What a mobile engineer does
A mobile engineer builds and maintains apps for iPhone and Android phones: the screens, the code that talks to your backend, offline storage, notifications, and the releases through the App Store and Google Play.
- Builds screens and flows that feel right on each platform.
- Connects the app to your APIs and handles slow or missing connections.
- Stores data on the phone and keeps it in sync with the server.
- Adds push notifications, payments, maps or the camera when the product needs them.
- Ships releases through App Store review and Google Play, and reads the crash reports after each one.
Native or cross-platform?
Native engineers write Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android, and most specialize in one of the two. Cross-platform engineers use React Native or Flutter to ship one codebase to both stores. Native fits apps that depend on the camera, Bluetooth, heavy animation or the newest platform features. Cross-platform fits most business apps, and small teams that need both stores from one engineer. Say in the job post which one your app uses, because engineers usually work in one approach.
Skills to look for
A senior mobile engineer has apps in the stores with real users and can explain how they kept them stable from one release to the next. These are the skills to check.
- Swift and SwiftUI for iOS, Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for Android, or React Native with TypeScript, or Flutter with Dart.
- REST or GraphQL APIs, sign-in and offline data.
- Testing on real devices and screen sizes, plus automated interface tests.
- Release work: signing, App Store and Google Play review, staged rollouts and feature flags.
- Crash reporting and performance tools, and the habit of checking them after each release.
- Accessibility on mobile: screen readers, text size and contrast.
Interview questions that show real experience
Ask about apps the engineer shipped and what happened after people installed them. These questions show whether someone has owned an app in production.
- Which of your apps is live in a store? Walk me through one screen, from the API call to what the user sees.
- Tell me about a crash that only some users had. How did you find the cause?
- What does your app do with no connection, and what happens when the connection comes back?
- How do you release a risky change without breaking the app for everyone?
- What did you change to make an app start faster or use less battery?
Good answers name the devices, tools and measurements they used. If every example is a tutorial or a side project that never reached a store, keep looking.
Mobile, full stack or backend engineer?
If the app is the product, hire a mobile engineer. If the app is a small layer over a web product, a full stack engineer who knows React Native can cover both. If the slow part is the server behind the app, start with a backend engineer.
Why Latin America for mobile work
Mobile teams need quick fixes when a store review rejects a build or a crash shows up after a release. Engineers in Mexico City, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and São Paulo work within two hours of New York time all year, so new builds and fixes happen during your working day. See the time zone comparison.
How we help
Tell us about the role. We speak with each engineer about it before we share their profile, and you receive a shortlist of vetted engineers. You only pay when you hire, and if the hire leaves within 90 days, we find a replacement for free.
Questions companies ask
Should I hire one engineer per platform?
For a first mobile hire, a cross-platform engineer who ships to both stores is often enough. Teams with a large native app usually hire for iOS and Android separately.
Can a mobile engineer also work on the backend?
Some can, especially React Native engineers with Node.js experience. If the role needs both, say so in the job post and ask about server code they have written.
Can the engineer work as a contractor?
Yes. Boecia Talent recruits for contractor and full-time roles, and each role says which one. The company hires the engineer directly or through an employer of record or contractor platform such as Deel or Remote; Boecia Talent never employs the engineer. More in contractor or employee in Latin America.
Do I pay anything if I do not hire?
No. Companies pay Boecia Talent only when they hire someone it introduced. The fee depends on the role and is given in the quote before any work starts, and a hire who leaves within 90 days is replaced for free.
Related guides
Tell us about the role. You only pay when you hire.
Tell us about the role