This guide will show you how to enable developer options on Android phone in a few simple steps and take control of your device.
In Android phones, the developer options are hidden by default as they are meant to be used by developers who want to test various features and make changes that may impact the phone’s performance. Thus, messing around with Android developer options without a specific purpose and understanding how they work is not advisable.
For inexperienced users, it is best to leave the developer options alone and not tamper with them. Even experienced Android users should only make changes with caution, as they can have unforeseen consequences.
Also, read: How to Turn Off Developer Mode on Android
What is Developer Options on Android?
The Android developer options is more like an advanced option for Android phones. It is an advanced settings menu for Android devices, it enables various advanced features for developing Android apps or customizing hardware or software. It is mostly used for rooting and unrooting phones. But it has a lot more things to offer that some Android users don’t even know.
Here is the list of Android developer options:
- Stay awake: When you put your phone on charging, your Android phone goes into sleep mode. It saves your Android phone battery as it saves your battery when you’re not using it. You can however enable the option to stay awake option which will make your screen never sleep while charging.
- Wait for debugger: If you’re developing an app and you’re working on debugging it so you don’t have to open your Android studio or anything, you can just put this option and your phone will wait for the debugger to connect.
- USB debugging: USB debugging is intended for development purposes only on your Android phone. You can use it to copy data between your computer and your device. You can also use it to install apps on your device without notification and also read log data.
- Verify apps over USB: This option lets the Android phone to verify the apps installed via ADB/ADT for any harmful behavior. This helps to protect your device from malware and other harmful apps that may be installed using ADB/ADT
ADB/ADT stands for Android Debug Bridge/Android Development Tools. These are tools that allow you to connect your Android device to a computer and interact with it. You can use ADB/ADT to install apps, manage files, and debug apps.
These are just a few examples of functions under the developer options. There are more that you can explore and learn about.
How to Enable Developer Options on Android
If you’re an advanced Android user or a developer, you may need to enable developer options on your Android device to access certain features or settings. Enabling developer options on Android allows you to take control of your device and customize it to suit your needs. In this article, I have used Samsung Galaxy A32, which runs on Android 13.
The developer options can be found on your Android smartphone under settings. Here is how to enable developer options on Android phone:
Step 1: Go to Settings on your Android phone.
Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom and tap the About phone section.
Step 3: Select Software Information and then you will see your phone’s Build Number and other software information such as Android and Kernel versions, UI Version, etc.
Step 4: Tap on the build number 7 times. As you continue to tap, you will see the steps counting down to enable developer options. You may be prompted to enter your phone pattern, PIN, or password to enable the developer options menu.
Once you’ve enabled developer options, you will see a popup message on the screen that reads “Developer mode has been enabled”. In other Android phone versions, the pop message for developer options may be different e.g. “You are now a developer”.
Note that you can turn off the developer mode by toggling off the developer mode button or clearing the settings app storage.
Step 5: Go back to Settings, and you will find the “Developer options” menu has been added to your Android phone, and tap on it to open it.
What are the benefits of developer options?
Android developer options will enable you to do the following:
1. Root your phone and install other Operating systems
2. You can fake your device’s GPS location by setting up a GPS spoofing on your mock location app
3. Use developer mode to speed up device animations
4. USB debugging and verification of apps over USB.
5. Check memory usage on installed apps and force apps into dark mode on all apps that don’t support the dark theme feature.
Is it safe to enable developer mode in Android?
Enabling developer mode on Android simply reveals a hidden menu of features for developing Android apps or customizing hardware or software. This does not affect your phone’s performance or battery life.
How do I turn on developer mode on Android?
Go to phone settings, scroll down and tap on About phone, select software information, and finally tap on build number seven times. Developer mode will be enabled.
How to Enable USB Debugging on Android
USB debugging allows Android Studio and other SDK tools to recognize your device when connected via USB. USB debugging can be found under the developer options.
How to enable USB debugging on Android 13 or higher:
Go to settings> scroll down and tap on developer options>toggle the USB debugging button and press OK.
Enable Developer Options on your Phone
Now that you how to enable developer options on Android, take control of your device and customize it to suit your needs. If you use developer options correctly, you can perform multiple tasks on your Android device with less time and effort. Knowing what developer options do can also help you unlock your device’s hidden potential.
If you experience unusual behavior on your mobile device, you can send an error report to your phone manufacturer or any of their authorized service centers for assistance.
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