Every Android Setting in the Developer Options Explained!

Introduction

This tutorial covers the hidden features available in the Developer Options on Android devices. Whether you're looking to optimize your phone’s performance, customize settings, or explore advanced features, understanding Developer Options can enhance your smartphone experience.

Chapter 1: How to Enable Developer Options

To access Developer Options on your Android device, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your phone.
2. Scroll down and tap on About Phone.
3. Find Build Number and tap it seven times.
   • You may need to confirm your passcode.
4. You will receive a message stating that you are now a developer.
5. Go back to the previous screen and tap on System.
6. You should now see Developer Options.

Tip: The options available may vary based on your device and Android version.

Chapter 2: Overview of Developer Options

Memory

• View the average memory usage over the past 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, or 1 day.
• Identify apps consuming the most memory and uninstall if necessary.

Running Services

• Monitor apps and services currently running in the background.
• Terminate any process that is using excessive memory.

Bug Reports

• Capture bugs and issues with apps or system interface.
• Enable verbose vendor logging to include device-specific information in reports.

Backup and Restore

• Use the command adb backup --all to back up app data onto your computer.
• Restore with adb restore <file_path> where <file_path> is the path to your backup file.

Stay Awake

• Keep your phone screen on while charging.

USB Configuration

• Set the default USB configuration to File Transfer to avoid manual selection each time you connect to a computer.

Force Activities to be Resizable

• Enable this feature to open apps like Instagram in split-screen mode even if they don’t support it.

Chapter 3: Debugging Features

• USB Debugging: Allows your device to communicate with a computer through ADB.
• Revoke USB Debugging Authorizations: Revoke access for previously connected computers for security.
• Mock Location App: Use apps (like Fake GPS) to set a mock location for testing purposes.

Chapter 4: Networking Options

• Wi-Fi MAC Randomization: Randomizes your MAC address for privacy each time you connect to a new Wi-Fi network.
• Mobile Data Always Active: Keeps mobile data on even when connected to Wi-Fi for faster switching.
• Bluetooth Options: Enable various settings to improve Bluetooth connection quality, such as Disable Absolute Volume for better volume control across devices.

Chapter 5: Input and Drawing Features

• Show Taps: Visualize touch inputs during screen recordings.
• Pointer Location: Trace line showing where the screen has been swiped, useful for developers.
• Show Surface Updates: Flash the screen to show updates in app UI.

Chapter 6: Hardware Accelerated Rendering

• Override Force Dark: Apply dark mode to apps that don’t support it natively.
• Force 4x MSAA: Improve graphics quality for games but may drain battery significantly.

Chapter 7: App Management

• Don’t Keep Activities: Force close every app when you leave it (not recommended for battery life).
• Background Process Limit: Set limits on the number of background processes.
• Standby Apps: Manage app priorities based on usage to save battery.

Conclusion

Developer Options provide a wealth of features that can enhance your Android experience. From optimizing memory usage to customizing app behavior, these settings offer powerful tools for advanced users. Explore these options carefully and adjust them based on your needs to get the most out of your device. For further exploration, consider experimenting with various settings to find the best configuration for your usage.