Your Android smartphone contains hidden information, functions and menus. To access it, you have to type special codes in the Phone application. Be careful though, because some have radical actions!

Your Android smartphone contains hidden information functions and menus To

Your Android smartphone contains hidden information, functions and menus. To access it, you have to type special codes in the Phone application. Be careful though, because some have radical actions!

If you have a hacker soul, you have probably already explored all the options available in the settings of your phone or tablet. And you have thus discovered and undoubtedly tested most of the possibilities offered by Android and the software overlay of the manufacturer of your device. But you probably haven’t seen it all. Indeed, there are special commands on all models allowing access to hidden functions and information.

These elements are not hidden by chance. Intended in principle for manufacturers, operators, technicians and developers, they give access to very technical information – useless for an average user – and, above all, to certain powerful functions, which, if poorly controlled, can erase all the content of the device or even render it unusable. So be careful, if you are tempted: it is better to know what you are doing!

To access this information, these functions and these hidden menus, you have to use special codes – or secret codes –, some simple, others more complex and very difficult to memorize. Composed of numbers and the signs * and #, they belong to the category of MMI codes (Man Machine Interface, also called IHM, for Human Machine Interface in French), which are mainly used to give detailed technical information on hardware or software. , to perform tests and to activate or deactivate certain special functions. Some work locally on the device, even without a mobile network, but others, called USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), are used for functions related to the mobile network (blocking or filtering of calls, voicemail query, remaining credit check, etc.) and which are sometimes specific to an operator.

There are codes for just about everything, even to delete all data or completely reset a phone. Some are universal and work on all mobile devices, while others can only be run on an Android smartphone.

To use a secret code, you must go through the Phone application.

  • Open the Phone app on your smartphone.
  • Type the code with the digits and the signs * and # as if you were dialing a normal telephone number.
  • In general, it is not necessary to press the call key: the code is executed immediately, by launching the associated command.
  • The result depends on the code typed. Sometimes an information screen is displayed, in other cases, it’s a menu with options, in other cases, it’s an action that is launched, without visual feedback.
  • If nothing happens after entering a code, it is simply because the manufacturer of the device did not integrate it.
  • For example, if you type the code *#06# – which is universal – the screen displays the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity, the unique identification number) and the serial number of your phone.

All existing secret codes may not work on all devices. In addition, some codes are specific to certain manufacturers or certain versions of Android.

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What are the secret codes of Android’s hidden functions?

There are a multitude of “secret codes”. Some are universal and can therefore be used on all devices, but others are specific to manufacturers or versions of Android. So don’t be surprised if some don’t work on your device.

Codes to display information about the phone

  • *#06# : Displays the IMEI and serial number of the device
  • *#*#4636#*#* : Displays phone, network and Wi-Fi information
  • *#0*# : Displays the phone information and test menu
  • *#*#34971539#*#* : Displays camera information
  • *#0228# : Displays battery status information
  • *#12580*369# : Displays software and hardware information
  • *#232337# : Displays the MAC address of your Bluetooth
  • *#232338# : Displays the WLAN MAC address
  • *#7465625# : Displays the network lock (simlock) status of your device
  • *#2663# : Displays information about your screen
  • *#1234# : Displays your firmware version
  • *#*#44336#*#* : Displays the firmware release date
  • *#*#2663#*#* : Displays touch screen information

Codes to perform tests on the phone

  • *#0289# : Play test music
  • *#0842# : Runs a smartphone vibrate test
  • *#0673# : Runs an audio test by playing a sound in MP3 format
  • *#*#2664#*#* : Runs a test of your device’s touch screen
  • *#0283# : Runs a microphone audio test by looping
  • *#0588# : Runs a device proximity sensor test
  • *#9900# : Displays system reports

Codes to launch special operations on the phone

  • *2767*3855# Where *#*#7780#*#* : Completely resets the device
  • *2767*2878#: Reset the device without erasing data
  • *#2470#: Enable or disable the camera shutter sound
  • *#197328640#: Displays the Root Debug menu
  • *#78#: Displays the Admin Settings menu
  • *#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*: Makes a copy of the data from the SD card to the internal memory of the smartphone
  • *#*#7594#*#* : Changes the behavior of the ignition button, allows you to directly turn off the smartphone once activated

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