Introduction
The Developer Options menu is Android’s secret toolkit, containing settings typically meant for app developers but which hold massive benefits for power users. Toggling a few of these options can dramatically change the feel and speed of your phone.
A word of caution: Do not change settings in this menu that you do not understand. You can always revert your changes by simply turning the Developer Options toggle off at the top of the menu.
Step 1: How to Unlock the Developer Options Menu
This menu is hidden by default to prevent accidental changes.
- Go to Settings: Open your phone’s main Settings app.
- Find About Phone: Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap About phone (on Samsung/older devices, this may be under System first).
- Find the Build Number: Tap Software information (if applicable).
- Tap 7 Times: Find the Build number entry and tap it rapidly seven times in a row.
- You will see a message pop up saying, “You are now a developer!“
Step 2: Accessing the New Menu
- Go back to the main Settings page.
- You will now find Developer options (usually located just above or inside the System menu).
Step 3: The Three Essential Speed Boosts
The most popular tweak in Developer Options involves modifying the system’s visual flair to make the interface feel instant. Find the section labeled Drawing and change these three settings:
| Setting | Default Value | Recommended Change | Effect | ||||
| Window animation scale | 1x | .5x | Controls the speed of app windows opening and closing. | ||||
| Transition animation scale | 1x | .5x | Controls the speed of transitions when switching between screens/apps. | ||||
| Animator duration scale | 1x | .5x | Controls the speed of in-app animations (like button presses and menu fades). |
Pro Tip: Changing these to .5x makes your phone feel twice as fast. Setting them to Off makes it feel instantaneous, though some users find this jarring.
Step 4: Other Power-User Settings
Here are three more useful options to explore:
- Stay Awake:
- What it does: Keeps your screen from going to sleep while the device is charging.
- Why it’s useful: Perfect for when you are following a recipe, using your phone as a dashcam, or monitoring a live feed without having to tap the screen constantly.
- Default USB Configuration:
- What it does: Sets the default action for your phone when plugged into a PC or another device.
- Why it’s useful: If you always transfer photos, set it to File transfer/PTP. If you always use Android Auto, set it to USB tethering. This skips the annoying manual selection dialog every time you plug in.
- Background process limit:
- What it does: Defines the maximum number of apps that can run in the background.
- Why it’s useful: On older devices, setting this to At most 3 processes can save battery life and RAM by aggressively closing apps you aren’t using. (Modern, high-RAM phones usually don’t need this changed).