The name “developer options” speaks about the intended audience. The official documentation of Android says that “The Settings app on Android includes a screen called Developer options where you can configure system behaviours that help you profile and debug your app performance. For example, you can enable debugging over USB, capture a bug report, enable visual feedback for taps, flash window surfaces when they update, use the GPU for 2D graphics rendering, and more.”
Enabling the developers is officially supported by Samsung. Samsung’s documentation on developer options says that “Developer options on your Galaxy phone contains tools and settings that are useful when developing apps. These settings are not generally helpful to the average user, and should only be used by people familiar with app development.”
Developer options are for Android app developers. If you are not a developer and strictly use the settings of developer options as per our recommendation, it is unlikely to harm your set.
---
USB debugging, for example, is an option which you should not keep always on.
Previously, we have explained that enabling Suspend Execution For Cached Apps on S22 Ultra is actually towards meaningless.
These days, there are zillions of websites & YouTube videos which will show “10 hidden features” by enabling these developer options. We suggest you not alter the default settings for long-term usage.
How to Enable Developer Options on Samsung S24 Ultra
The developer options menu is not visible by default. You need to perform certain steps to access any of the available settings. The Build number is located in the Settings app, navigating to About Phone > (Software information >) Build Number. You have to tap it 7 times.
If the above steps fail to work then install the Goodlock app (from Galaxy store) and then install register and go to the “customize your settings home” option, then in the top right corner 3 button menu, click reset to see if it helps, scroll down to make sure that dev settings are toggled on in that same page as well.
Which Developer Options on Samsung S24 Ultra Are Relatively Safe to Alter
We will explain a few options since not all of the options are useful in day-to-day usage. A few options, such as Picture colour mode do not affect anything we can see. As we will update this webpage based on the information we can gather, you can bookmark this webpage.
Memory
Opens an app/screen displaying how much RAM the device is using. Also displays the average of 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, or 1 day. You’ll find a list of apps on the device sorted by memory consumption. This may be helpful.
Running Services
It is somewhat like Windows Task Manager. It shows how much RAM the running apps are consuming and the cached apps.
Show Refresh Rate
Shows the refresh rate. It is useful to understand how much time the 120Hz refresh rate is used for our day-to-day usage.
Mobile Data Always Active
Very useful to keep it enabled when you want the internet connection not to drop, if you use the Wi-Fi calling feature and if you send MMS. Keep in mind that it sucks more battery.
Default USB Configuration
This is useful if you regularly charge your device by connecting to a computer via USB. The default settings are correct and you need not change it.
Animation Scales
Setting it to 1.5x will give you a feeling that the device is faster. Transition animation scale and animation duration scale are related options.
Override Force-Dark
This option is for brutally forcing all the apps to be in dark mode. You can test it.
Tethering hardware acceleration
It is ON by default and does not turn it off. Turning it off may disturb the full functioning of some hardware.
Show Bluetooth devices without names
Turn it ON for ESP32/Android development.
Minimum width
Default on S24 Ultra 411. This option is for the testing taskbar in tablets (at 600, 1000).
GPU Watch
This option is for the game developers. You’ll get a set of widgets overlaying CPU and FPS. Samsung has official documentation on its usage.
Freeform Windows
This option is experimental for the tablets. Some of the App windows can be resized as we do on desktop OS.
Force desktop mode
No function on S24 since DeX will override. The desktop mode they are talking about is an experimental mode for Android. It does open on A series of phones connected with a display, but extremely buggy.
Conclusion
Develop options are for the developers. You can test each setting once, use it for a few minutes and then revert it to the default settings. It is better for a newbie not to play with these settings, rather it is safe to read our other articles on S24 Ultra which are written for general consumers:
- How Do I Make My Samsung S24 Ultra More Secure?
- Best Earphone/IEM, DAC & Music Player for Samsung S24 Ultra
- The Best S Pen Apps For The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- How Can I Take Better Pictures With My Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
