Questions to ask when interviewing an Android Developer
Android is the most popular operating system in the world, with over 3.3 billion users.
Whereas iOS users use a device that costs four figures, the latest version of Android can be purchased for a mere $135 (Samsung Galaxy M01, running Android 10 , though as of 2025, Android 14 is the latest version powering modern devices) in Bangladesh.
That is why there are such a huge number of apps in the Google Play Store. A massive user base offers scope for almost unlimited expansion. That means hiring an Android application developer is a worthwhile investment.
Before you hire an Android Application developer, delve into their learning and skill.
We share below:
- 5 technical questions to ask an Android App developer and the possible replies.
- 5 exploratory questions to ask an Android developer and the possible replies.
Before hiring an Android app developer, you have to know their track record. It is easier to develop web apps, but building native apps requires a high level of software coding skills.
5 technical questions to ask before you hire an Android develope
Top Android Application developers must know not only about SDK and Android Runtime but also Java and Kotlin, the two most used languages for app development.
Kotlin is now officially the preferred language for Android development, offering better null safety, concise syntax, and full support from Google. Developers working on new projects should be fluent in Kotlin and understand when Java interoperability is necessary.
Java and Kotlin are both high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming languages. When you hire Android app developers, test their ability in both.
- Describe the layers of Android architecture
- Kernel: The kernel is based onLinux. That is what makes it so robust.
- Libraries
- Retrofit
- Moshi
- EventBus
There are 15–20 libraries and a GitHub repository that contain plenty of modules.
Modern projects often use modular architecture to organize code across features and layers, which improves scalability and testing.
- Runtime
From Lollipop (version 5.0), the Android mobile operating system changed runtimes from Dalvik to ART, which has been the default since 2014 and is now standard.
Eight years have elapsed, and most mobile application development does not update apps for Dalvik anymore.
- Framework
In this instance, Framework refers to Android design (which is very specific), animations, and tools.
Jetpack Compose is now the recommended modern UI toolkit for building native UIs in a declarative way. It's a must-know for today’s Android developers.
- Applications
Such as browsers, chat apps, and mail, which are accessed by users.
What are the types of memory in the Java Virtual Machine?
Android uses Java extensively. Types of memory in Java are:
- Class
- Heap
- Stack
- Program Counter
- Native Method Stack
How are strings concatenated in Kotlin?
Using String templates:
- val a = "Good"
- val b = "Luck"
- val c = "$a$b" // stores "GoodLuck"
- val d = "$a $b" // stores "Good Luck"
How many dialog boxes does Android support?
Alert: Usually used for yes-no decisions such as Rate This App, Rate Now / Later
Date: For selecting date
Time: For selecting time
Progress: Used for displaying the percent of execution. A progress bar (as dialogue) might prevent a user from interacting with the screen, so it is rarely used as a dialog but coded in the UI (as in Chrome page loading percent).
What is AAPT?
It is the Android Asset Packaging Tool, the equivalent of a .zip file on Windows.
It allows the creation of compressed folders for installation and extraction. AAPT (Android Asset Packaging Tool) was traditionally used to package app resources. However, AAPT2 has now replaced it as the default build tool, offering improved performance and error diagnostics.
While APK files uploaded to the Play Store are limited to 100 MB, developers are encouraged to use Android App Bundles (AAB), which optimize delivery and support compressed download sizes of up to 200 MB. For larger apps, expansion files of up to 2 GB each can be used.
Bonus: Ask about current toolchains and async handling
Is the developer familiar with Android Studio Giraffe or newer releases?
Yes, Android Studio Giraffe (2023) introduced significant improvements in build performance, Live Edit for Jetpack Compose, and better layout inspection tools.
Familiarity with Giraffe or newer versions like Hedgehog helps ensure the developer can leverage modern IDE capabilities for faster iterations and debugging. Candidates should be comfortable using features like Compose Preview, updated Gradle sync, and integrated device mirroring.
Does the developer use Kotlin Coroutines for async programming?
Kotlin Coroutines are now the preferred approach for handling background operations, replacing older solutions like AsyncTask and even RxJava in many modern codebases. They offer a cleaner, more readable way to write asynchronous code using structured concurrency.
A proficient Android developer should be able to explain concepts like suspend and CoroutineScope and how to use coroutines with lifecycle-aware components in Jetpack libraries (e.g., viewModelScope).































