Advanced interview questions in Mobile Dev, page 3
Type-safe navigation with TypeScript
Define a ParamList mapping screen names to param types, type Screen via NativeStackScreenProps, and type useNavigation with the navigation prop generic so route names and params autocomplete.
Explain the difference between Gradle build types and product flavors.
If you know build types are how an app is built—debug versus release—while flavors are what is shipped, like free versus paid. Variants are the Cartesian product.
Explain Gradle Build Types vs. Product Flavors
Tests your grasp of Gradle's build matrix. A great answer defines build types for lifecycle (debug/release) and product flavors for user-facing versions (free/paid), then explains how they combine into variants.
Gradle Build Types vs. Product Flavors
This tests your understanding of Gradle's build matrix for creating different app versions. A great answer defines build types (how it's built) vs. flavors (what is built) and explains that variants are the cross-product. A red flag is confusing their roles.
How does Auto Layout resolve constraints?
Auto Layout solves a system of prioritized linear equations; intrinsicContentSize is a view's natural size; hugging resists growing, compression resistance resists shrinking.
Explain the lifecycle of a State object
List initState through dispose, emphasizing didUpdateWidget reacts to parent config changes.
Which Android Studio Profiler tool diagnoses high memory usage and leaks?
Heap dump, check retained size for leaked Activities, trace reference chains to root retainer.
How do you diagnose a memory leak using the Android Studio Profiler?
This tests your practical skill with the Android Memory Profiler, not just theory. A great answer involves capturing a heap dump, filtering for unreachable objects, and inspecting the reference tree to find the leak's source.
How do you diagnose a memory leak with Android Studio Profiler?
This tests your systematic process for debugging memory issues. A good answer outlines using the Memory Profiler, forcing GC, capturing heap dumps, and analyzing object references. A red flag is just naming the tool without explaining the 'how'.
How do you build a custom SwiftUI Layout?
Conform to Layout, implement sizeThatFits to report the container size for a proposal, and placeSubviews to position each subview using its measured size.
What are Keys in Flutter and why are they critical?
Tests widget identity during reconciliation. Keys let Flutter distinguish moved widgets from changed data; without ValueKeys, ReorderableListView leaves state at old positions, e.g., a checkbox swap. Red flag: calling them performance tools.
How do you manage API keys across Gradle build variants securely?
Gitignore a properties file, load it in build.gradle, map secrets to BuildConfig or manifest placeholders by flavor, and commit safe defaults.
Managing Sensitive Information in Gradle Builds
Tests secure credential handling in Android builds. A good answer uses a git-ignored .properties file, the secrets-gradle-plugin to parse it, and accesses keys via BuildConfig. A red flag is storing keys directly in build.gradle or committing them.
How would you manage API keys in Gradle without version control?
Tests secure credential handling in Android builds. A good answer proposes the Secrets Gradle Plugin, which reads from an untracked properties file and exposes keys via BuildConfig, while also noting this doesn't protect against APK decompilation.
How does const on a widget constructor impact build and reconciliation?
Tests widget canonicalization and reconciliation. Strong answers: const creates identical widget instances; Element.updateChild skips subtree rebuild when oldWidget == newWidget, saving elements and GC.
Preventing unnecessary FlatList item re-renders
Extract the row into a React.memo component, pass stable memoized callbacks and primitive props, and keep renderItem referentially stable so only changed items re-render.
FlatList virtualization and windowing trade-offs
FlatList renders only items within a window of viewports around the visible area, unmounting others; larger windowSize means fewer blanks but more memory, smaller means less memory but more blank flashes.
Diagnose and fix slow iOS app launch time
Pre-main covers dylib loading, rebasing, and static initializers; main covers didFinishLaunching and first frame; profile with Instruments, then defer work, reduce dynamic libraries, and trim…
Outline the key steps and APIs for State Preservation and Restoration
Tests UIKit's automatic state restoration pipeline. Strong answers cover: opting in via AppDelegate, setting restorationIdentifiers, implementing encode/decodeRestorableStateWithCoder, and the system snapshot cycle.
Explain Flutter's 'constraints down, sizes up' rule and unbounded height error
Parents constrain down, children size up. ListView in Column throws unbounded height as Column gives infinite maxHeight; fix with Expanded or shrinkWrap.
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