Can’t find the android developer options? Looking for a way to enable them? What you will find inside? Looking for answers? Well, you have come to the right place. In this tutorial I shall guide you how to enable android developer options and how to use them. Android developer options are something that is usually hidden from the sight of a normal user. But, it doesn’t mean that a non-developer cannot access them or use them.

Android developer options let you completely change the behavior of your device. by enabling the developer options you can do some advance stuff like USB Debugging, you can root your android phone by unlocking the bootloader, change the animation draw speed to make it more faster to switch between apps and use multiple applications at a better speed with convenience, Bug reports can be captured and many more.

From the android version 4.2 and higher android Developer options were hidden by Google. To unlock the android developer options you just need to follow steps mentioned below:

Steps to unlock Android developer options:

1. Go to your phone Settings.

   

2. Go to About Phone.

   

3. Tap on Build number “seven times”. After completing the count you will see a notification stating “You are a Developer now”.

   

4. Now when you have unlocked the hidden treasure, let us have a look at some options and features that it has to offer.

General Options:

The general options include the following discussed below:

• Memory: This option lets you see the complete detailed performance of the device memory. For example, how much memory is available, how much memory is being used by the apps, how much is used by the system, how much is free, average memory usage and total size of the device memory. Some devices may show the performance of certain time period like 3hours, 6hours, 12hours and 1 day.
• Stay awake: This feature is simple. It just keeps your cell phone awake when it’s charging. It never lets your phone fall asleep. But be careful because it will keep your cell phone unlocked for a long time, and you surely don’t want someone snooping on the privacy.
• Desktop backup password: It lets you create a password so that you can create backups and restore apps and data under password protection.
• Enable Bluetooth HCI snoop log: It captures all the Bluetooth packets in single file. Files are retrievable and the data can be fetched using software like Wireshark.
• Create a bug report: It lets you take screen shots bugs generating or some issues people face sometimes regarding speed and performance of the device. There are two types of reports that can be generated using this feature. (1) Interactive report: this feature lets you generate report of a particular issue. (2) Full report: it generates full report of your device performance.
• Enable OEM unlock: If you want to install custom ROM, then this is the option. This option unlocks the bootloader of your device. Now you can root your device and do some cool stuff. BUT, it nullifies the device warranty and makes it vulnerable to many security risks and harmful requests cannot be blocked anymore.
• Running Services: This option shows complete performance of your device memory with stats under one roof. How much memory system is using, how much is used by the apps and how much memory is free. And a separate memory usage log of every application.

Debugging Section:

Following are the debugging options discussed below:

• USB Debugging: By using this feature developers can remotely install and debug/run apps on the android devices from remote computers. This provides developers an ease of access but it also poses a security threat as anyone can access and install any kind of harmful app on the cell phone.
• System Tracing: This feature in the developer options lets you record all the activities for analysis and improvement of the device performance. For example, ADB, CPU frequency, Network, Activity manager. These are some categories of which activities can be recorded.
• Select mock location app: It lets you fake your location to test if a certain application is behaving the same in other locations.

Networking options:

Let’s have a look at some networking options here:

• Mobile data always on: This option keeps mobile data always on even the cell phone is connected to a Wi-fi service. This option becomes crucial when somebody is on an important call or a meeting and electricity suddenly goes off this can save you from the inconvenience.
• USB Configuration: It lets you set a default option whenever cell phone is connected to a device through USB.
  • Charge only: This will allow your cell phone to charge only and do nothing else.
  • Media Transfer Protocol (MTP): this lets you transfer any kind of media to the device or computer connected through USB.
  • Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP): Picture transfer protocol lets you share or transfer only pictures to the connected device.
  • USB Tethering: this will allow your cell phone to act like a “modem” will begin to provide internet service to your computer system or any connected device.

Bluetooth:

Wireless file transfer method is crucial to every phone today. By enabling android developer options you can do a lot more.

• AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile): This option provides playback access on remote devices.
• Audio sample rate: let’s make is simple. Audio sample rate is samples of audio carried per second from a continuous sound wave. If the rate is higher the quality will be better.
• Number of devices connected at a time: This is a matter of choice of users that how many devices he/she wants to be connected simultaneously via Bluetooth.

Input:

This section gives you options to control the screen input. Let us have a brief look.

• Show Taps: By enabling this feature you will able to see each and every tap whenever you touch the screen.
• Pointer location: Pointer location shows the current touched data on the screen.

Apps:

By using this option you can limit the application activity. How? Let’s see.

• Don’t keep activities: Enabling this feature will destroy every activity instantly when you leave the application. Developers use this option to avoid unnecessary caching.
• Background Process Limit: It limits the application activities running in the background. It saves your cell phone from lagging or slowing down as there could be many apps running at the backend.
• Force applications to be Resizable: Want to do MULTITASKING? Make your applications resizable using this feature and run them on a split screen.

How to disable Android Developer Options?

One question still remains unanswered. How to disable the android developer options? No rocket science. Not tough at all. Just open the “Developer Options” look at the top and toggle the button “off”. Piece of cake!!

Conclusion:

There is a whole new world once you unlock the android developer options. A lot of exciting and fascinating options you can play with and learn a lot. The developer options let you decide each and everything according to your choice even change the entire look and behavior of cell phones. BUT, there are options you don’t want to play with, like USB debugging, OEM unlocking (be careful to use OEM unlocking). Having said that, feel free to explore, make errors, learn from them and do some unique stuff.