Developer Options is a hidden part of Android that you need to turn on to use its different parts. Developer options let you change how your device works to make apps run better. It also lets you capture a bug report on your device and debug app performance over USB. You can also use this feature to root your Android phone and do more things with it.
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Things You Should Know About Android Developer Options
- The developer options feature is turned on by default on Android devices with operating systems lower than Android 4.1.
- You have to turn it on, though, and it only works on devices with Android 4.2 or higher.
- This feature is hidden by default because it is made for developers who want to test out different parts of the device.
- Whatever reason you want to use the hidden options, you must first enable them in your Android. This guide will show you how to turn on and off Android’s developer options.
How to get to Android’s Developer Options
Let’s say you haven’t already unlocked developer options on your Android phone or tablet. In that case, you can do this by going to “Settings” and tapping “Built Number” several times. But the “Built Number” option might be in a different place on your device depending on who made it and what version of OS it has.
Follow the steps below to turn on Android’s Developer options and get to them. We use a Realme smartphone with the Android 11 operating system version.
- Open the “Settings” app and then tap on “About Phone.”
- Tap “Kernel Android version” to find the “Build Number.”
- Tap “Build Number” seven times in a row to make developer options available. While you tap on it, you’ll see a number that tells you how many times you need to tap left to get to the developer options. Your phone could also ask for your PIN to confirm what you’re doing (if your device is a pin or password-protected).
- As soon as you turn on the Developer options, a toast message tells you that you are now a developer.
- Go back to the “Settings” screen, and you’ll find Developer options under “Additional Settings.”
- Tap Developer options, then turn on the switch next to Developer options.
How to get to Android’s Developer Options Samsung Galaxy S20 FE smartphone running the Android 11” app and go to “About Phone.”
- Tap “Software Information” and then go to “Build Number.”
- Tap “Build Number” seven times in a row to make developer options available.
- Once you turn on developer options, a message will pop up on the same screen telling you that you are now a developer.
- Go back to the Settings screen. The option Developer options will now be there.
- Now, tap on Developer Options and, if it isn’t already, turn on the toggle button. You can change the phone’s settings from this menu.
You can use the above methods to get to the hidden developer options on your Android phone or tablet. The only thing that might be different is where the Built Number is on the phone. This is determined by who made the phone call. On some Android phones (Android 11), you can find the Built Number under Settings > About Phone > Version > Built Number.
Depending on what version of the Android OS your phone is running, you can find the “Build Number” option in one of the following places:
- Devices with an OS version of Android 9 or higher: Setting > About Phone > Build Number.
- Devices with Android versions 8.0.0 and 8.1.0: Settings > About Phone > Build Number.
- Devices with Android 7.1 or earlier: Setting > About Phone > Build Number.
How to turn on the USB Debugging function
Once the “Developer options” have been turned on, you can turn on the USB to debug the feature. You need to go to the “Developer options” menu on your Android phone or tablet to turn on USB debugging. Scroll down on the developer screen until you see the option for USB debugging. To turn on USB debugging, slide the button next to it.
When you slide the switch to turn on USB debugging, a message will pop up telling you that this feature is only for development. Tap the “OK” button to confirm what you want to do.
In the beginning, leaving the USB debugging feature on was thought to be dangerous. Google has made some changes that make this less of a problem. For example, requests to fix bugs now have to be made over the phone. When you connect your Android device to a PC you haven’t used before (or don’t know much about), it will ask you if you want to allow USB debugging.
Depending on the Android OS version (or API level) that your phone is using, the settings and steps to turn on the developer option may be a little different. Here’s what to do if you have an Android device that runs on one of the OS versions listed:
- Android OS 11-powered devices: Settings > Additional Settings > Developer options > Turn on Developer options > USB debugging (OK).
- For devices with Android OS 9 or later: Setting > System > Advanced > Developer Options > USB debugging
- For devices running Android OS 8.0.0 and Android 8.1.0: Settings > System > Developer Options, just go to Settings and then Developer options.
Tips
Follow the steps above to get to the Developer options. The steps you use will depend on the Android OS version and manufacturer of your device.
- Turn off the switch next to “Developer options.”
- Once you turn off Developer options, you won’t be able to use this feature through Settings. If the decision changes and you want to re-enable them and get them back to where they were before, you can do this by going through the steps above.
With the Android Developer options, you can access settings and features that are more advanced. This feature is mostly for debugging apps and getting to hidden system features. Enabling developer mode is mostly done to test and debug apps and to change the device’s features to fit your needs.
