Android interviews test the platform's fundamentals — the activity/fragment lifecycle (the single most common topic), architecture patterns, Jetpack components, and Kotlin concurrency. Here are the Android developer interview questions that actually get asked. (See also our Kotlin guide.)
Lifecycle & components
- Explain the activity lifecycle (onCreate, onStart, onResume…).
- The fragment lifecycle, and activity vs fragment.
- How do you handle configuration changes (screen rotation)?
- What are Intents, Services, and Broadcast Receivers?
- What is the Context?
Architecture & Jetpack
- MVVM vs MVP vs MVC — and why MVVM is standard.
- ViewModel, LiveData / StateFlow, and why they survive config changes.
- Jetpack components — Room, Navigation, WorkManager.
- Jetpack Compose vs XML layouts.
- Dependency injection (Hilt/Dagger).
Concurrency & performance
- Kotlin coroutines for async work (our Kotlin guide).
- The main thread and ANRs (Application Not Responding).
- Memory leaks — common causes and how to avoid them.
- RecyclerView and efficient lists.
How to prepare
Android rounds probe lifecycle and architecture verbally. Practise explaining the lifecycle and MVVM out loud. Greenroom runs spoken technical interviews that follow up on your reasoning. Pair it with our Kotlin guide.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common Android interview questions?
Common Android questions cover the activity and fragment lifecycle, handling configuration changes, Intents, Services and Broadcast Receivers, Context, architecture patterns (MVVM vs MVP vs MVC), Jetpack components (ViewModel, LiveData/StateFlow, Room, Navigation, WorkManager), Jetpack Compose, dependency injection with Hilt/Dagger, Kotlin coroutines, ANRs, memory leaks, and RecyclerView.
What is the Android activity lifecycle?
The activity lifecycle is the sequence of callback states an activity moves through: onCreate (initialization), onStart (becoming visible), onResume (interactive), onPause (losing focus), onStop (no longer visible), onDestroy (being removed), and onRestart. Understanding it is essential for managing resources, saving state across configuration changes like rotation, and avoiding leaks, which is why it's the most common Android interview topic.
Why is MVVM the standard architecture for Android?
MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) is standard because it cleanly separates UI from business logic and works naturally with Android's lifecycle. The ViewModel survives configuration changes like rotation, holds UI state, and exposes it via observable streams (LiveData or StateFlow), so the View simply reacts to data changes. This improves testability, reduces lifecycle bugs, and is well supported by Jetpack.
How should I prepare for an Android interview?
Master the activity and fragment lifecycle, architecture patterns (especially MVVM and why ViewModel survives rotation), Jetpack components, and Kotlin coroutines for async work. Practise explaining the lifecycle and architecture decisions out loud with a voice-based mock interview that follows up, since these rounds probe understanding of why the platform works as it does.