The brand new LG G3 is packed with impressive features, laser autofocus for the camera, advanced options or customization and more, but there are a few more options that Google has chosen to hide from the average user.
Developers and enthusiasts who want to control additional features of their new LG G3, change settings or enable USB debugging for advanced functions will need to enable the hidden developer menu in the settings. Normal settings are easy to find and control for everyday tasks and beginners, but Google has started hiding the advanced developer menu with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Whether you are a buyer who wants to be a developer or you want to install third-party software or ROMs and hack and mess with your new LG G3, you have to start by unlocking the developer menu. It’s actually pretty easy and only taps the screen 5-6 times, so read on for full instructions and a visual breakdown.
Almost all new devices running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and higher, including Google’s own Nexus 5, will need to take the following steps before their owners can access this advanced and hidden menu. This is quite a unique approach by Google, but the current system requires the user to tap a specific area in the “about me” settings menu 4-6 times to fully unlock this hidden menu.
Before we start, this entire menu is for advanced users and changing some settings or controls can dramatically change the experience on your new LG G3. And we don’t mean in a good way. While there are a few essential settings hidden here that average users will want to access, most of them are for developers or modders of their smartphones. That said, read on for quick instructions.
Instructions
Only a few steps are required, which is extremely easy to complete. To get these options ready for you, you will want to follow the minimum guidelines outlined below step by step.
To get started, you’ll enter the settings menu on the LG G3 by finding the gear-shaped icon in your app tray or by swiping down the notification bar at the top of the screen and tapping the same gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner. big G3 screen. From here you will continue to follow the steps below shown in the screenshots.
Once in the settings, you will tap on the last column labeled “General” as shown in the image above and scroll all the way down to the “about me” section of your smartphone. (Reminder: This same process works on all Android 4.2 and above devices)
Once you are in the about me settings menu, you need to scroll down and select (or tap) the “software information” options. From here you will see the Android version your device is running, baseband information, kernel details, build number and software version. These are all pretty boring stuff, but you’ll have to tap into the second to last option.
From there, quickly tap “Build number” 6-7 times and it will unlock the developer menu. After a few taps you’ll get an alert on the screen that you’re a few steps away, tap a few more times and you’re done. It’s that easy and you will see a cyan blue popup saying you are now a developer. I’ve already done that so it tells me I’m already a developer.
While we’re here, we have a hot tip for the average user. Non-Android enthusiasts will enjoy the hidden Easter Egg in this menu, again provided by Google. Do the same multi taps on Android Version for some fun. Then a big K (for KitKat) will appear, long press the K that appears and enjoy the Android 4.4 KitKat Easter Egg. You can long press this again for a mosaic of all Android versions. Pretty clean isn’t it? It’s the little things that make Android great.
KitKat Easter Egg aside, users will now want to go back to the original settings menu where we started. Go back to settings, tap on the “General” column and near the bottom a new menu option called “Developer options” appeared. Here you will find tons of advanced controls.
From here, there are options for keeping the screen awake while charging, USB debugging, Bluetooth controls, allowing fake locations, debugging certain apps, showing screen touches, and tons of other minor controls and advanced tweaks. Again, most of these are for developers and not necessary for the average user. So that explains why they were hidden.
You should do it?
Enabling the hidden developer options menu on Android is entirely up to the end user and will not cause any problem or damage to your new LG G3. Most of the included options are hidden by Google for some reason, but those looking to hack their device will need access to a few of these settings.
This little trick is not for the average user as most of the settings here are for advanced stuff only, but some may need to do it. This is entirely up to the end user, so be careful and don’t mess with the settings if you don’t know what they’re doing. That said, give it a try today and start hacking or replacing that brand new LG G3.