From The Vault: At some point, you might have owned an Android gadget, but have you ever ventured into exploring its full potential? Possibly not, and that is where the Android Developer options step in. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the 10 hidden features of Android Developer options. By toggling these settings, you can elevate your Android smartphone or tablet experience to a whole new level.
Do you grasp the fact that by leveraging Android Developer options, you can elevate your Android smartphone or tablet experience to the next level? There exist 10 hidden features that are essential for you to know and we ensure that it will significantly enhance your mobile user experience moving forward.
10 Concealed Features of Android Developer Options:
Now, let’s delve into these developer options, learn how to activate them, and how to utilize them:
Activating Android Developer Options:
If you can’t locate Android Developer options on your mobile device, the quickest solution to access these settings is by downloading the Developer Options app from the Google Play Store.
1. Harnessing MSAA (Multi-Sampling Anti-Aliasing) For OpenGL Games
Are you a fervent Android gamer? If so, and if you desire a superior image quality on your device, then enabling MSAA forcibly is recommended. This feature is disabled in certain games by default due to its potential to exhaust your device’s battery quickly and exert excessive pressure on the GPU, consequently impacting performance. To activate the MSAA hidden feature in Android Developer Options, follow the steps outlined below:
- Navigate to Settings > Developer Options.
- Select ‘Force 4x MSAA’ to enable it.
2. Activating and Deactivating USB Debugging
Most tools related to Android on your computer necessitate the activation of USB Debugging for seamless operation. Without this feature enabled, the tools cannot establish a connection between your device and your desktop or laptop. To enable USB Debugging in Android Developer Options, follow the steps provided below.
- Go to Settings > Developer Options.
- Check the USB Debugging checkbox.
- Opt ‘OK’ when prompted with a message stating “Allow USB Debugging?”.
Further Reading: 10 Incredible Google Gboard Strategies For Android That You Must Try
3. Adjusting Animation Settings
Interested in making your Android smartphone or tablet more responsive than ever before? You can achieve this by tweaking the animation settings in Android Developer Options. A lower number selected will result in faster animations. To carry out this adjustment, follow the instructions mentioned below:
- Access Settings > Developer Options.
- Scroll down and locate Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale.
- Modify the scale for your preferred animation. A higher number indicates slower animation (and a longer waiting time).
- It’s recommended to maintain all options at 0.5x.
4. Establishing a Desktop Backup Password for Enhanced Security
Prior to creating a backup using Android tools on your desktop, it’s prudent to set a password for your backup within the Android Developer Options. By safeguarding your backup, you prevent unauthorized access. Follow the below steps to set up a backup password:
- Visit Settings > Developer Options.
- Tap on Desktop backup password.
- Input the existing password, then create and verify the new password for full protection
5. Permitting Mock Location
Enabling Mock Location gives you the ability to spoof your GPS coordinates. To activate Mock Location, enabling is the initial step. Post this, you can acquire another application and commence spoofing your GPS location, granting you privacy. To enable Mock Location in Android Developer Options, adhere to the instructions below.
- Access Settings > Developer Options.
- Locate Allow Mock Location and tick it to activate.
6. Keep your device’s screen active while charging by activating ‘Stay Awake While Charging’
During the charging process, your device’s screen tends to turn off to expedite the charging. If you prefer the screen to remain illuminated while charging, you can activate this feature using the following steps.
- Visit Settings > Developer Options.
- Tap on Stay Awake to check it, thereby activating the feature.
Further Reading: 15 Top Free Hacking Applications For Android Phones (2017 Edition)
7. Reveal CPU Usage Overlay to monitor processor activity
Need a glimpse of how your smartphone’s processor is utilized? To display an overlay indicating current CPU usage, leverage one of the concealed features within Android Developer Options. To display CPU usage, follow the instructions outlined below.
- Head to Settings > Developer Options.
- Activate ‘Show CPU Usage’ to reveal it.
- You’ll see an overlay of active CPU Usage on the right part of the screen.
8. Discard App Activities after closure
Android’s behavior contrasts with Windows as post closure, Android applications retain activities. Numerous apps rely on locally cached data in Android to accelerate loading and avert force closure occurrences. Nonetheless, specific applications may not close correctly, and you can opt not to retain them by following the below steps:
- Head to Settings > Developer Options.
- Select Don’t keep activities.
- You can revert anytime by unticking the disable.
- Discard App Activities after closure.
9. Transition from Dalvik To ART
ART is an innovative experimental runtime by Google designed to supersede Dalvik in the forthcoming future owing to its swifter performance. If you wish to test ART on your device, an Android device running the KitKat 4.4 update or newer is requisite. To switch to ART in Android Developer Options, adhere to the instructions provided below:
- Visit Settings > Developer options.
- Tap on Select runtime and opt for Use ART.
Before proceeding with this step, it’s imperative to acknowledge that ART is still experimental and not many applications support it, potentially impacting your device’s performance.
10. Activate Wireless Display Certifications
This feature is valuable only if you possess a Miracast-enabled display or a similar alternative, serving to cast your Android content to your TV. To begin watching or streaming videos on your Miracast-ready display, activating Wireless Display Certifications is mandatory. Here’s the process to enable that.
- Visit Settings > Developer options.
- Locate Wireless Display Certification and check it.
With these 10 hidden advanced features in Android Developer Options, you are well-prepared to enhance your smartphone or tablet experience significantly.
If you have any insights to share, feel free to drop your comments and feedback.
