Is it safe to enable Android Developer Options?

Most people have no reason to enable developer options, but there will be times when some of us will find ourselves needing them. Android hides Developer Options by default. That begs the question: is there any downside to turning them on?

What are Android Developer Options?

Developer Options are the settings that most Android app developers are primarily concerned with. This includes features like keeping the phone screen on indefinitely while the device is plugged in so you can monitor how the app performs over an extended period of time.

One of the most common reasons people look for developer options is to enable USB debugging, which is needed to install Android apps from a PC or flash custom ROMs. You can learn how to enable Developer Options by checking out the best Android developer options worth tweaking.

What are the risks when activating Developer Options?

There's a reason developer options are hidden as a secret feature. Once enabled, these features will cause seemingly buggy behavior or even interfere with your ability to use your phone in the usual way.

Here are some ways things can go wrong:

1. You can set your phone to stay connected to LTE and WiFi simultaneously. This leads to increased battery usage, leaving you wondering why your phone isn't lasting as long as expected.
2. You can toggle the app's animation speed, making the device look too slow or as if the device isn't showing any animation at all.
3. You can change the sound settings to make the sound muffled, too soft, or too loud.
4. You can turn off essentials for video playback across various apps.

These are some settings you may forget you turned on as time passes. And they're the kind of settings that a friend or a repair shop might not think to check when your phone inexplicably malfunctions.

Why are Developer Options safe to enable?

If you are an advanced user and like to tinker with your devices, you might have a good idea about fixing your phone yourself. And when the going gets tough, a factory reset will solve most software problems. You may be more concerned about whether enabling Developer Options exposes you to remote attacks, malware, and other threats.

All kinds of malware and other security threats target Android devices, but they often don't check to see if your Developer Options are enabled. Unless an attacker is specifically targeting you, they will design their code to track the lowest common denominator, meaning the devices people frequently use, which Developer Options is turned off.

Such malware targets older hardware, with outdated Android versions containing unpatched software vulnerabilities. Or they depend on you installing an APK from an untrusted source - a cracked version of a paid app, for example, is an attractive way to sneak in nefarious code. Disabling Developer Options is not on the list of tips to avoid dangerous malware on Android.

Enabling USB debugging makes it possible to transfer software from your PC to your phone over a wired connection, but you still have to approve the connection. In both cases, the attacker needs physical access to your device or the app needs to trick you into approving the connection. Your phone will not be as vulnerable as if you unlock the bootloader.

Only use Developer Options if you know what you are doing

Developer options are not specific to developers; they are also for enthusiasts who have a deep knowledge of how Android devices work. If you don't know what a setting does after reading its name or researching on the web, it's best to leave it alone. You are the one at greatest risk to your device when you use the developer's options, no one else.

David Pac

Update 29 November 2023