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. Be careful, therefore, if you are tempted: it is better to know what you are doing.
To access this information, functions and hidden menus, special codes or secret codes must be used. Some are simple, others more complex and very difficult to memorize. Composed of numbers and the signs * and #, they belong to the category of MMI (Man Machine Interface) codes, which are mainly used to give detailed technical information about the hardware or software, to carry out 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 data). calls, voice mail query, remaining credit check, etc.) and 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.
Type a secret code on an Android phone
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 is a menu with options, in other cases it is 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.
Secret codes of 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.
– The codes to display information on the phone:
*#06# displays the IMEI and serial number of the device.
*#*#4636#*#* displays phone, network and wifi 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# is playing test music.
*#0842# runs a smartphone vibrate test.
*#0673# performs an audio test by playing a sound in MP3 format.
*#*#2664 #*#* is running a touch screen test on your device.
*#0283# performs a microphone audio test by looping.
*#0588# performs a device proximity sensor test.
*#9900# displays system reports.
– Launch special operations
*2767*3855# or *#*#7780#*#* completely resets the device.
*2767*2878# resets the device without erasing data.
*#2470# enables or disables 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 power button, allows to directly turn off the smartphone once activated.
Sources: writing and web
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. In fact, there is…