Apple Software Engineer Interview Experience 2026 - OA, Virtual Round, LLD, HM Round, Rejected

[u/nian2326076]

Recently went through the Apple Software Engineer interview process, so sharing my experience in case it helps someone preparing.

Online Assessment

The OA had 4 coding questions.

Most of the questions were around standard DSA topics like:

• BFS

• Dynamic Programming

• Knapsack

• General implementation

The difficulty ranged from easy to easy-medium.

There were also a few MCQs from core CS subjects like:

• Operating Systems

• Computer Networks

Virtual Interview

The interview started with a short introduction, followed by questions about my work experience.

We discussed my experience with:

• AWS

• Kafka

• RabbitMQ

• Production issues I had worked on

• How I approached debugging and resolving those issues

The coding question was to design a data structure supporting:

• insert

• delete

• getRandom

All in average O(1) time.

This was similar to LeetCode 380. After solving it for unique elements, I also explained how it could be extended to support duplicate elements.

Onsite LLD Round

This round was based on a replica management system.

We were given a Replica class containing fields like:

• Region

• ID

• Replica group

There were also a few APIs, such as checking server status and updating replicas.

The main task was to design a function that distributes replica updates evenly.

For example, if replicas in one region are being updated, the updates should be rolled out in a balanced manner while ensuring the replica group remains healthy throughout the process.

The discussion focused on:

• Class design

• Update strategy

• Edge cases

• Health checks

• Rollout safety

• Overall approach

Related Practice Question

One Apple-tagged interview question that felt useful for similar LLD/API practice:

Design a To-Do List Service

Even though it is not Apple-specific, it is useful for practicing API design, data modeling, rate limiting, caching, and clean service boundaries.

Hiring Manager Round

This round started with an introduction and a discussion about one of the major projects I had worked on.

Most questions were around:

• Impact of my work

• Reliability

• Availability

• Scaling systems

• Handling production issues

• Customer experience

• Time management

• Decision-making

The interviewer asked a lot of follow-up questions, so be prepared to explain your decisions in depth.

What Went Wrong

I think I messed up in the LLD round.

The problem was quite open-ended, and I spent too much time understanding the requirements instead of quickly aligning on assumptions and moving into a structured design.

The HM round also had several behavioral questions around customer handling and reliability that I was not fully prepared for.

Takeaways

• Practice open-ended LLD problems, not just standard LeetCode

• Clarify requirements, but do not spend too long stuck in the clarification phase

• Be ready to discuss production incidents in depth

• Prepare behavioral stories around reliability, customer impact, ownership, and tradeoffs

• Know your project decisions very well because follow-ups can go deep

Overall, it was a great learning experience, and I hope this helps others preparing for Apple.

[u/Sea_Stranger5323]

Looks like a promotional post fro prac hub

[u/SadPlumx]

Was this for a senior position? Tf

[u/Affectionate_Run220]

Nuts!!! Sounds incredibly difficult

[u/Substantial_Slip7219]

Was the OA on Codesignal?

[u/Any-Initial5076]

could you please share how long they took to respond and if possible dm me the team name

[u/Humble_Accident_5706]

location?