Android has lots of tweaks available in its main Settings app, every bit well as the options panels in various apps. But did y'all know that the Developer options carte du jour hides boosted tools y'all can try?

The Developer options portion of Settings is hidden by default, but it'southward like shooting fish in a barrel to reveal the menu and poke effectually inside. Allow'south swoop into the best Android Developer options that you should check out.

How to Access Developer Options in Android

Android hides the Developer options menu by default. Because the options aren't necessary for normal employ, this keeps inexperienced users from changing settings that could end upwards harming their experience.

While we'll explicate each setting every bit nosotros go through them, be sure to lookout man what you lot tap in this carte du jour. Adjusting certain options by blow could result in operation bug.

To unlock Developer options, launch Settings and scroll all the way down to the Well-nigh telephone section near the bottom. Tap this, then almost the bottom of the resulting page, you should see the Build Number entry. Tap information technology several times until you see a message that says Y'all are now a programmer!

Once you practise this, go back to the main Settings folio and tap the System category. Expand the Advanced section (if necessary) and you'll observe a new Developer options menu entry.

We used a Pixel 4 running Android 12 for this list. Go on in mind that this process (likewise as the options in the bill of fare and their names) may differ if you take a telephone from another manufacturer or run a different version of Android. Google as well sometimes changes the settings in the Programmer options menu, so what'southward here now might disappear in the hereafter.

At present that you've opened this card, what are the best Developer options worth using? Since they are intended for software developers, not every choice is relevant for the boilerplate user. Let'southward await at the most useful choices.

ane. Stay Awake

With this option enabled, your phone's screen will stay on when plugged into a charger. For developers, this is useful for keeping an eye on your app over long periods of time, but normal users can take advantage of it, too.

If you lot demand to go along Twitter or a similar app open for live updates without regularly tapping the screen to keep it awake, this setting can help. Just note that if you have an AMOLED screen, you should be careful near leaving the screen on for as well long to prevent screen burn-in.

2. OEM Unlocking

As you may know, most Android devices give yous the freedom to install a custom ROM, which replaces the default OS with a new one. To exercise this, you must offset unlock your bootloader. Without doing so, the flashing process—which overwrites the current OS—won't work.

Note that enabling this setting does not actually unlock the bootloader; it simply gives the telephone the power to do so later using fastboot commands. Thus, y'all shouldn't enable this unless you programme to install a custom ROM on your device. Having it turned on makes your telephone more vulnerable.

three. Running Services

In Windows, you tin can use the Windows Task Manager to review current processes. Android doesn't have an app equivalent to this, but this Developer options entry is close. Running Services lets you view how much RAM currently running apps are using. Tap 1 to see each of its current processes and services in more detail.

While this is useful information, yous shouldn't worry nigh managing annihilation you run into here. Android does a fine job at treatment RAM on its own, so you shouldn't need to intervene.

We recommend using this data for informational purposes just. If it seems similar apps use too much RAM consistently, see how to properly manage retentiveness on your Android phone.

4. USB Debugging

No listing of Android Developer options tips would be complete without mention of USB debugging. It's essential for developers and useful for everyone else.

USB debugging lets your Android device interface with your computer past using certain commands. Paired up with the Android SDK on your figurer, y'all can issue commands to your telephone to install apps, collect logging information, or fifty-fifty root the device. See our full explanation of USB debugging for more than info.

Information technology's a powerful function. Merely to stay secure, you should simply enable this choice when you need it, then turn it off afterward.

Android requires you to manually corroborate all USB debugging connections to new computers for safety. However, someone who stole your phone with USB debugging turned on could still mess with it past blessing the connection to their own machine. You can tap the Revoke USB debugging authorizations choice below the slider to reset all computers y'all've trusted in the past.

5. Select Mock Location App

It's no secret that our phones regularly rail our location, which raises privacy concerns. Simply did you know that Android is able to study simulated locations instead of where you really are? This setting requires you to install a split app that can create mock locations, such as Location Changer.

Once y'all have the app installed and selected from this Developer choice, you tin can use it to make your telephone report that y'all're anywhere yous like. Nonetheless, go along in mind that this only spoofs GPS coordinates—apps and websites can find where you really are through other information points, such as your IP address. You may wish to apply a VPN on Android for additional obfuscation of this information.

6. Feature Flags

You may recognize the term "flags" from other apps, like Google Chrome. They represent experimental features that Google may add together to stable releases in the time to come or discard entirely. The Feature Flags card is where you can wait to notice these features for Android.

At the time of writing, this carte du jour was empty on our Pixel iv running Android 12. You may see more options here at unlike times, particularly if you're running a beta version of Android. Take a wait every in one case in a while and see if in that location's annihilation you'd similar to attempt.

7. Forcefulness Peak Refresh Rate

Some newer Android devices, including the Pixel 6 line, have screens capable of outputting at high refresh rates. Historically, nearly phones take used 60Hz equally standard, but this is improving equally devices become more powerful.

If your phone dynamically changes refresh rates based on certain criteria, as modern Pixel devices practise, you can forcefulness it to ever use the high refresh rate with this option. Go along in mind that this will increment battery consumption, though.

Every bit a companion option, if y'all're curious to know what refresh rate your phone is currently using, enable Show refresh charge per unit to display information technology all the time.

8. Mobile Data Always Active

With this choice on, fifty-fifty when your phone is continued to a Wi-Fi network, it will keep its mobile data connection alive. It does and then to make network switching faster, which is convenient if y'all oftentimes switch between the two.

Whether you should utilize this depends on your use example. Having mobile data on in the background will use upwardly more battery life, especially if y'all're in an surface area with poor reception. In such cases, you lot might want to keep this Programmer option off.

Nevertheless, if yous utilise Wi-Fi Calling, yous should leave this enabled. Without it, calls will drop if you switch network types.

As well, if yous often use MMS to transport picture letters, you shouldn't turn this off, equally MMS doesn't work on Wi-Fi for some carriers. Information technology's best to get out it on and but turn it off if you desperately need better battery life.

9. Default USB Configuration

Android has several modes you can apply when connected to a computer via USB. By default, it will only charge your device and you have to select a data transfer mode each time, which becomes ho-hum if you connect frequently.

Use this option to select a default mode, including PTP, USB tethering, and others. For maximum security, though, you should exit this solitary.

10. Disable Accented Volume

Past default, absolute Bluetooth book is enabled on Android, which means that the book buttons on your phone and your Bluetooth device both control the aforementioned volume level. By and large, this is user-friendly, only it can crusade problems with some Bluetooth devices.

Turning accented book off (enabling this slider) means that your phone volume and the Bluetooth device will use two separate volume levels. Try doing so if your Bluetooth device's volume doesn't piece of work properly with your phone, or if it'due south extremely loud or quiet. With absolute volume disabled, you can set your Bluetooth device's volume to an acceptable level, so use your phone's volume buttons for fine-tuned adjustments.

Y'all may need to disconnect and reconnect any Bluetooth devices, or even reboot your phone, for absolute volume changes to take effect.

11. Testify Taps and Pointer Location

This pair of options lets you lot see more than virtually what you lot're touching on your phone. When Bear witness Taps is enabled, a small circle appears on the screen wherever your finger touches. This tin can be useful in ii situations.

The start is for accessibility—those who take difficulty with precise motion might appreciate having feedback of where they're touching. Having these circles is besides useful if you're creating a screencast from your phone, such as a tutorial. They permit viewers see exactly where you're touching.

For more affect data, attempt enabling Pointer location. This will show lines on the screen representing where you've touched, along with data virtually your inputs at the very summit of the display. This could exist useful if you're testing to cheque why a role of your Android screen is non working.

12. Animation Scales

Depending on how fast your telephone is, you might not detect them, merely Android plays animations when opening or switching betwixt apps. Using the Window blitheness scale, Transition blitheness scale, and Animator duration scale, you tin can conform how long these transitions have.

Try setting these at 1.5x the normal speed (or higher) if you'd like to brand your Android device feel a fleck snappier. However, depending on how speedy your device is, these animations might act to mask some hidden loading times when switching between apps. Thus, it might exist best to change them back to normal if your phone seems clunky afterwards speeding them upwardly.

13. Override Force-Nighttime

Starting with Android 10, the OS has had a organization-broad dark fashion. If you have information technology turned on at Settings > Display > Nighttime theme, compatible apps should also appear in nighttime mode, only not all apps back up this all the same. Enabling this slider makes all apps employ a nighttime mode, which is prissy if you hate light modes.

Keep in mind that results will vary, though. For example, some apps even so utilise calorie-free elements or have text that's hard to read on a nighttime background. Give it a attempt and run across what your favorite apps await similar. And in the meantime, don't forget to use the best Android dark mode apps that include the characteristic natively.

fourteen. Don't Keep Activities

We include this Android Developer option as an educational case. When yous enable this slider, Android will destroy every app's process as soon as y'all get out it. Developers can utilise this to test how their app behaves under dissimilar circumstances, and we can use information technology to come across why yous shouldn't constantly shut apps on your Android device.

Regularly closing apps manually, or using a job killer, destroys processes running in the background—processes that Android keeps alive to make sure you tin switch back to other apps quickly. This ends up forcing your telephone to practise more work stopping and starting the procedure than it would if you lot had just left it lone.

You can enable this setting if you want to experience the atrocious operation that killing every app brings, just you shouldn't leave it on once you've tried it out.

15. Standby Apps

Modern versions of Android keep track of which apps you utilize the nigh often, assuasive your phone to allocate resources to apps according to the time you spend on them.

This unremarkably happens in the groundwork, but if you're curious what frequency your phone has assigned to each app or want to change information technology, open this card. Next to each app, you'll see i of several values and can tap any entry to adjust its setting.

The settings are:

  • Active: Apps that y'all're using now or have used very recently. These apps take no restrictions on background usage.
  • Working Ready: The app runs often, but is not currently active. Usually, these are apps that you lot use daily. Android puts a few minor restrictions on these.
  • Frequent: Any app that you use often, but not every day. This would include apps that you lot launch at regular times throughout the calendar week. They accept more restrictions than the above.
  • Rare: Apps that yous don't employ frequently, similar those that you only use at specific locations. Android puts a lot of restrictions on these apps.
  • Restricted: The app uses a lot of resources, is almost never used, or acts in a suspicious way.

If you've disabled Android's Doze optimization for whatsoever apps, you'll see them grayed out and the Exempt condition listed.

There's also a subconscious Never entry, which merely applies to apps that you've installed but never opened. Android restricts these apps more any other category.

The Best Android Developer Options for Anybody

There are plenty of other settings in the Programmer options menu, simply near of them are useless unless you lot're developing Android apps. It's great that Google provides these tools for developers, who would otherwise take to bound through a lot of hoops to recreate certain conditions.

And even better, as we've seen, many of these Programmer options yet have a purpose for the boilerplate user. Try them today to get fifty-fifty more from your Android phone.

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Nearly The Author

Ben Stegner (1805 Manufactures Published)

Ben is the Editor in Main at MakeUseOf. He left his It job to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He's been roofing tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more than equally a professional writer for over viii years.

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