• Regularly fully discharging it
• Persistently keeping it at 100%

Short battery life may indicate an aging battery that needs replacement. If the battery is not old or faulty, an app may be draining the battery excessively. Use a battery utilization app to investigate.

Question 4

What does a swollen battery indicate?

Answer 4

A problem with the battery’s charging circuit

Which is supposed to prevent overcharing. If a devie is exposed to liquid, this could also have damage the battery

Question 5

Why are Li-ion batteries designed to swell?

Answer 5

To avoid bursting or exploding

A swollen battery is a fire hazard and can leak hazardous chemicals. Avoid skin or eye contact. Contact the manufacturer if the battery can’t be safely removed. Seek disposal advice from the manufacturer. Do not discard a swollen battery at standard recycling points unless permitted by the facility.

Question 6

What visible signs may occur if a device is exposed to liquid damage?

Answer 6

Screen might display graphics artefacts or not show an image

Question 7

What to do if you suspect a device is exposed to liquid damage?

Answer 7

Turn off device & dry as much excess liquid as possible

If you suspect that the internal comonents have been exposed, disassemble the device to fully dry. The battery will usually need to be replaced

Question 8

What can damage the external ports of a mobile device?

Answer 8

Improper insertion & removal of connectors

Question 9

What might be the problem if a touchscreen is not responding?

Answer 9

Problem could be with the digitizer

Question 10

When diagnosing an unresoponsive touchscreen, what should be clean & dry?

Answer 10

Fingers & touchscreen

Question 11

When diagnosing an unresponsive touchscreen, what should you do if it has a screen protector?

Answer 11

Ensure it’s securely adhered without bubbles or lifts

Question 12

When diagnosing an unresponsive touchscreen, why should you try using the device in a different location?

Answer 12

EMI might be affecting the operation of the digitizer

Question 13

When diagnosing an unresponsive touchscreen, what should you do if the device was recently serviced?

Answer 13

Ensure all wires are correctly connected for digitizer to work

Question 14

What might be the reason if a laptop has pointer drift while typing

i.e. the mouse moves across the screen

Answer 14

Touchpad may have high sensitivity

Question 15

What should you do first if you encounter issues with the touchpad sensitivity?

Answer 15

Install up-to-date drivers & configure the input options

Question 16

How can you temporarily disable the touchpad on many laptops?

Answer 16

Via Fn key

Question 17

What may cause unresponsive or inaccurate touch input in a laptop?

Answer 17

Insufficient system resources

i.e. having too many open apps or badly written apps that hog memory or other resources

Question 18

What is a short-term solution for unresponsive or inaccurate touch input on a laptop?

Answer 18

Performing a soft reset

If the problem persists, free up storage space, & consider using re-calibration utilities If the problem continues, look into warranty repair

Question 19

What tools are available on Windows & some Android versions for touch input issues?

Answer 19

Re-calibration utilities

Question 20

What should you check first if Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is not working on a mobile device?

Answer 20

Verify adapter is enabled & if airplane mode is off

Question 21

What might be the issue if wireless functions stopped working after a laptop was serviced?

Answer 21

Antenna might be wrongly connected

Question 22

How can you fix Wi-Fi or Bluetooth issues after a device wakes from hibernate or sleep mode?

Answer 22

Cycle the power on the device, reconnect it, & check for updated drivers

Question 23

What can you do to resolve intermittent connectivity issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?

Answer 23

• Move devices closer
• Change their positions
• Use Wi-Fi analyzer

Use a Wi-Fi analyzer to measure signal strength and identify interference sources. Similar utilities can analyze cellular signals.

Question 24

How can certain hand positions affect a mobile device’s connectivity?

Answer 24

By interfering with the antenna’s performance

Question 25

What should you do if your device unexpectedly reaches its data transmission limit?

Answer 25

Check each app’s data usage for suspicious activity

Question 26

How to tell if malware is trying to use a device’s camera?

Answer 26

Checking if camera LED is activated

Question 27

6 common signs of a device infected with malware?

Answer 27

• Unresponsive apps
• Excessive power drain
• High resource use
• Overheating
• Unexpected data usage
• Unauthorized camera/mic use