By the DevX mobile testing team. We tested every developer options method in this guide on Samsung Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, OnePlus 13, and Motorola Edge running Android 15. We verified enabling developer options, USB debugging, OEM unlocking, animation scaling, GPU rendering, and all commonly used developer settings. All menu paths and steps confirmed working March 2026.
Developer Options is a hidden settings menu on every Android phone that gives you access to advanced features normally reserved for app developers. It lets you enable USB debugging for connecting your phone to a computer, speed up animations to make your phone feel faster, simulate different screen sizes, monitor GPU rendering, and much more.
The menu is hidden by default to prevent accidental changes, but unlocking it takes about 10 seconds and doesn’t void your warranty or change anything on your phone until you manually toggle individual settings.
How To Enable Developer Options on Android
The process is the same on virtually every Android phone — you tap the build number seven times. Here’s exactly how to do it.
Stock Android and Google Pixel
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap About phone.
- Find Build number and tap it 7 times in a row.
- Enter your PIN, pattern, or password when prompted.
- You’ll see a message: “You are now a developer!”
Developer Options now appears in Settings → System → Developer options.
Samsung Galaxy Phones (One UI)
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap About phone.
- Tap Software information.
- Find Build number and tap it 7 times.
- Enter your PIN or password to confirm.
On Samsung, Developer Options appears at the bottom of the main Settings menu, just below About phone.
OnePlus Phones (OxygenOS)
- Open Settings → About device.
- Tap Version (or Build number depending on your OxygenOS version).
- Tap it 7 times.
- Enter your PIN when prompted.
Developer Options appears under Settings → Additional settings → Developer options.
Motorola Phones
- Open Settings → About phone.
- Tap Build number 7 times.
- Enter your PIN to confirm.
Find Developer Options in Settings → System → Developer options (same location as stock Android).
Xiaomi and Redmi Phones (MIUI/HyperOS)
- Open Settings → About phone.
- Find MIUI version (or HyperOS version) and tap it 7 times.
- Enter your PIN.
Developer Options appears under Settings → Additional settings → Developer options.
Most Useful Developer Options Settings
Once you’ve unlocked Developer Options, here are the settings worth knowing about. You don’t need to change all of them — just the ones relevant to what you want to do.
USB Debugging
USB debugging lets your phone communicate with a computer running Android Debug Bridge (ADB). You need it for sideloading apps, transferring files via ADB, flashing custom ROMs, taking bug reports, and using screen mirroring tools like scrcpy.
To enable it: Developer options → USB debugging → Toggle on. When you connect your phone to a computer, you’ll see a prompt to authorize that specific computer — tap Allow.
Window, Transition, and Animator Duration Scale
These three settings control how fast animations play on your phone. By default, all three are set to 1x. Setting them to 0.5x makes your phone feel noticeably snappier because every animation plays at double speed. Setting them to off removes animations entirely for the fastest possible experience.
This is one of the most popular Developer Options tweaks because the difference is immediately noticeable.
OEM Unlocking
OEM unlocking allows the bootloader to be unlocked, which is required if you want to install a custom recovery or custom ROM. Enabling this toggle alone doesn’t unlock your bootloader — it just permits the process to begin. You still need to run a fastboot command from a computer.
Warning: Actually unlocking the bootloader (not just enabling this toggle) will factory reset your phone and may void your warranty on some brands.
Force 4x MSAA
This forces 4x multisample anti-aliasing in OpenGL ES 2.0 apps and games. It makes graphics look smoother by reducing jagged edges. The trade-off is higher battery consumption and potentially lower frame rates in demanding games.
Don’t Keep Activities
When enabled, Android destroys every activity as soon as you leave it. This simulates low-memory conditions and is useful for developers testing how their apps handle being killed and restored. Don’t leave this on for daily use — it makes switching between apps slow and can cause apps to lose your place.
Show Taps and Pointer Location
Show taps displays a small circle where you touch the screen. Pointer location adds a detailed bar at the top showing exact coordinates, pressure, and size of your touches. Both are useful for screen recordings and tutorials.
Force Dark Mode
This forces dark mode on all apps, even ones that don’t officially support it. Results vary — some apps look great, others have readability issues with dark text on dark backgrounds. It’s worth trying if you prefer dark mode everywhere.
Default USB Configuration
This lets you set what happens when you plug your phone into a computer via USB. Options include charging only, file transfer (MTP), PTP (photo transfer), MIDI, and USB tethering. Setting this to File Transfer means you won’t have to change it manually every time you connect.
How To Disable Developer Options
If you want to hide the Developer Options menu again:
- Open Settings → System → Developer options (or wherever Developer Options appears on your phone).
- Toggle the switch at the top to Off.
This disables all developer settings and hides the menu. On Samsung phones, you can also go to Settings → search for “Developer options” → toggle Off. To completely remove it from your Settings menu, some phones require a factory reset, but simply toggling it off is sufficient for most people.
Is It Safe To Enable Developer Options?
Yes. Enabling Developer Options by itself doesn’t change anything on your phone. It simply makes the menu visible. No settings are changed until you manually toggle them. You can explore the menu without risk.
The settings that could cause issues if misconfigured are USB debugging (which allows computer access to your phone), OEM unlocking (which permits bootloader unlocking), and Don’t keep activities (which can make apps behave erratically). As long as you understand what a setting does before enabling it, Developer Options is perfectly safe.
More Android How-To Guides From DevX
- How To Install APK on Android
- How To Find Saved Passwords on Android
- How To Do Split Screen on Android
- How To Remove a Virus From Android
- How To Clear Cache on Android Phone
Frequently Asked Questions
Does enabling Developer Options void my warranty?
No. Simply enabling and viewing Developer Options does not void your warranty. It’s a standard Android feature available on every phone. However, using specific options like unlocking the bootloader may affect your warranty depending on the manufacturer.
Will enabling Developer Options slow down my phone?
No. Enabling the menu has zero impact on performance. In fact, reducing animation scales in Developer Options can make your phone feel significantly faster.
Can I break my phone by changing Developer Options settings?
It’s very unlikely. Most settings can be toggled back immediately. The only irreversible action accessible through Developer Options is the OEM unlock process (which also requires separate fastboot commands from a computer). If any setting causes problems, you can always toggle Developer Options off entirely to reset all developer settings to defaults.
Why can’t I find Build number on my phone?
On Samsung phones, Build number is inside About phone → Software information (one extra step). On Xiaomi/Redmi phones, you tap the MIUI or HyperOS version number instead. On OnePlus, look for Version under About device. The concept is the same — tap it 7 times — but the exact label and menu location varies by brand.
What is USB debugging used for?
USB debugging allows your phone to communicate with developer tools on a computer via ADB (Android Debug Bridge). Common uses include sideloading APK files, capturing detailed bug reports, using screen mirroring tools like scrcpy, running ADB shell commands, and flashing custom ROMs. You should turn it off when you’re not actively using it for security reasons.
How do I speed up my phone with Developer Options?
Go to Developer Options and find Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Set all three to 0.5x for noticeably faster animations, or turn them off completely for instant transitions. This doesn’t actually make your phone’s processor faster, but it eliminates the visual delay between actions, making everything feel much more responsive.
