Apple Interviews

I applied for a Software Engineer position with the Ads Delivery Team in Hyderabad, India, through Apple's careers portal. The screening round, conducted by another SWE, lasted 45 minutes. This interview primarily revolved around my resume and a detailed discussion of my technical experiences across various companies and teams, highlighting my learnings and key takeaways. We also delved into my current project, which is related to Ads, and the interviewer seemed particularly interested in it. A significant portion of the interview also involved answering several leadership principle-based questions.

During my phone screen with Apple for an ICT5 position, the interviewer posed an intriguing problem involving a game board. The task was to simulate placing a new black stone at a given (row, col) on a board and then determine the total count of white stones that would be captured as a result of this move. The board itself was represented by a 2D array, with 'e' for empty, 'b' for black, and 'w' for white. I had to devise an algorithm to identify and count all white stones that would become surrounded and captured by the newly placed black stone, alongside any existing black stones.

During my phone screen with Apple, the interviewer presented me with a classic data structure problem. I was given a sorted linked list of integers and tasked with implementing a method to transform it into a balanced binary search tree. The problem statement included a clear example to illustrate the expected output from a given linked list input.

I recently had an incredible opportunity to interview with Apple for the Reliability Engineering IS&T Intern role. The selection process was truly enriching, comprising two distinct rounds designed to assess not only my technical proficiency but also my problem-solving ability, collaborative spirit, and cultural fit.

Round 1: Technical (Elimination Round)

This round lasted approximately 50 minutes and focused heavily on Data Structures, Algorithms, and Core Computer Science Fundamentals. It kicked off with a brief introduction and a deep dive into one of my projects.

Introduction and Project Discussion

The interviewer asked me to introduce myself and elaborate on a project, specifically highlighting the technical challenges I faced, how I went about debugging issues, and the overall impact of my work.

DSA Questions (Live Coding)

This was the hands-on coding segment on CoderPad. I was given a few problems:

• Rotate a Matrix 90° Clockwise: I implemented this directly in CoderPad.
• Merge K Sorted Linked Lists: For this, I discussed both the brute-force approach (merging one at a time) and a more optimized solution using a min-heap or priority queue.
• Maximum Length of a Mountain in an Array: I explained my logic and approach to solve this problem.
• LRU Cache: I detailed my design using a HashMap combined with a Doubly Linked List to ensure O(1) operations for both put and get operations.

Complexity and Theory

Following the coding, we moved into theoretical questions:

• What does O(1) space complexity mean?
• The difference between O(log n) and O(n) time, which I illustrated with real-world examples, particularly using database indexing.

Computer Networks Discussion

We then delved into Computer Networks:

• What happens when you search for google.com? I covered both iterative and recursive DNS queries.
• Why are protocols necessary in communication?
• The difference between TCP and UDP, which I explained using an analogy: emailing (prioritizing reliability) versus live streaming (needing speed and tolerating some data loss).
• What is caching, and how does it improve performance? I used DNS caching as an example.
• There was a brief follow-up on L1, L2, and L3 cache levels, which was the only area where I felt less confident.

Within just 30 minutes of completing this round, I received an email confirming my shortlisting for the next stage, which was incredibly fast and exciting.

Round 2: Managerial + HR (Behavioral + Problem Solving)

This 50-minute round focused on values alignment, decision-making, and real-world problem-solving. The interviewer structured the discussion around three key themes: Collaboration, Invention, and Results. Each section involved about 5–6 behavioral questions, requiring me to draw examples from my past experiences and projects.

Collaboration

I was asked about times when I worked in a team without sufficient guidance and how I handled communication gaps to ensure consistent progress. I shared my experiences from large-scale hackathons like Smart India Hackathon and Code with Cisco, emphasizing teamwork, communication, and task division. I explained how I navigated limited guidance by coordinating closely and fostering shared ownership within the team.

Invention

Here, the interviewer inquired about instances where I came up with innovative solutions in any of my projects. I discussed my Second-Hand Car Price Prediction project, where I proposed a novel ensemble-based approach that significantly improved accuracy. I proudly mentioned that this work eventually led to a research paper publication, showcasing how I combine creativity with technical depth.

Results

This section focused on how I dealt with setbacks and ensured successful outcomes despite challenges. I recounted my experience building CollegeQuora, a platform designed to help students collaboratively clear academic doubts. I highlighted how the platform enhanced engagement and knowledge sharing within the department, representing a tangible and meaningful outcome of my efforts.

This round felt less like a typical HR interview and more like a genuine conversation about my journey and mindset. The interviewer was keen on understanding my approach to challenges, how I collaborate, and how I translate ideas into measurable impact.

Verdict: Selected✅

After completing both rounds, I was absolutely thrilled to receive an offer from Apple the very next day. This experience truly stands out as one of the most enriching milestones in my journey.

I applied for an off-campus Junior Software Engineer (ICT-2) role at Apple in July and soon received an Online Assessment (OA) link. The OA consisted of two coding problems, both of which I solved successfully:

1. A variation of the knapsack problem, specifically referred to as 'Double Knapsack' or 'Maximum Weight in Two Bags'.
2. A grid traversal problem on a 15x10 grid where I had to follow a unique path made of '*' and lowercase letters, collecting the letters to form a string.

The interview focused on a Java backend role. It began with some cross-questions on my resume and fundamental Java concepts. Then, I was asked to solve 'Coin Change I' and 'Coin Change II', which I solved optimally with correct time complexity. Further questions covered Operating Systems (OS), Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs), and System Design, which I answered to the best of my ability. Throughout the interview, I conveyed my reservations about the specific work this team was engaged in, which led me to not anticipate a callback.

Application & Online Assessment

I've been applying to Apple on and off for the past 2–3 years. This time, I finally received an online assessment link for the IC3 Frontend Engineer role.

Assessment Format:

• Duration: 1 hour
• 2 Coding Questions (DSA + JavaScript): These were a mix of JavaScript and Data Structures & Algorithms — designed smartly to test both areas in tandem. The difficulty was easy to medium, but the time constraint made it challenging.
• 20 Multiple Choice Questions: Covered core JavaScript, React, and Frontend Engineering concepts.

Overall Assessment Difficulty: Medium to Hard, primarily due to the tight time limit.

Recruiter Call

About a week later, I received a call from an Apple recruiter.

What we discussed:

• My reason for looking out
• Why Apple?
• Compensation expectations

The recruiter was friendly and professional, and after our chat, I was moved to the next round: the technical interview.

Technical Interview (Screening + Coding)

This was a 60-minute video interview with an Apple engineer.

• React Output-Based Question

  The interviewer showed a small React code snippet involving the useContext API. I was asked to predict the output and explain the reasoning. Follow-up questions on React hooks:

  • useContext: its use in prop drilling and state management
  • useMemo & useCallback: optimizing performance in React components

  Tip: Be crystal clear with hook behaviors under different re-renders and props changes.

• Nested Tabs Rendering Problem (Coding Round)

  This was the main coding challenge — and also the most interesting one.

  Problem Statement: Given a flat array of tab objects with id, name, and parentId, render a nested tab or accordion structure in React where each tab appears under its parent.

  Sample Input JSON:

  [
  { "id": 1, "name": "Parent 1", "parentId": null },
  { "id": 2, "name": "Child 1.1", "parentId": 1 },
  { "id": 3, "name": "Child 1.2", "parentId": 1 },
  { "id": 4, "name": "Parent 2", "parentId": null },
  { "id": 5, "name": "Child 2.1", "parentId": 4 }
  ]
  

  Objective: Transform this into a nested UI structure, like:

  - Parent 1
   - Child 1.1
   - Child 1.2
  - Parent 2
   - Child 2.1
  

  My Approach: Converted the flat list into a tree-like structure using a map and used DFS to render tabs recursively.

  I was able to solve it and explain my logic clearly. The interviewer seemed satisfied.

• Web Security Basics

  Finally, I was asked a few questions on web security:

  • How can we secure a website?
  • Topics like HTTPS, Content Security Policy (CSP), CORS, and securing cookies came up.

Outcome

After 4 weeks, I heard back from the recruiter:

“Someone else has joined for this position. We'll reach out if similar roles open up.”

Yes, I felt a little disappointed. But I was also genuinely happy knowing someone else just got their dream job. That's life.

Hi Folks, Applied for Java,Spring Boot, Microservices role. PS: This is my first FAANG experience. :)

YOE: 5.9 College: Tier-3 Currently SSE @ Walmart

OA Experience: Link

After 2 weeks, recruiter scheduled 2 elimination rounds back to back. Both the rounds were virtual.

Round #1: Taken by a ICT3 (4 YOE) DSA: Trapping rain water problem. (30 min) Java/Spring Boot (Theoretical): (30 min)

1. Multiple questions on Spring Cloud components and use cases.
2. Default method in interface
3. Spring MVC vs Spring Boot
4. Comparator vs Comparable
5. CAP theorem
6. Lambda expressions
7. Microservices resiliency aspects. (ratelimiting, circuit breaking)
8. explain Factory design pattern with example

Round #2: Taken by a SSE (12+ YOE, Guy was from Wipro, later converted his contract) System Design: BookMyShow (end to end) (40 min) Focused on various aspects: Booking Flow, Onboarding of shows, Search of nearby cinema halls, analytics. $$Advice:$$ Go through the codekarle videos. Java/Spring Boot (Theoretical) : (20 min)

1. Spring Cache related questions
2. BeanFactory vs ApplicationContext
3. Concurrent collections : I explained ConcurrentHashMap.
4. whats a Future?

Feedback is positive and 3 further rounds were scheduled next week on consecutive days.

Round #3: Taken by a EM (15+ YOE, Again a Wiproite) (60 min) 15 min intro. All sorts of behavioral related questions were asked. Tell me a time when you innovated. Tell me a time when you had a disagreement with peer. Tell me a time when you delivered in short time and reprioritized work. Tell me a time when you used some new technology in the project. Tell me a time when... All answers given in STAR format.

This guy was sitting in US timezone (8am PST) and slept through the entire interview. I could literally see his eyes closing down. IS&T org is truly filled with mediocrity.

Round #4: Taken by a SWE (15+ YOE, A wiproite, not surprised) (60 min) 5 min intro.

1. Create an immutable class. Full working code is expected.
2. TinyURL design discussion. Explained 2 approaches: Base62 and MD5 Hash, and its pros and cons.
3. Given an array with repeating elements, return K most frequent elements.

Round #5: (after 1 week, got rescheduled)

1. implement LRU Cache. Full working code is expected along with test cases. (Used HashMap and Doubly LinkedList)
2. Make the above code thread safe. (Used ReentrantReadWriteLock and used ConcurrentHashMap instead of HashMap)
3. Complexity of above code.
4. What is string intern?
5. Why do we override equals and hashcode method?

I felt that the interviewer was not paying attention to what I was saying. He kept arguing that LRU cache could be implemented with just map and DLL was not required. I explained my thought process twice but he was not ready to accept. I dont think this old guy (40+) had adequate knowledge.

Its been a week, no update. Got ghosted i guess. Overall my take is that Apple doesnt have a clear interview process, as you can see HM was 3rd round instead of last for me. And even recruiter also doesnt know the order of the rounds. So, you need to be prepared well for anything.

#apple #faang

YOE: 5.5 College: Tier-3 Currently SSE @ Walmart Applied directly at Apple's careers website.

Coderpad Link was shared which had 2 questions (Java based) with 70 min time limit.

I received a message from a linkedin recruiter . Recruiter was looking for people who have worked with Spark .

1. HM - hiring manager round focused on prior experience . 1 technical question . If you have an SQL query which is taking a lot of time . how will you debug . WHat all will you check i said location of the DB server . Check SQL plan . Check indexes.

2. HM- Another similar round focused on prior experience . 1 technical question . Why use columnar DBs over other database . What excites you to come to work everyday . 3. DSA round- similar to this https://leetcode.com/problems/remove-duplicates-from-sorted-array/description/ . with the twist that max K similar is allowed . 4. HM Another work experience round - Some questions on spark and alternatives . All work history rounds were in depth questions to check if you have really worked on them Questions like . What all alternatives were there . Why did you choose this . How does it help to scale etc etc . 5. Full stack round- I wasn't prepared for questions on react since haven't worked on it for 3 years . Frontend questions on react like use effect , hooks . Some of them went above my head :) . then a question . Given a function which returns a shallow copy of a object in json format . Take an oject as input and return a deep copy of the object . you can only use the function . DSA question - https://leetcode.com/problems/meeting-rooms-ii/description/ . I was seeing this for the first time . gave the correct solution using Priority Queue but then the interviewer said that the hours are fixed from 1 to 24 . Wasn't able to come up with the exact solution but came close . 6. System design round - How to scale an application from 100 to 1 million requests per second

No feedback . Generic rejection mail

Hello guys,

Recently got shortlisted for a full stack developer position for Apple Hyderabad office. Here's how the interview went

Firstly, there is an online assesment on coderpad which needs to be done. The test has roughly 25 questions, a mix of MCQs and coding problems. It is very difficult to finish the test on time, and its okay if 2-3 questions get left out.

After that a recruiter will reach out to you to schedule interviews. I gave two interviews , each lasting for almost 1.5 hrs.

For frontend, I was given option whether I'd like react or angular questions and since I've been working on react lately, I opted for it.

The question was given a dataset of employees which have attributes as id, name, department and reportees which is a list of employees again, implement a file structure kind of system where on clicking one employee you must see it's data and reportees.

Did a basic working implementation of the same using functional components. Dont focus much on styling or css.

Follow up question to this was what if any employee has no reportees? Make sure to handle edge cases carefully.

Provided a working solution with all edge cases handled.

Second round was on same day for Java. Same coderpad setup which was for frontend round too to code.

Question was given an array of words determine which words are anagrams and return them

ex. I/P : ["bat", "tab", "eat", "tea"] O/P: [["bat","tab"],["eat","tea"]]

Did a brute force method approach first, then with a few hints optimized it by using hashmap where key is the word and value is 26 length integer of 1s and 0s representing the count of alphabets with a delimiter like # after count of every alphabet.

Missed out on edge case handling of blank sting in input. Couldn't complete an executable code. Interviewer also deep dived into time and space complexities of the appraoches and asked working of hashmap, what happens when there is collision, deep dived into red black trees and its concept.

Final verdict: Rejected, no feedback, just an auto generated email saying thanks(wtf?) Feeling really dejected

My Apple Interview Experience - Java Backend Engineer

I recently interviewed for a Java Backend Engineer role at Apple and would like to share a detailed breakdown of my experience.

Round 1: Java, Spring Boot, and Coding

Java Fundamentals

• I discussed why Java is platform-independent.
• I compared Java with platform-dependent languages and explained the reasons for the difference.
• I elaborated on the difference between ArrayList and Map.
• I addressed why a Map cannot be used for all purposes.
• I differentiated between Map and Set.
• I detailed what inheritance is, along with its types and examples.
• I explained the static keyword, its usage, and provided an example from my project.

Spring Boot Questions

• I discussed the use of Beans in Spring.
• I explained the differences between Java and Spring.
• I articulated why we use Spring.
• I provided explanations and examples for commonly used Spring Boot annotations.

Coding Questions

For each coding question, I presented two solutions and coded one when requested.

Round 2: Spring Boot, Multithreading, and System Design

Spring Boot Basics

• I discussed where Spring Boot and Node.js run.
• I identified which file is used for downloading dependencies (e.g., pom.xml for Maven).
• I mentioned other available dependency management tools besides Maven.
• I also answered additional Spring Boot questions, though I don't recall them in detail.

Multithreading Question

I was asked to implement a countdown timer.

System Design Question

I was presented with a scenario to design a robust system for a large-scale application.

Final Thoughts

The interviewers were very engaging and focused on practical, real-world problem-solving. It was clear that deep dives into Java fundamentals and Spring Boot were expected. The system design round emphasized scalability and effectively handling large-scale users.

How My Profile Got Shortlisted:

Applying on the career site: It's commonly believed that just applying on a company's career portal isn't very effective. Surprisingly, this was not the case for me with Apple. Although I reached out to people on LinkedIn for referrals, I also applied for multiple positions on Apple's job portal without asking for a referral, and I still received interview calls. What's even better is that Apple allows candidates to be interviewed for multiple positions simultaneously, which was my experience in 2024.

Referral: That said, being referred significantly increases the chances of getting shortlisted. If you don't know someone within the company, reaching out on LinkedIn can definitely help.

Interview Questions (2022 Cycle):

Due to NDA, some questions are slightly modified.

1. Online HackerRank assessment: I faced two easy-medium questions with a time limit of 45 minutes.
   • Validate parentheses
   • Trapping rain water
2. DSA round: I was asked to create a phone directory where, given a phone number, I had to return the name (and vice versa). I initially considered a Trie, but a simple two-hashmap approach worked just fine.
3. Systems design round: This was probably the most challenging and interesting round. Instead of a standard problem, the interviewer picked one of my past projects and asked me to design a payment system that would work even if the internet was unavailable. The focus was on security, distributed authority, and avoiding a single source of truth. We ended up discussing various blockchain concepts.
4. Hiring manager round: The HM first asked me to explain how I would crawl URLs from a webpage and build a map of URLs to HTML pages using BFS. Then, they asked a few behavioral questions about challenges I've faced at work and disagreements with leadership.
5. Leadership round: This was more of a discussion about the company's vision, conducted by a skip-level manager.

Interview Questions (2024 Cycle - for several positions simultaneously):

1. Online HackerRank assessment: The format was the same as in 2022, with two medium-level questions.
   • Stickler thief in a circular array (with modifications: toys and fun units instead of houses and money)
   • Remove adjacent duplicates in string
2. Coding round: This round was quite diverse.
   1. In an open-ended question, I was asked to design a system that listens to messages related to various events (e.g., movie releases, sports events) from a data source. Each event type had different structures, so I had to decide on a flexible message format like JSON. The challenge was to design an efficient in-memory storage solution for real-time queries and aggregations, such as retrieving the next upcoming movie or the score of an ongoing match. The focus was on creating optimal data structures and ensuring quick, scalable access to the stored information.
   2. Longest common prefix: I initially used a Trie, but the interviewer asked for an alternate approach, so I switched to iterating through the array character by character.
   3. Reverse linked list within a range
   4. Depth of a binary tree
   5. Design snake game
   6. I was asked to build a React web page to display GDP data. Even though I hadn't worked with React before, I was allowed to Google during the interview to demonstrate my adaptability.
   7. SQL-related questions were asked, including querying top employees with the highest salary from each department.
   8. Optimizing Java code for summing integers:

      LinkedList<Integer> list;
      Long sum = 0;
      for (int i = 0; i < list.size(); ++i) {
          Long value = list.get(i); 
          sum += value;
      }
      

      My suggested optimizations were:

      • Avoid using Long (Object) instead of long (primitive) to prevent memory issues.
      • Use Iterator or switch to ArrayList for better performance with get(index) in LinkedList.
3. Systems design: This round had multiple distinct problems.
   1. Design an online block diagram maker app, including real-time updates for multiple users and infinite canvas size management.
   2. Design a system for managing asset prices, where changes in the price of one asset (e.g., Asset-A) would trigger changes in related assets (e.g., Asset-B, Asset-C) based on predefined relationships. The problem was modeled as a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) with weighted edges representing the price change dependencies. My task was to ensure that when a price change occurred, the system would efficiently propagate the updates across the dependent assets while maintaining low latency and consistency, similar to stock trading platforms.
   3. Develop an app similar to DigiYatra.
   4. We discussed concepts like Kafka vs. SQS, microservices architecture, circuit breakers, and quorum.
4. HM round: This was similar to the 2022 round, focusing on my past projects and behavioral aspects.

Offer:

The entire process took me 1–1.5 months. Apple's offer may not have the highest cash component, but I found the stock component to be very attractive. In my opinion, the culture, perks, and stock performance make it a great offer, which I happily accepted.

I applied for an AI/ML - Language Engineer position at Apple in Barcelona. My background includes a BS in Computer Engineering and Mathematics, and I am currently pursuing an M.Sc, with 6 years of experience as a Software Engineer. The interview process, which took place between November 2023 and January 2024, began with an introductory phone call.

Following this, I had three main interviews:

• Interview A: Project Management and Scripting (60 minutes)
• Interview B: Machine Learning and NLP (45 minutes)
• Interview C: Tech Learning & Problem Solving (45 minutes)

• Explaining what a Hash Table/Map is, how to implement it, and strategies for dealing with collisions, including methods without using extra space.
• Based on my CV and previous experience with C#, I was asked about the difference between dynamic and static libraries.
• Explaining the difference between Depth First Search (DFS) and Breadth First Search (BFS).
• My understanding of DevOps and my experience with it.
• GIT-related questions:
  • What is the difference between git rebase and git merge?
  • How would I investigate a breaking change introduced between a high quantity of commits?
  • What is my favorite git command and why?

• Contains Duplicate (LC easy)
• One Edit Distance (LC medium)

I recently went through the interview process for an Embedded Software Engineer position at Apple Munich. Having over 1 year of experience, I applied through their careers portal and received an invitation for a hiring manager round approximately two weeks later.

Hiring Manager Round (Virtual)

• Semaphore vs. Mutex?
• Difference layers of 4G and 5G, how do they differ? What's new in 5G?
• Carrier aggregation concept and which layer does it affect?
• Explain all layers in detail.
• What is the main role of the RLC layer?
• Other general communication engineering questions.

For the non-technical questions, I was asked:

• When can you start?
• Explain a bad situation with your team members and how you resolved it.
• Explain a mistake you made at work and how you fixed it.

Second Interview (The challenging part, 1 hour)

He then moved to a Coderpad session:

• Implement a linked list, insert at head, and then reverse it. I honestly didn't expect such a question for an embedded role at Apple, but I tried my best, although I didn't fully meet his expectations.
• The second question was more straightforward and expected: bit manipulation, specifically setting and getting bits.

Two weeks later, I received the rejection mail.

During my onsite interview at Apple, I was presented with two coding challenges: Course Schedule (LeetCode 207) and Pacific Atlantic Water Flow (LeetCode 417). Beyond the coding, a significant portion of the interview involved in-depth discussions on core computer science fundamentals and various debugging methodologies. While I ultimately accepted an offer from Google, I gained valuable insights into Apple's technical interviewing process through this experience.