Introduction

Mobile app testing isn’t easy—thousands of devices, screen sizes, OS versions, and user behaviors. That’s why interviewers often ask tricky, scenario-based questions to test how you think, not just what you know. Here’s a list of some real tricky questions you might face in 2025 interviews and how to answer them confidently:

Common Tricky Questions

1. You only have one day to test an app before release. What do you do?

Answer: Prioritize critical flows: login, payments, navigation, and crashes. Show you know risk-based thinking.

2. The app crashes only on one device model. How do you approach it?

Answer: Talk about device fragmentation, cloud device labs, OS-specific issues, and clear bug reports.

3. How do you test when the app must work offline or in poor network conditions?

Answer: Mention airplane mode, network throttling, caching validation and retry mechanisms.

4. The app works fine on emulator but crashes on real devices. Why?

Answer: Explain emulator limitations: hardware, sensors and performance differences. Always validate on real devices.

5. How do you test apps for foldable phones and wearables?

Answer: Focus on responsive layouts, adaptive UI, hardware compatibility, and new user gestures.

6. How do you test push notifications?

Answer: Check delivery (with app open, background, killed), action buttons, deep-links, and OS-level permissions.

7. How do you test battery consumption in a mobile app?

Answer: Monitor app using Android Profiler/Xcode Instruments, check for background tasks, and test long-running sessions.

8. What would you do if the app runs fine in your test environment but users complain in production?

Answer: Validate real-user conditions (network, device load, data volume), review logs/analytics, and reproduce with production configs.

9. How do you test in-app payments securely?

Answer: Use sandbox environments (Google Play, Apple Sandbox), test failed payments, cancellations, refunds, and edge cases.

10. How do you test app performance during peak traffic?

Answer: Use JMeter/Gatling for API load, simulate multiple concurrent users, monitor server response times, and test under stress.

11. How do you handle app testing when new OS versions are released?

Answer: Test early on beta OS releases, validate backward compatibility, and maintain a device lab/cloud testing setup.

12. What do you do if a bug is intermittent and hard to reproduce?

Answer: Collect detailed repro steps and device/environment info, use screen recording, log analyzers, and report with as much context as possible.

Extra Curveball Questions

“If logs aren’t available after a crash, how do you debug?” 

Answer: Use tools like Firebase Crashlytics, Android Studio logs, or device logs.

“If a release is blocked by QA, how do you handle pressure from management?” 

Answer: Show soft skills: prioritize user trust, propose partial releases, and explain risks in business terms.

“How do you test apps with location-based features?” 

Answer: Use GPS simulators, mock locations, and real-world movement testing.

Key Takeaways

These tricky questions aren’t about “catching you out”—they are about seeing if you can think critically, prioritize effectively, and balance technical + soft skills. Always frame answers with a real-world approach and tie them back to user experience and quality.