Developer options (most commonly found under the name developer options) are available on Android smartphones. Once you manage to access them, a lot of possibilities await you. First and foremost, the ability to enable USB debugging. I invite you to a quick guide for everyone. You'll see how to enable developer options on an Android smartphone or tablet and learn what USB debugging is for.
What are developer options on a smartphone?
Developer options on Android smartphones are nothing more than additional configuration settings for our device. However, every new smartphone has hidden developer options – primarily, manufacturers don't want us to interfere with the software they've prepared. At the same time, the open developer mode offers us many possibilities. We can influence the improvement of the device's performance, and even completely change its interface. Let's see how to enable developer options, and then what exactly we can change on our smartphone.
How to enable developer options?
You can enable developer options on any Android smartphone. The process itself may look different – it depends on the smartphone manufacturer, the Android version, and any interface overlay. However, simply accessing them is not complicated. Most often, it looks like this:
- first step – go to phone settings.
- second step – scroll down to the "About device" tab. Depending on the smartphone manufacturer, this setting has different names.
- third step – go to phone/device information and look for another tab called "Software information".
- fourth step – there you will find the "Build number" line. Once you find it, click on it seven times in a row and... you're done! Sometimes you may need to enter your device's PIN code. Developer options will be available when you see a message about it.
- fifth step (last) – then go back to the initial phone settings and at the very bottom, you will find the "Developer options" tab.
The above instructions will work on most Android smartphones from companies like Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, or Motorola. Phones from Xiaomi with the MIUI overlay version 10 or higher may present difficulties, as in this case, we don't look for the build number. Here's a short guide on how to enable developer mode on Xiaomi:
- first step (Xiaomi) – we start the same way, by going to phone settings.
- the second step is (Xiaomi) – then click on the "About phone" tab and select the "Full spec" option.
- third step (Xiaomi) – there, look for the line named "MIUI" with the interface version number. Now, just click on it seven times in a row, and developer mode on your Xiaomi smartphone will be available.
- fourth and last step (Xiaomi) – all that's left is to go back to settings, select the "Additional settings" tab, and enter developer options.
As you can see, it involves a bit of clicking through settings, but ultimately, everyone should be able to manage it. What if we want to disable developer options? That's very simple and can be done with one click. At the very top of the developer mode menu, you'll find a slider. It will be marked as enabled. Simply switch it off, and developer options will be disabled.
Developer options and USB debugging – is it safe?
Enabled developer mode allows us, among other things, to change the default animation playback speed. We can adjust it so that our smartphone runs more smoothly. We can also enable dark mode (so-called night mode) in any app or activate increased smartphone performance in games. Among the interesting options, we'll certainly find limiting background processes and enabling USB debugging, which offers great possibilities.
USB debugging allows us, among other things, to access tools for developers, namely the SDK (short for Software Development Kit). Thanks to this, we can create and test new Android apps. Furthermore, USB debugging gives us options to recover data from locked smartphones or install so-called root, which is another, modified version of the system.
Developer options and USB debugging are available to everyone. We can easily customize our smartphone to our needs. However, if we are unsure how to use developer mode, it's better not to enable them. It's especially important to be careful with USB debugging. When this option is enabled, the smartphone is more susceptible to malware. Therefore, it's worth avoiding all open Wi-Fi networks. Ultimately, if any changes don't go as planned, you can always restore the device to factory settings.
