There is a secret menu hidden on your Android Settings app called Developer options. Like the name suggests, this is built mainly for developers to test out the performance of their new applications as well as to experiment with function and features of the Android OS.
Whilst most people wouldn’t advise you to tweak anything inside this menu, we assure that your device is safe as long as you know what you’re doing. By enabling the Developer options, you get access to things like hardware acceleration, process statistics, and USB debugging among others ??? of course, more of that later. The good news is that this will not void your phone’s warranty as it is already a preinstalled menu. However, rooting and installing custom ROMs most certainly will.
To activate the menu, look for About phone in your Settings app. Under About phone, scroll all the way down to Build number. Tapping it seven times will enable the Developer options. There will be a prompt to guide you through this process. If you want to remove developer options, go to Apps and swipe left to All. Look for the Settings app then clear its data. If you think you have ruined your device, but still want to keep the menu, there is also an option at the top to disable it.
1. Rooting and installing custom ROMs on your phone
While Android OS is an open-source operating system, manufacturers still have all the right decisions to lock the bootloader on their products. This is to make sure that users were using the right Android versions designed for their devices. It is virtually impossible to flash custom ROMs on an Android device with a locked bootloader. And most forced attempts end up with the phone being bricked.
However, most Android manufacturers today give users a freedom to unlock the bootloader on their Android devices. To do this, go to Developer options and switch on the OEM unlocking. There will be a prompt that warns you, but ignore that. Note that not all manufacturers allow their users to unlock the bootloader (Nokia, and Sony for example) hence you won’t find OEM Unlocking option in your Developer options menu.
Unlocking your phone’s bootloader is a time-consuming process. But there are tons of useful guides on the internet that go through this procedure. Take note that it varies from phone to phone. So we always advise that you include the brand and model number of your phone when going with a guide.
Below that is an option to enable USB debugging. This will allow your Android device to communicate with your computer. This is a must if you really want to root or install custom ROMs on your device.
Now that you have unlocked your phone’s bootloader, you can start Googling for custom ROMs that are compatible with your device.
2. Process stats (Running Processes)
This option gives you access to real-time app processes in the background. It will also be able to tell whether your phone is performing normally or not. If your CPU is in its critical condition, you can manually force stop each background processes initiated by apps.
3. Fake your location
Before using your location spoofing app, you first need to tick Allow mock locations on your Developer options. This option is especially helpful if you don’t want other people to know where you are. You could also use this to visit websites that are country-blocked, or on YouTube. Diverting your location to another country will bypass this kind of restrictions.
Also Read : How To Enable init.d Support on Any Android.
4. Create a desktop backup password
It’s always best to backup all your data to a computer before performing anything risky to your phone. But if you’re doing your job on your friend’s computer, it’s not okay to have all your data exposed to them. This option will encrypt your backups so no one can get access to it without your permission.
5. Show touches
This option, together with a screen recording app, For the creators who features step-by-step Android tutorials. What it does is show visual feedback for touches so the viewers will not be guessing what among the given option or buttons did you just ticked or clicked.
6. Window/transition/animator scale
If you want a smoother & faster Android experience, you can either scale down or turn off the animations via Developer options. We advise that you keep your window, transition and animator scale to just 0.5x. The result not changes too much, but at least it makes things a little bit more responsive.
7. Hardware acceleration
If you want to experience a smoother, higher and better-looking visual experience in some games and apps, then you should switch on the Force 4x MSAA (Multisampling Anti-Aliasing) option. This feature is turned off by default because it easily drains the battery and put extra strain on the GPU, which in return, slows down the performance of the device.
Mid to high-end devices will work just fine. But if you don’t want to drain your battery, then you can always turn this off.