Everything in Mobile Dev, page 31
Explain Kotlin's declaration-site variance with in and out
Out T means covariant producer (read), in T means contravariant consumer (write), removing wildcard noise.
What is a CoroutineDispatcher and when to use Default versus IO?
This tests thread pool selection and the CPU versus IO distinction. A strong answer maps CoroutineDispatcher to the thread pool, Default to CPU work, IO to blocking IO, and Main to the UI thread.
Hot vs cold Kotlin Flows and StateFlow use case
Tests grasp of flow lifecycle and collector behavior. A strong answer contrasts cold Flows, which restart per collector, with hot StateFlows broadcasting to all observers. Red flag: using Flow for UI state without citing config changes or initial value.
How does Structured Concurrency handle cancellations and exceptions?
This tests scope-bound lifecycle management preventing leaks. Cover scope cancellation cascading to children, exceptions propagating up to cancel siblings, and launch or async requiring a scope. A red flag is treating coroutines as fire-and-forget threads.
What is a suspend function in Kotlin and its compiler rules?
This tests your understanding of suspendable computations and compiler transformation. A strong answer notes non-blocking suspension, the call-from-suspend-context rule, and compiler support for pausing and resuming. A red flag is claiming they block threads.
Explain the difference between launch and async in Kotlin Coroutines
This tests scope behavior and side effects versus results. A strong answer says launch returns a Job for side effects, async returns a Deferred for results, and both are scope children. A red flag is using async for all tasks or ignoring exception handling.
What does inline solve for higher-order functions, and what is reified?
It tests lambda overhead and type erasure. Answer: inline flattens lambdas into call sites to remove allocation and virtual calls; reified needs inline so the compiler knows the concrete type at the call site, enabling is T checks.
Compare Kotlin apply and let scope functions
Apply uses this and returns receiver for configuration; let uses it and returns lambda result for null-safe transforms.
When would you use a sealed class instead of an enum?
This tests closed hierarchies versus singleton constants. A strong answer contrasts enums with sealed class instances, shows a NetworkResult example with data-bearing branches, and highlights exhaustiveness.
Explain higher-order functions and implement filterAndTransform
Tests whether you can define higher-order functions and use lambdas idiomatically in Kotlin. A strong answer defines HOFs as functions that take or return functions, then implements filterAndTransform with filter and map.
Explain lateinit var versus val by lazy in Android
Tests deferred initialization and lifecycle coupling. Great answers contrast lateinit var's imperative assignment with lazy's first-access delegation, mapping lateinit to injected Activity fields and lazy to expensive computed objects.
What are the primary advantages of using a data class?
Tests Kotlin boilerplate reduction and value semantics. Name three generated functions like equals, hashCode, and copy; explain structural equality; and show copy updating immutable UI state.
What is an extension function? Write a hasWhitespace extension for String.
Explain receiverType.functionName adds behavior without inheritance; write hasWhitespace with any { it.isWhitespace() }.
Explain val vs var in Kotlin and null safety risks
Val is read-only, var is mutable; nullables use ? like String?; risk is NullPointerException if checks are missed.
Navigate between feature modules without direct dependencies?
Tests dependency inversion in modular apps. Answer by defining navigation interfaces in a shared module, implementing them in the :app module, and using DI to connect them. A red flag is suggesting direct module dependencies or using reflection for navigation.
Combine two network sources using Coroutines and Flow
Tests your grasp of async data combination and state management. A good answer uses Flow.combine in a ViewModel, fed by a Repository, emitting a sealed class for UI state (Loading, Success, Error). A red flag is trying to combine state in the UI layer itself.
Explain the purpose of a UseCase or Interactor layer
Tests your grasp of separation of concerns. A great answer defines a UseCase as a single, reusable business operation that sits between the ViewModel and Repository. It keeps other layers clean and focused.
How do you share a ViewModel between Fragments?
Tests your understanding of ViewModel lifecycle scoping beyond a single screen. To share, scope the ViewModel to the parent Activity or a navigation graph using activityViewModels() or navGraphViewModels().
How to use a nested navigation graph for a login flow?
Tests your ability to structure complex UI flows using Navigation Component. A great answer defines a separate login graph XML, includes it in the main graph, and navigates to the graph's ID. This encapsulates the flow, making it reusable.
Why is LiveData<Boolean> bad for one-time ViewModel events?
Tests if you know LiveData holds state, not events. A good answer explains that LiveData re-emits on configuration changes, causing repeated events. The solution is to model events as part of the UI state and consume them.
We are hiring for this. Every open role lists the topics its interview covers, so you can prepare for the real thing rather than guessing.
See open roles