Google has hidden the Android developer options in Android 4.2 (and above), the reason being simple: the developer options are not required by the average android user, and tinkering with these options may lead to abnormal phone behavior (like flickering or odd menu behavior).
In general, changing the Android developer options won’t lead to corrupting your phone’s system or something. However, it may lead to small visual changes and how you interact with your phone, and more importantly, it’s less secure (to ease the process of copying and installing unapproved apps… under development). The most common reason to access the developer options is to enable the USB debugging mode for direct connection between Android phone and a computer to receive commands, but there are many other reasons as well.
Enable Developer Options
The process of enabling the developer options is the same for all Android phones. All you have to do is tap on “Build number” option 7 times rapidly and developer options will be activated and available in the phone’s “Settings>About Device”.
However, the process to access the “Build number” information is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. We are going to list how to do it in popular phones.
Enable the Developer Options in the Samsung Galaxy Series phones
- Go to “Settings” and tap on “About Device” located at the end.
- In “About Device”, scroll down to the end and you will see “Build number” option.
- Tap on “Build number” option 7 times and you will be notified that the developer options are enabled.
Enable the Developer Options in the HTC one Series phones
- Go to “Settings” and tap on “About”.
- Here, tap on “Software information” and then tap on “More”.
- You will find the option of “Build number” in “More”, tap on it 7 times to activate the developer options.
Enable the Developer Options in the LG G Series phones
- Go to “Settings” and tap on “About phone”.
- Now, tap on “Software information” and you will find the option of “Build number” there.
- Tap on “Build number” option 7 times and the developer options will be enabled.
Note: Enabling the developer options is easy, but disabling them again can be a bit tricky. You might even have to delete all your data just to hide these options.
Hide The Developer Options
Once the developer options are activated, there is no button to hide it again. However, there are still two different ways to hide the developer options again, but both come have their own downside.
Method #1
The easiest way to hide these options again is to delete the data in which the enabling of the option is stored. That’s in the Settings App data. But, this method will not work on all android phones. For example, it will not work on Samsung phones and on the other hand, it may work on HTC one and Nexus series phones.
Go to “Settings” and tap on “Application manager” (or App manager/Apps). Slide left to move to the “All” tab.
In the “All” tab, look for the option “Settings”. Once inside “Settings”, tap on “Clear data”.
As the data is cleared, you should not be able to see the developer options in “Settings”.
Method #2:
The other options is to Factory Reset your phone and the developer options will be hidden again. This method is not recommended as all your data will be deleted. You should only go for this method if it is crucial for you to hide the developer options and the above method is not working on your phone.
Before you Factory Reset your phone, it is important to backup all your important data so you won’t lose it.
Go to “Settings” and tap on “Backup and reset” option.
In there, tap on “Factory data reset” and you will notified what type of data you will be losing. Here, tap on “Reset device” and then “Erase everything” to start the factory reset process.
Your phone will restart and the process will start. It may take up to 5-10 minutes to factory reset your phone. Once reset, you will have to configure your phone again, such as attach a Google account or restore data, etc. Now, you will not be able to see the “Developer options” in the “Settings”.
If you have any questions or would like to share any further information, let us know in the comments below.
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