Sr Messages Infrastructure Engineer
Apple
Other Engineering
San Francisco, CA, USA · Oregon, USA · San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA · Multiple locations
USD 181,100-318,400 / year + Equity
Posted on Mar 17, 2026
Join Apple’s Messages team as an engineer responsible for designing and ensuring the robustness of Messages core on-device architecture and sync infrastructure. Our team is dedicated to creating exceptional user experiences, as Messages is a crucial platform for secure global connections. You will focus on the foundational data structures, APIs, and persistence layers that power Messages across iOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS. Work on building and scaling infrastructure related to Messages in iCloud utilizing CloudKit, SQLite databases, and system daemons. You will have the opportunity to work closely with partner teams in iCloud, Telephony, IdentityServices. Come be part of the team helping our customers connect to their most important people in delightful, expressive ways.
Every day, millions of people connect via Messages, expressing and sharing with the people who matter most to them in many different ways. We are constantly adding new communication tools for iMessage, all with end-to-end encryption for both individual and group conversations. We believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and you’ll incorporate this belief into everything we build.
- Designing and maintaining the on-device architecture that stores, vends, and syncs Messages data across iOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS.
- Developing robust data structures, APIs, and database schemas to support innovative new Messages features.
- Building and optimizing sync infrastructure, specifically focusing on Messages in iCloud and CloudKit integration.
- Managing system daemons, attachment storage, and transcoding pipelines.
- Creating testable code to rigorously test changes and ensure consistent quality and backwards compatibility over time.
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams—including peer engineers on protocols, security, platform API, and user experience—to build exciting new features.
- Strong object-oriented development and design skills
- At least 6 years of industry experience building mobile applications
- The ability to adapt quickly to new technical environments and resolve sophisticated problems
- A passion for modular, maintainable, testable code
- At least 2 years of prior hands-on iOS or macOS application development
- Experience with Swift and/or Objective-C preferred
- Experience with databases (SQLite), sync frameworks (CloudKit), and system daemons (XPC)
- Experience with system concepts including multi-threaded processing, synchronization, and interprocess communication
- Experience maintaining legacy code and backwards compatibility, with a record of replacing legacy code with new things in non-disruptive ways
- Specific experience defining and driving data structures, APIs, or persistence layers for communication features
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant.