I'm not at Apple but I've placed candidates there and compared notes with a few former Apple TA colleagues. Here's the realistic picture of the Apple recruiter screen, since there's a lot of outdated info floating around.
The Apple recruiter phone screen is typically 30 minutes. Sometimes stretches to 45 if there's a lot to cover. It is not a technical round. It's screening for:
1. Basic fit and role clarity. They're confirming you're not applying to the wrong job, that you understand what the team builds, and that your background plausibly maps to the work. Simple, but people fumble this by not researching the team.
2. Why Apple specifically. This is not optional fluff. Apple recruiters ask this sincerely and notice vague answers. "I've always loved Apple products" is not an answer. What is the team working on? What is your connection to that problem? If you can name something specific about the product area or engineering challenge, it lands. If you can't, it shows.
3. Compensation expectations. Apple sets comp by level, so there's less back-and-forth here than at some startups, but they still ask for your current comp range and expectations. In states where they can't ask current salary, they'll ask about your target range. Give a number. Being evasive frustrates everyone.
4. Logistics: location, start date, visa if relevant. If you're on a visa that requires sponsorship, disclose it here. Apple does sponsor H1Bs for some roles, but not all, and they need to know early.
5. Timeline. Do you have other offers or deadlines? They'll try to sync the loop to your timeline if possible.
What doesn't happen: they won't ask behavioral questions or technical questions. This is purely screening and scheduling.
Biggest mistake I see: people treat this like a casual call and don't prepare the "why Apple" answer. That question matters more than people expect.