How to Enable Developer Options on Android Safely in Pakistan (2026): What to Turn On and What to Leave Off

By Auraz Tech Editorial Team | October 2026

Somewhere inside every Android phone is a hidden menu that most owners never see, yet it holds the switches behind dozens of popular tips: making animations snappier, connecting a phone to a computer for app testing, recording a bug report, and checking which apps are really running in the background. That menu is Developer Options, and it is hidden on purpose. Google keeps it out of sight because a few of its switches can break things badly if they are flipped without understanding them. The good news is that enabling the menu itself is completely safe, and with a short list of safe settings and a shorter list of settings to avoid, any careful owner can use it without turning their phone into a problem. This guide shows the exact tap sequence to unlock Developer Options on Samsung, Xiaomi, Infinix, Tecno, Oppo, Realme and Pixel phones, the handful of settings that are genuinely useful for everyday users, the dangerous options you should leave exactly as they are, and how to switch the whole menu off again when you are done. If you have ever watched a video that told you to just turn something on in Developer Options without explaining the risk, this is the careful version of that advice.

What Are Developer Options, and Why Are They Hidden?

Developer Options is a set of advanced settings built into Android by Google, originally intended for app developers who need to test software on real phones. It lets a developer connect a phone to a computer over USB, simulate slow networks, watch how much memory each app uses, and capture detailed logs when an app crashes. Over the years, everyday users discovered that a few of those switches are useful for everyone, such as speeding up animations or keeping the screen on while charging. Google still keeps the menu hidden by default for a simple reason: most of its options change low-level behaviour, and a wrong value can make apps crash, drain the battery, or in the worst case make the phone unusable until the setting is reversed. Hiding the menu behind seven taps on the Build number is a deliberate speed bump. It makes sure nobody stumbles into it by accident, while anyone who looks up the steps can still get in within a minute.

It is worth clearing up one common fear right away. Enabling Developer Options does not root your phone, does not unlock the bootloader, and does not void your warranty on its own. It simply reveals a menu. The risky actions are separate steps inside that menu, or beyond it, and they are clearly the ones this guide tells you to avoid. Think of it like opening the bonnet of a car: looking under it is harmless, but loosening the wrong bolt is not. As long as you change only the settings named in the safe section below, and leave the rest untouched, your phone stays exactly as safe as it was before.

Step by Step: How to Enable Developer Options

The core method is the same on every Android phone, with only the location of the Build number changing by brand. Before you start, make sure you know your lock screen PIN, pattern or password, because Android asks for it as a security check partway through. Then follow these steps:

1. Open Settings. Tap the Settings app on your phone.
2. Go to About phone. On most phones this is near the bottom of the Settings list. On Samsung phones, it is also near the bottom; on Xiaomi phones, it is near the top.
3. Find the Build number. On Samsung, tap Software information inside About phone, and the Build number is there. On Infinix, Tecno, Oppo, Realme and Pixel, the Build number is usually shown directly on the About phone screen, sometimes inside a Version or Device information submenu. On Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones, tap the MIUI version or HyperOS version entry instead of a Build number entry — tapping that version number is Xiaomi's equivalent step.
4. Tap it seven times. Tap the Build number (or MIUI version) seven times in a row, fairly quickly. After a few taps, a small message appears saying you are a certain number of steps away from being a developer. Keep tapping until it says you are now a developer.
5. Enter your lock screen security. If your phone has a PIN, pattern or password, enter it when asked. This confirms that the person enabling the menu is the phone owner.
6. Find the new menu. Go back to the main Settings screen. The Developer options entry now appears, usually under System, Additional settings, or at the bottom of the Settings list on Samsung phones. Tap it to open the menu.

If nothing happens after seven taps, check two things. First, make sure you are tapping the right entry: on Xiaomi phones, tapping the Android version does nothing, only the MIUI or HyperOS version counts. Second, check whether Developer Options is already enabled — if the menu is already visible in Settings, you enabled it in the past and do not need to tap again. A third possibility on some office or school-managed phones is that the administrator has blocked the menu; on a personal phone bought in Pakistan, this is rare. If you are setting up a brand-new phone and want the rest of the first-day checklist, our new Android phone setup guide covers the order to do things in, from PTA checks to account setup.

Brand by Brand: Where the Build Number Lives

Because Pakistan's most common phone brands all move this entry slightly, here is the quick reference. On Samsung Galaxy phones, go to Settings, then About phone, then Software information, then tap Build number seven times, and the menu appears under Settings at the bottom of the list. On Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones, go to Settings, then About phone, then tap the MIUI version or HyperOS version seven times, and the menu appears under Settings, then Additional settings. On Infinix and Tecno phones, go to Settings, then My phone or About phone, then tap Build number seven times, and the menu appears under Settings, then System. On Oppo and Realme phones, go to Settings, then About device, then Version, then tap Build number seven times, and the menu appears under Settings, then Additional settings. On Google Pixel phones, go to Settings, then About phone, then tap Build number seven times, and the menu appears under Settings, then System. If you ever cannot find an entry, use the search bar at the top of Settings and type Build number — Android's own search will take you straight to the right screen on almost every brand.

One brand-specific warning matters for Xiaomi owners. Xiaomi's MIUI and HyperOS also show a separate set of developer-style toggles in some security apps, and some videos tell you to enable USB debugging through those instead. Ignore that advice and use the standard method above. The standard menu is the one Android itself manages, and it is the one whose switches behave predictably when you later turn them off. If a third-party cleaner or booster app offers to enable developer settings for you, decline: no legitimate cleaner needs that access, and granting it is how phones end up with settings changed that the owner never chose.

Safe Settings Worth Using

Most of Developer Options is irrelevant to everyday use, and you should ignore the majority of it. The following settings are the exceptions: they are safe, reversible, and genuinely useful. Change only one at a time, and test your phone for a day before changing the next one, so that if anything feels wrong you know exactly which switch caused it.

Animation scales: make the phone feel faster

Inside Developer Options, find Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Each is set to 1x by default. Setting all three to 0.5x halves the length of the opening, closing and transition animations, so the phone feels noticeably snappier without changing any real performance. Setting them to Animation off removes animations entirely, which some people prefer, although it can make the interface feel abrupt. This is the single most popular safe tweak, and it is fully reversible: set all three back to 1x and the original feel returns. If your phone is actually slow rather than just feeling slow, read our slow Android phone fix guide as well, because storage, background apps and battery health matter far more than animations.

Stay awake while charging

The Stay awake option keeps the screen on while the phone is charging. It is useful when you are following a recipe, using the phone as a clock at a shop counter, or testing an app, and it switches itself off as soon as you unplug the charger. The only cost is a slightly warmer phone and a little extra wear on the screen over very long periods, so do not leave it on permanently for weeks. For normal daily use, leave it off and let the normal screen timeout do its job.

Show taps and pointer location for tutorials

Show taps draws a small circle wherever you touch the screen, and Pointer location draws a trail showing touch coordinates. Neither changes how the phone works; they only visualise your touches. They are invaluable if you record a tutorial, demonstrate a problem to a repair shop, or help an elderly relative over a video call, because the other person can see exactly where you are tapping. Switch both off when you finish recording, since the circles get distracting during normal use.

USB debugging: powerful, but only when you need it

USB debugging lets a computer run development commands on your phone over a USB cable. It is the switch behind app testing, advanced backups, and some repair-shop diagnostics. It is safe to use on your own computer with your own cable, for a specific task, and then switched off again. The danger is leaving it on permanently: a phone with USB debugging enabled that is plugged into an unknown computer, a public charging port, or a borrowed cable can be accessed in ways a normal phone cannot. As a rule, switch it on only when you sit down to do the task, and switch it off the moment the task is done. When you first connect to a new computer with USB debugging on, the phone asks you to approve that computer's fingerprint — only approve computers you own, and never tick the always allow box for a shared or public computer.

Running services: see what is really running

Running services, found near the top of Developer Options, shows which apps and system services are currently using memory. It is a read-only view for most purposes, and it is the honest answer to the question of which apps are draining your phone. If a single app is using far more memory than everything else, that app is worth investigating or replacing. Do not use this screen to force-stop system services you do not recognise — Android manages its own services, and stopping the wrong one causes crashes until the next restart. For the safe way to deal with heavy apps, our stop apps running in background guide covers the settings that actually help.

Default USB configuration: choose what plugging in does

By default, plugging a phone into a computer often does nothing until you change the USB mode from the notification. Default USB configuration lets you set the usual behaviour in advance, for example file transfer or charging only. Setting it to charging only is the safest default for anyone who often plugs into unknown ports, because the phone then never offers its files to the other end. Set it to file transfer only if you transfer files to your own computer daily and are tired of changing the mode every time.

Bug report and logger buffer for repair help

Take bug report captures a detailed technical log that a repair shop or an app developer can use to diagnose a crash. It is safe to generate when someone helping you asks for it, but the report can contain personal details such as app names and network information, so only send it to someone you trust, and never post it publicly. The Logger buffer sizes setting controls how much log data is kept; leave it at its default unless a developer specifically asks you to change it.

Settings to Leave Off: The Dangerous List

The following settings cause the most trouble for people who enable Developer Options after watching a tip video. Leave every one of them at its default unless you have a specific, well-understood reason to change it — and if a video tells you to change one without explaining the risk, that video is not a safe guide.

• OEM unlocking: This is the switch that allows the bootloader to be unlocked, which is the first step towards rooting or installing unofficial software. Unlocking the bootloader wipes the phone, can break banking apps and payment features, and can void warranty terms. Never switch this on casually, and never switch it on because a video promised a speed boost — it gives no speed benefit at all.
• USB debugging left on permanently: As explained above, this is a door into the phone over USB. Leaving it on is the single most common Developer Options security mistake.
• Mock location app: Selecting a mock location app lets an app feed the phone a fake location. Apart from breaking ride-hailing, delivery and banking apps that check location, it can get accounts flagged for location fraud. Leave it unset.
• Do not keep activities: This destroys every activity as soon as you leave it, which sounds like a privacy win but actually breaks multitasking, loses unsaved work in apps, and makes the phone feel broken. It is a testing tool for developers, not a daily setting.
• Background process limit: Limiting background processes to one or none sounds like a battery saver, but it kills notifications, stops music when you switch apps, and breaks messaging apps that need to stay alive. Android already manages background apps well; our stop apps tracking you guide covers the legitimate privacy settings instead.
• Force GPU rendering and disable hardware overlays: These change how the screen is drawn and are meant for testing graphics problems on specific devices. On most phones they cause glitches, flickering or extra battery drain, with no visible benefit.
• Force activities to be resizable and freeform windows: These force apps into window modes they were not designed for, which breaks layouts and causes crashes. They are for developers testing foldable and desktop modes.
• Mobile data always active: This keeps mobile data connected even on Wi-Fi, which can silently use your data bundle and battery. Leave it off unless you are testing network handover.
• Aggressive Wi-Fi to mobile handover and Wi-Fi scan throttling changes: Changing these can make Wi-Fi drop more often or drain the battery faster, for no benefit to a normal user.

A useful rule of thumb: if a setting name contains the words force, disable, destroy, kill or mock, it is almost certainly a testing tool, not a daily improvement. Genuine improvements in Developer Options have calm names like animation scale, stay awake, or default USB configuration. When in doubt, search the exact setting name before changing it, and if two sources disagree, leave it alone.

Developer Options and Banking, JazzCash and Easypaisa

A question Pakistani users ask often is whether Developer Options breaks banking apps, JazzCash, Easypaisa or Google Pay. The answer is reassuring: simply having the menu enabled does not block these apps. What does block them is rooting, an unlocked bootloader, or a mock location app, which is why the dangerous list above matters so much more than the menu itself. If a banking app ever refuses to open after you changed a developer setting, the first step is to switch Developer Options off entirely and restart the phone — that alone restores default behaviour for most settings and tells you whether a developer setting was the cause. If the app still refuses, the cause is usually something else, such as a rooted device or an app installed from outside the Play Store, and our safe APK install guide explains how to check that safely. Never install a modified banking app to work around a security check: that is exactly how accounts are stolen.

The same caution applies to PTA-related checks. Developer Options has nothing to do with PTA approval or SIM registration, and no setting in it can make an unregistered phone approved or change its IMEI. If you are unsure about your phone's approval status, check it properly with our PTA approved phone check guide rather than trusting any app or setting that claims to change it.

How to Turn Developer Options Off Again

When you are finished, turning the menu off is the safest way to leave your phone. Open Settings, then System or Additional settings, then Developer options, and switch the toggle at the top of the screen off. The menu disappears from Settings immediately, and most settings return to their defaults. The animation scales, for example, revert to normal once the menu is off. A few settings, such as USB debugging authorisations for computers you approved, are remembered separately, so if you approved a computer you no longer trust, go to Developer Options before switching it off and tap Revoke USB debugging authorisations. Turning the menu off deletes nothing: your apps, photos, messages and accounts are untouched. You can re-enable it any time by tapping the Build number seven times again, so there is no reason to leave it on just in case.

Make a habit of this: enable it for the task, do the task, switch it off. That single habit removes almost all of the risk that comes with the menu, while keeping every benefit. It also protects you if someone else picks up your phone: with the menu off, nobody can quietly change a low-level setting without first knowing the seven-tap trick and your lock screen security.

Troubleshooting: Common Developer Options Problems

• You are now a developer message never appears: You may be tapping the wrong entry, especially on Xiaomi phones where the MIUI version counts and the Android version does not. Check the brand table above, and make sure you tap seven times without long pauses.
• The menu appeared but has no toggle at the top: Some brands place the master switch differently, or hide it until you scroll to the very top of the Developer Options screen. Scroll up fully; on Samsung phones the toggle sits at the top of the screen, above the first section.
• USB debugging is on but the computer does not see the phone: Use the original cable or a known-good data cable, since many cheap cables carry power only. Unlock the phone, check the USB notification for the file transfer mode, and confirm the computer approval prompt on the phone screen. If the prompt never appears, revoke old authorisations and reconnect.
• Animations at 0.5x feel too fast or jerky: Set the three scales back to 1x. On older or low-memory phones, very short animations can look choppy rather than smooth, and the default is genuinely the best balance for those devices.
• Apps crash after a setting change: Undo the last change, restart the phone, and test again. If you cannot remember which setting you changed, switch Developer Options off entirely and restart — this resolves the large majority of such problems without touching your data.
• Notifications stopped after changing background settings: You almost certainly changed the background process limit or a battery setting. Restore the background process limit to Standard limit, check the affected app's battery setting, and restart. If messages are still delayed, our delayed notifications fix guide walks through the remaining causes.
• The phone gets hot after enabling a setting: Heat usually comes from a rendering or animation-related change, or from leaving Stay awake on while charging in a warm room. Revert the last change, take the phone out of its case, and move it out of direct sunlight. Persistent overheating has other causes, covered in our phone overheating fix guide.
• Developer Options vanished after a software update: Major Android updates sometimes reset the menu to hidden. This is normal and harmless: tap the Build number seven times again and it returns, with your previous settings mostly reset to defaults.

FAQ

Does enabling Developer Options void my phone warranty in Pakistan?

No, simply turning on Developer Options does not void your warranty. It is a built-in Android menu that Google ships on every phone. What can cause warranty or service problems is what you do inside it: unlocking the bootloader, rooting the phone, or flashing unofficial software can void warranty terms, so leave OEM unlocking and bootloader settings alone unless you fully understand the consequences.

Is it safe to leave USB debugging switched on all the time?

No, you should switch USB debugging off when you are not actively using it. When it is on, a computer connected by USB can run commands on your phone, which is a real risk if you plug into a public charging station, a shared computer, or a cable you do not trust. Turn it on only for the task at hand, on your own computer, and switch it off again straight afterwards.

Why can I not find the Build number on my phone?

The Build number is in a different place on different brands. On Samsung it is under Settings, then About phone, then Software information. On Xiaomi it is under Settings, then About phone, then the MIUI version entry, which you tap instead. On Infinix, Tecno, Oppo and Realme it is usually under Settings, then About phone, sometimes inside a Version or Device information submenu. Search for Build number in the Settings search bar if you cannot see it.

Will changing the animation scale make my phone faster?

Changing the animation scale makes your phone feel faster because windows open and close with shorter animations, but it does not increase the processor speed or add memory. Setting the three animation scales to 0.5x is a safe and popular tweak. If your phone is genuinely slow, the real fixes are freeing storage, removing heavy apps, and checking battery health, not animation settings alone.

What should I do if I changed a setting and my phone starts misbehaving?

Open Developer Options again and undo the last change you made, then restart the phone. Most problems come from one setting, such as a background process limit or a forced rendering option. If you cannot find the change, switch Developer Options off entirely at the top of the screen: this restores the default behaviour for most settings. As a last resort, note the exact setting name before searching for help, so you do not reset the whole phone unnecessarily.

How do I turn Developer Options off again?

Open Settings, then System or Additional settings, then Developer options, and switch the toggle at the top of the screen off. The menu disappears from Settings until you enable it again by tapping the Build number seven times. Turning it off is the safest way to leave your phone when you are finished, and it does not delete your apps, photos or accounts.

Auraz Tech Editorial Team — we test every guide on real devices and keep our tutorials updated.